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Promising Practices

The Promising Practices database informs professionals and community members about documented approaches to improving community health and quality of life.

The ultimate goal is to support the systematic adoption, implementation, and evaluation of successful programs, practices, and policy changes. The database provides carefully reviewed, documented, and ranked practices that range from good ideas to evidence-based practices.
Learn more about the ranking methodology.

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Safe Passages, The Middle School Strategy (Alameda County)

Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Adolescent Health, Teens, Urban

Goal: The main goal of the Middle School strategy is to reduce the incidence of violence among youth measured by the reduction in suspensions for violence and to improve the perception of safety at school.

Safe Routes to School (USA)

Filed under Effective Practice, Community / Transportation, Children, Families

Goal: The goal of the Safe Routes to School program is to empower communities to make walking and bicycling to school a safe and routine activity.

Safe Walk to School (Oakland, CA)

Filed under Good Idea, Community / Public Safety, Children, Families

Goal: Safe Walk to School's goal is to keep children walking to school safe.

School Violence Prevention Demonstration Program

Filed under Effective Practice, Education / School Environment, Children, Teens, Urban

Goal: The goal of this program is to reduce violent tendencies among youth through civic education.

Schools of Hope (Sonoma, CA)

Filed under Effective Practice, Education / Literacy, Children

Goal: Schools of Hope aims to increase third-grade reading proficiency to 75% by 2015 and 90% by 2020.

Impact: Students tutored through Schools of Hope have an increased reading proficiency compared to other students.

Schools on Train Safety Program (Washington)

Filed under Good Idea, Education / School Environment, Children, Teens

Goal: The goal of this program is to introduce teachers, students, and chaperones to rail and train safety, the environment, and train travel. This program targets all students from kindergarten through high school.

SCORE Concussion Education and Baseline Testing Program (Greater Washington, DC)

Filed under Good Idea, Health / Children's Health, Children, Teens, Families

Goal: The goal of the community education, training and baseline testing component of the SCORE Concussion Program is to improve community understanding of concussions and response post-injury.

Impact: In 2012, The SCORE Concussion Education and Baseline Testing Program provided baseline testing and student athlete education to 1,522 children, lead 32 parent and coach education sessions, and conducted workshop training in more than 30 schools.

Seattle Municipal Sustainability Initiative (Seattle, WA)

Filed under Effective Practice, Environmental Health / Energy & Sustainability

Goal: The overarching purpose of the SMSI is to improve the quality of life for all people living and working in Seattle, within the means of nature.

Senior Corps (USA)

Filed under Effective Practice, Community / Civic Engagement, Older Adults

Goal: The goal of this program is to match seniors with volunteer opportunities.

Seniors Preparing for Rainbow Years (SPRY) (Houston, TX)

Filed under Good Idea, Health / Older Adults, Older Adults

Goal: The Seniors Preparing for Rainbow Years program was established to enhance the lives of LGBT persons age 60 and older.

An Effective Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success and/or promise in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures of improvement in outcome of interest (i.e. increase in voter registration, not just delivery of voter registration drive) and/ or the outcome measure is increased or improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant.

A Good Idea meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program funding source, program implementation steps and outcomes.
  2. The program evaluation is limited to descriptive measure(s) of success/accomplishment (i.e., program participation rates, number of services/education sessions/radio messages provided). Note: oftentimes, the program has been newly implemented and a program evaluation has not yet been conducted. Programs that have not yet been evaluated, but which show promise in improving health or quality of life, are classified as Good Ideas until an evaluation is conducted.

An Evidence-Based Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures showing improvement in the outcome(s) of interest after the implementation of the program (i.e. increase in smoking cessation, not just the delivery of a smoking cessation program). The outcome measure(s) is/are compared at relevant time periods before and after the intervention or program implementation. Alternatively, the evaluation study compares the outcome(s) between an intervention group and an appropriate control group.
  3. The study is of peer-review quality and presents numbers in a scientific manner; measurements of precision and reliability are included (e.g. confidence intervals, standard errors), results from statistical tests show a significant difference or change in the outcome measure(s), and relevant point estimates and p-values are presented. Note: if the results from an evaluation of a program are presented in a scientific manner and the outcome measure is improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant, the practice is classified as effective and not evidence-based.