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Safe, Disciplined and Drug-Free Schools Programs 2001
Safe, Disciplined, and Drug-Free Schools Expert Panel
Promising Programs
Positive Action
Positive Action is recommended as a promising Safe, Disciplined, and Drug-Free Schools program.
Program Description
Positive Action (PA) was first developed in 1977 and has been revised since then based on process, monitoring, and outcome evaluations. It consists of integrated K-8 classroom curricula, school preparation, and teacher training, plus a schoolwide climate-change program, a family program, and a community involvement program. Although a high school component is also offered, adequate high school evidence of efficacy was not available. The goals of PA are to improve individuals, families, schools, and communities by teaching that acting positively helps them develop positive identities. Each goal has individual objectives: decreasing drug, alcohol, and tobacco use and decreasing incidents of violent behavior or misconduct.
PA is grounded in a broad theory of self-concept that postulates that people determine their self-concepts by what they do; that actions, more than thoughts or feelings, determine their self-concept; and that positive behavioral choices result in feelings of self-worth.
PA is a systematic, comprehensive program that uses active learning, positive classroom management, and a detailed curriculum. The grades K-6 portion of the curriculum consists of 1,200 or more 15- to 20-minute lessons delivered daily or almost daily. Activities include stories, role-playing, modeling, games, and questions/answers. As a holistic program, PA incorporates life skills into its curriculum and includes most subject areas, such as social studies, math, and science. The middle school curriculum continues with the same concepts as the elementary curriculum and focuses on middle school students' independence and emerging recognition of their responsibility for themselves. Lessons are taught two or three days a week.
Full implementation of PA in one school requires one Teacher's Kit of the appropriate grade level for each teacher, one Drug-Education Supplement Teacher's Kit for fifth grade (a Middle School Drug-Education Supplement Teacher's Kit for middle school is also desirable), Teacher's Kits of the appropriate grade levels for special education, one Principal's Kit, one Counselor's Kit, and one Community Kit. The implementing school principal can also refer to the Implementation Plan. Also available is a PA Family Kit.
Program Quality
Reviewers found that PA set clear, appropriate, and comprehensive goals for the intended population and setting and that it was reasonable to expect the program to achieve its goals. Reviewers noted that the program cited a great deal of research and that the rationale was based on a strong theoretical foundation. The program activities were found to align with the goals and the rationale. Reviewers stated that there was a high probability that if the activities were implemented with fidelity, the program's depth and quality would be likely to produce systemic changes in schools and communities.
Evidence of Efficacy
Reviewers found PA's overall evaluation design and methodology to be adequate with appropriate data analyses. They concluded that the cumulative effects of several of the studies showing statistically significant distal outcomes on discipline problems and self-concept confirmed the efficacy of the program. However, they agreed that no single recent evaluation of the program involved a rigorous study with well-defined, reliable, and valid measures, or had adequate controls for threats to internal validity. Reviewers cited one methodologically sound study that showed an impact on the protective factor of self-concept associated with some of the behavioral outcome variables of interest. They underscored that the evaluation studies involved elementary and middle school students only.
PA was extensively researched and evaluated in diverse schools and sites. Evaluations included a quasi-experimental matched comparison group, a pre-post-only case study, long-term follow-up, a time series, and percentile ranking comparison designs. Measures included self-concept scales, standardized tests, and reviews of official school and police records. The program reported favorable outcomes for PA students in the areas of substance use, violence, other crimes, truancy/absenteeism, academic achievement, and self-concept. Reviewers determined that there was sufficient evidence of program effects, primarily on self-concept and on some outcomes related to discipline problems.
Professional Development Resources and Program Costs
A three-hour orientation and implementation workshop is available through PA, but schools may also purchase training and professional development materials and use their own trainers. Several other workshops are offered through PA: a two-hour workshop for school personnel on how they can raise awareness of PA; a seven-series workshop that explores program components in depth; and a seven-part workshop that teaches how to apply PA concepts in all curriculum areas. Trainers from PA cost $600 per day in addition to travel expenses and $300 per day for travel time. The maximum group size is 30 participants per trainer. Training and professional development workshop materials cost $360 each.
