The Adolescent Transitions Program (ATP) is a multi-level, family-centered intervention delivered in the middle school setting. The intervention works within a “tiered” strategy (universal, selective and indicated), where each level builds on the previous level.
Universal
The universal level of the ATP strategy, directed to the parents of all students in a school, establishes a Family Resource Center. The goal, through collaboration with the school staff, is to engage parents, establish norms for parenting practices, and disseminate information about risks for problem behavior and substance use.
The videotape Parenting in the Teenage Years helps parents identify observable risk factors and focuses on the use of effective and ineffective family management skills, including positive reinforcement, monitoring, limit-setting and relationship skills to facilitate evaluation of levels and areas of risk.
Selective
The selective level of intervention, the Family Check-Up, offers family assessment and professional support to identify those families at-risk for problem behavior and substance use.
Indicated
The indicated level, the Parent Focus curriculum, provides direct professional support to parents for making the changes indicated by the Family Check-Up. Services may include behavioral family therapy, parenting groups or case management services.
Following this tiered strategy, a family in the indicated parenting intervention would have participated in a Family Check-Up and received information from the school's Family Resource Center about risk factors for early substance use and parenting practices that reduce the risk of drug use for their children. Each level of intervention builds on the previous level to reach parents within the school setting, to address the needs of at-risk families, and to provide family treatment.
Check and Connect is a dropout prevention strategy that relies on close monitoring of school performance, as well as mentoring, case management and other supports. The program has two main components – Check and Connect.
The Check component is designed to continually assess student engagement through close monitoring of student performance and progress indicators. The Connect component involves program staff giving individualized attention to students, in partnership with school personnel, family members and community service providers.
Students enrolled in Check and Connect are assigned a “monitor” who regularly reviews their performance (in particular, whether students are having attendance, behavior or academic problems) and intervenes when problems are identified. The monitor also advocates for students, coordinates services, provides ongoing feedback and encouragement and emphasizes the importance of staying in school.
Check and Connect is an evidence-based practice rated by the U.S. Department of Education’s What Works Clearinghouse (WWC).One study of Check and Connect met the WWC evidence standards, and a second study met WWC standards with reservations. Check and Connect was found to have positive effects on staying in school and potentially positive effects on progressing in school.