SCHOOL FAMILIES - IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION OF A MIDDLE SCHOOL PREVENTION PROGRAM

The authors describe a school prevention program called School Familie s that emphasizes normal developmental needs of middle school students In addition, the results of an in-depth qualitative evaluation of the program are presented. The School Families groups comprised middle sc hool students, teachers, and adults from the university and community who meet weekly during the school day to process issues related to aca demic performance, decision making, self-esteem, and social skills. On the basis of written narratives, individual interviews, and focus-gro up discussions, the 35 participants (12 middle school students, 14 tea chers, and 9 university students) reported that the School Families pr ogram largely had a beneficial influence on them.