Materials required in the full implementation of PA vary according to school size (i.e., number of teachers, counselors, and families). Costs for materials are as follows: Kindergarten Teacher's Kit, $400; grades 1 to 8 Teacher's Kit, $300; fifth-grade Drug-Education Supplement Teacher's Kit, $185; middle school Drug-Education Supplement Teacher's Kit, $300; elementary and secondary Principal's Kits, $360 each; Family Kit, $55; Community Kit, $300; Implementation Plan, $160; Rejuvenation Plan, $160; and Counselor's Kit, $60 each. Additional kits range from $150 to $400. The cost for consumables in subsequent years is approximately 20 percent of first-year costs. (Current costs need to be verified with the program.)
For Further Information
Carol Gerber Allred
Positive Action
Positive Action Inc.
264 4th Ave. South
Twin Falls, ID 83301
Telephone: 208-733-1328 or 1-800-345-2974
Fax: 208-733-1590
E-mail: email@example.com or firstname.lastname@example.com
Web site: http://www.positiveaction.net or  http://www.positiveaction.net
Primary Mental Health Project
Primary Mental Health Project is recommended as a promising Safe, Disciplined, and Drug-Free Schools program.
Program Description
Primary Mental Health Project (PMHP) is a school-based early-intervention program for young children who show evidence of school adjustment difficulties. As an indicated prevention program, PMHP targets children deemed "at risk" and not those with already crystallized serious dysfunction. Through therapeutic interventions in a one-to-one setting, the program aims to address risk and protective factors of children in preschool through grade 3. The program endeavors to detect, reduce, and/or prevent social, emotional, and school adjustment difficulties. It also seeks to enhance learning and adjustment skills and other school-related competencies. PMHP accomplishes these goals through five structural components: a focus on young children (preschool through third-grade children are the primary recipients of services); early and systemic screening and selection; use of paraprofessionals for direct services; role change of school-based mental health professionals; and ongoing program evaluation.
It is well known that patterns of school failure often begin in the first three years of school. A growing body of research strongly suggests the critical importance of providing fortifying school experiences at an early age. A rigorous screening procedure is first implemented to determine those children who would most benefit from PMHP services. Once children have been identified, the classroom teacher, in collaboration with parents and school counselors, completes an adjustment profile for each child. This profile is used to establish intervention goals before the children begin one-on-one counseling. Counseling sessions occur for 30 to 40 minutes each week and are centered on child-initiated expressive play activities that lead to the attainment of each child's individual needs and goals.
Program materials include a variety of informational booklets and manuals such as: School Based Prevention for Children at Risk; Primary Mental Health Project: Program Development Manual; The Primer: A Handbook for Establishing a PMHP Program; Behind These Young Faces: The Primary Mental Health Project; Screening and Evaluation Measures and Forms: Guidelines; and Supervision of Paraprofessionals: Guidelines for Mental Health Professionals.
Program Quality
Reviewers found the goals of the program to be clearly defined and carefully measured on both a short-term and a long-term basis. They also noted a consistency among the rationale, the goals, and the way each aspect of the program was measured. Students received the level of intervention appropriate to their risk factors, according to reviewers. The five structural components of the program drove the program to enhance learning and adjustment skills in a clear and organized way. Reviewers noted that the program materials were well developed and well utilized.
Evidence of Efficacy
PMHP presented evidence of improved school adjustment and a decrease in problem behaviors for treatment children based on a number of control group, comparison group, and long-term follow-up evaluation studies. Reviewers found that the program was well researched and addressed risk and protective factors for young children who were identified with school adjustment difficulties. Reviewers agreed that the outcome measures showed positive short- and long-term outcomes. They noted that the evaluation instruments were reliable and valid and that the data analyses were appropriate.
One control group study, with 600 children from 18 school sites randomly assigned into immediate intervention and delayed treatment groups, showed statistically significant decreases in adjustment problems for children receiving program services compared with children waiting for services. Another wait control group design, which employed a three-month follow-up measure, demonstrated a decline in teacher ratings of learning problems and shy-anxious behaviors and an increase in task orientation and peer social skills in favor of the treatment group. One of the matched comparison group evaluations showed a decrease in adjustment problems and an increase in adaptive competencies after one school year in favor of the treatment group. Long-term effects were found in a follow-up study of fourth- through sixth-graders two to five years after the intervention. Post-only results showed treatment children to be statistically significantly better adjusted than a demographically comparable group of current problem children based on teacher identifications and ratings.
