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Part II:
Status of Research-Based Programs
Programs Beginning When Children are in Kindergarten or Elementary School
Be A Star
L.H. Pierce and N. Shields, St. Louis, Missouri
The Be A Star program began in 1992 in an area of St. Louis where gang activity and child abuse and neglect are high, large numbers of families receive AFDC, and the high school dropout rate is 52%. It builds on the existing infrastructure of the United Church Neighborhood Houses' 5 community-based after school programs, which provide various activities including tutoring, thrift shops, and a summer day camp.
The subjects are 5- to 12-year-old children, 96% of whom are African American, and the study uses a quasi-experimental design. In the 1994-95 project year, there were 17 treatment groups (386 children) and 21 comparison groups (397 children), and each group met once a week for 90 minutes from September through May when school was in session. In the 1994-95 project year, the average number of sessions attended was 22.4, and the average dosage was 33.5 hours per child. The experimental group received a specially designed curriculum, the focus of which was to improve decision-making skills and interpersonal competence, increase cultural awareness and self-esteem, and increase unfavorable attitudes toward alcohol and drug abuse. Support groups for parents were also developed. The control group had a more traditional curriculum that focused on holidays and games. The centers were encouraged to work closely with community residents to place greater emphasis on a safe environment for children.
The results for the 1993-1994 project year were inconsistent and not strong, especially for younger children. However, by project year 1994-1995, important differences between the older (i.e., 8- to 12-year-olds) treatment and comparison groups emerged. The experimental group scored significantly higher (p=.05) on family bonding, prosocial behavior, self-concept, self-control, decision-making, emotional awareness, assertiveness, confidence, cooperation,
negative attitudes about drugs and alcohol, self-efficacy, African American culture, and school bonding, as measured by the Revised Individual Protective Factors Index (RPFI).
The researchers note that it may take several years to see the results of a program, and that a program may have cumulative effects. However, their findings "suggest that community agencies, using after school programs meeting once each week, can affect how preadolescents feel about themselves, their families, and their schools" (Pierce & Shields, 1998, p.181). They acknowledge some methodological difficulties, especially with the measures used with younger children. They further state that "intervention on the individual level is rarely as effective as interventions with the child and family. When school and community are factored in, as suggested by Garmezy (1985), lasting change is more likely to occur." And they caution that "any implementation of a community-based preventive program is extraordinarily complicated" (p. 181).
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