Professional Development Resources and Program Costs
Support to districts and sites interested in implementing PMHP is available through multiple venues: consultation, training, program materials, and internship opportunities. Program consultants provide on-site consultation and support. Training videos are available on loan from the developer. Developers estimate that program costs annually per child can be less than $250 and that the cost of a single contact session with a child can be less than $10. (Current costs need to be verified with the program.)
For Further Information
Deborah B. Johnson
Primary Mental Health Project
Children's Institute 274 N. Goodman, Suite D103
Rochester, NY 14607
Telephone: 716-295-1000 or 1-877-888-7647
Fax: 716-295-1090
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Web site: http://www.pmhp.org  or http://www.childrensinstitute.net
Project STAR
Project STAR is recommended as a promising Safe, Disciplined, and Drug-Free Schools program.
Program Description
Project STAR, also called the Midwestern Prevention Project, is a comprehensive, community-based program to prevent or reduce adolescent substance abuse. Its primary goal is to prevent or reduce gateway substance use. The following program components are introduced in sequence to communities: school, parent, community organization, and health policy, with utilization of the mass media to publicize positive efforts for drug prevention.
The program has a social influences theory base. Early, middle, and late adolescence each have distinct developmental tasks and needs. Project STAR is geared primarily toward the early-adolescent period (ages 10 to 12) when youths are more likely to emulate older students and initiate attempts to break away from parental control.
The project integrates demand- and supply-reduction strategies by combining prevention programming (aimed at teaching youths drug resistance skills) with local school and community policy change (aimed at institutionalizing prevention programming and limiting youths' access to drugs). The program also teaches perceived norms for use and social support for nonuse.
Each of the five program components contains either activity guidelines or actual program materials. The school curriculum consists of 10 to 13 classroom sessions and five homework activities. Sessions are taught twice a week, and each session lasts less than 50 minutes. A teacher's manual is available. The school program focuses on increasing skills to resist and counteract pressures to use drugs and to change the social climate of the school to accept a drug-free norm. Methods of delivery include modeling, role-playing, and discussing related issues in groups led by peers. The other four components integrate with the school component to collectively encourage adolescents to resist drug use in the wider community.
Program Quality
According to reviewers, the goals of this program were clear and attainable and should result in a change in the entire community, not just a school. Additionally, reviewers noted that the focus on systemic issues was a positive attribute. Discussing supply-and-demand issues was found by reviewers to be an innovative approach that was supported by research. Reviewers noted that this program attended to policy-level change at the school and community levels, which reviewers found to be a long-term benefit of the program.
Evidence of Efficacy
Reviewers found that Project STAR's replication and distal outcomes made a strong case for the efficacy of the program. The program presented evidence from large-scale, longitudinal studies, using both quasi-experimental and fully randomized designs. Although high attrition rates were a concern, some of the studies addressed this concern by making maximal conservative adjustments and controlling for internal validity. Reviewers noted that issues of program replication and potential underreporting on self-report measures were adequately addressed also. Overall, they found that the program reported relevant evidence of efficacy based on a methodologically sound evaluation, despite selection criteria, reliability, and validity concerns. Reviewers added that the program appeared most effective at reducing adolescent smoking.
Project STAR used two evaluation designs. One design was a partially randomized study in one city. The second design was a fully randomized replication in another city three years later. Both studies used pre-post test measurement in the first year, with a post-test measurement administered each year thereafter. From sixth/seventh grade to the end of high school, 10,000 students were followed. Beyond high school, a smaller sample of about 2,200 was selected for continued follow-up. Standardized student and parent surveys and an expired-air CO measure were used to validate student responses. Statistically significant effects were found in favor of the treatment students, including net reductions in drug use ranging from 10 percent to 80 percent, depending on the specific drug and the year of measurement. Results also demonstrated, to a statistically significant degree, delays in onset and decreased prevalence on gateway (i.e., cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana) and illicit drug use; decreased alcohol and marijuana use among parents; and increased positive parent-child communications about drug use prevention for the treatment group compared with the control group. The program also reported statistically significant outcomes related to health policy changes, long-term job retention, and the development of community prevention programs.
Professional Development Resources and Program Costs
Training is provided for each component, including a two-day teacher training for part 1 of the school curriculum. A one-day teacher training for part 2, training of a parent committee, training of community leaders, and training of the local media are all available. Examples of each of the components are presented in a video. A curriculum package is commercially available. (Current costs need to be verified with the program.)
For Further Information
Karen Bernstein
Project STAR
University of Southern California
Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center
1441 Eastlake Ave., Room 3415
Los Angeles, CA 90089-9175
Telephone: 323-865-0325
Fax: 323-865-0134
E-mail: email@example.com
Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies
Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies is recommended as a promising Safe, Disciplined, and Drug-Free Schools program.
Program Description
The Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS) curriculum is a comprehensive program that promotes the development of social and emotional competencies in children during the elementary school years to achieve its goal of reducing aggression and other behavior problems. A second broad program goal is to enhance the classroom atmosphere to facilitate learning and the internalization of pro-social values. PATHS was developed for use in a classroom setting for children just entering school to those in grade 6. The curriculum is designed for use by educators and counselors in a multiyear, universal prevention model.
PATHS combines a focus on the promotion of optimal developmental growth for each individual; an emphasis on the manner in which teachers use the curriculum model to generalize the skills to build a healthy classroom atmosphere; a focus on the developmental process of the brain; an enhancement of developmental growth and mental health and the prevention of emotional distress; and a focus on psychological issues related to the role of emotional awareness.
PATHS is divided into three major units: Readiness and Self-Control (12 lessons), Feelings and Relationships (56 lessons), and Interpersonal Cognitive Problem-Solving (33 lessons). A 30-lesson supplementary unit is also part of the curriculum. PATHS lesson topics include identifying and labeling feelings, expressing and managing feelings, controlling impulses, reducing stress, interpreting social cues, understanding the perspectives of others, problem-solving and decision-making, and nonverbal and verbal communication skills. The 131 lessons are designed for delivery three times per week, every year over a five-year period.
The PATHS Curriculum Kit contains six volumes of lessons for students, a manual for teachers that addresses process and parent involvement issues, photographs and posters, and additional materials.
Program Quality
Reviewers found the goals of the PATHS program clearly stated, supported by research, and followed by measurable, achievable objectives. Reviewers also rated highly the rationale, including the sequence of the material's delivery, its well-researched foundations, and its alignment with its goals and expected outcomes. The activities were also found to elicit interaction and to be free of bias and gender inequality. According to reviewers, the materials appeared to be age-appropriate and of particular interest to the needs of the youths addressed.
Evidence of Efficacy
Reviewers found that the evaluation used an excellent research design, random sampling, and reliable and valid measures, although attrition issues were not addressed. They determined that the research studies presented by PATHS provided evidence that the program was effective in improving protective factors (e.g., social and emotional competency) and reducing risk factors (e.g., early and persistent antisocial and aggressive behavior). Reviewers, however, found the evidence of actual changes in behavior among students in regular classrooms insufficient. Research was conducted in regular and special education classrooms.
The program presented four clinical trials: Two studies involved students with special needs and two involved regular education students. One study involved 200 regular education students in grades two and three from four schools with random assignment by school; a second study involved 108 children with special needs in grades one to three randomly assigned by classrooms to the intervention or control group. Measures for both studies included affective and social problem-solving interviews, a teacher-rated child behavior checklist, student reports of conduct problems administered at the post-test, and one- and two-year follow-ups. A third study involved 5,000 first-graders in 48 schools in four sites with random assignments by school. Measures included peer sociometric ratings of aggression and disruptive-hyperactive classroom behavior and blind observations of the quality of the classroom atmosphere. The fourth study involved 57 deaf children in grades one to six, with random assignments by school to the intervention or wait-list control group. Measures included a teacher-rated health resources inventory, emotion inventory, social problem-solving interview, and teacher and parent ratings of social competence.
Professional Development Resources and Program Costs
Initial training of teachers, support personnel, and administrative staff requires a two- to three-day workshop. Costs for a workshop for up to 30 participants is $3,000. At the beginning of the second year of implementation, a half-day or one-day booster session is provided. Additionally, ongoing consultation/ supervision once a week is highly recommended in the first year.
In the second year, consultation/supervision twice a month is sufficient. Consultation/supervision is provided by a full- or part-time curriculum consultant, depending on the number of PATHS classrooms. The costs are as follows: $550 for the Basic curriculum (grades 1-6), including an instructor manual, five volumes of lessons, and visual aids; $145 for Readiness and Self-Control (Turtle unit) for K-1, including an instructor manual, puppet, and visual aids; $640 for the complete curriculum, both the Basic and the Turtle units. (Current costs need to be verified with the program.)
For Further Information
Carol A. Kusché
Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies
PATHS Training, LLC
927 10th Ave. East
Seattle, WA 98102
Telephone: 206-323-6688 (for training),
1-800-736-2630 (for curriculum)
Fax: 206-323-6688
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Evaluation Information
Mark T. Greenberg, Prevention Research Center
Human Development and Family Studies
Pennsylvania State University
110 Henderson Building South, University Park, PA 16802-6504
Telephone: 814-863-0112
Fax: 814-865-2530
E-mail: email@example.com
Web site: http://www.channing-bete.com/positiveyouth/index.html or http://www.prevention.psu.edu/projects/middle.html
Responding in Peaceful and Positive Ways
Responding in Peaceful and Positive Ways is recommended as a promising Safe, Disciplined, and Drug-Free Schools program.
Program Description
Responding in Peaceful and Positive Ways (RIPP) is a primary prevention program grounded in social-cognitive learning theory, which states that both women and men and the environment are involved in and responsible for the occurrence of an aggressive act, and is designed for use in middle and junior high schools. The goal of the program is to implement strategies that reduce problem behaviors by addressing specific risk factors and increasing protective factors. RIPP achieves its goal by creating opportunities in the school environment and by creating changes in attitudes inside individuals.
The curriculum is taught to sixth- or seventh-grade students in 25 weekly classes, with each session lasting 50 minutes. The curriculum uses three basic strategies: behavioral repetition and mental rehearsal of a social-cognitive, problem-solving model; experiential learning techniques; and guided discussion. Students perform role-plays, resolve conflicts, and observe positive social norms. They also learn a seven-step problem-solving model called SCIDDLE (stop, calm down, identify the problem and your feelings, decide among your options, do it, look back, and evaluate). In addition, students learn and practice violence prevention skills involving four pro-social options: resolve, avoid, ignore, and diffuse. The program contains a strong peer mediation component. Peer mediators are trained to provide their services to the entire school. Peer mediators complete 16 hours of training. A curriculum manual provides the material and information to implement the program.
Program Quality
The program goals and time frame for accomplishing them were found by reviewers to be appropriate and well thought out. Reviewers stated that prevention efforts clearly supported the goals of the program and helped the goals to be achieved. The program was also cited for its excellent research base and its continual updates to stay current with research.
Evidence of Efficacy
Reviewers agreed that RIPP presented a well-designed randomized clinical trial using reliable and valid measures. Although attrition was a problem, especially at the one-year follow-up, the evaluation tried to minimize the impact by analyzing pre-, post-, and follow-up data separately. Reviewers found that the study showed positive outcomes at post-test and follow-up, although the majority of the measures did not produce statistically significant effects and some of the effects present at post-test did not remain statistically significant at follow-up. A key positive outcome that remained statistically significant at follow-up was a face-valid measure of in-school suspensions based on administrative data.
The evaluation used a pre-post clinical trial with random assignments of students to intervention and control groups at three urban middle schools. The intervention group consisted of 305 sixth-graders, and the control group consisted of 321 sixth-graders at the same schools. Evaluators collected data on students from school disciplinary code violation records, a violent behavior scale, attitude and belief scales, and other self-report measures. Statistically significant positive program effects favoring the intervention group for weapons possession, suspensions, and fight-related injuries were maintained at post-test; and statistically significant positive effects favoring the intervention group on in-school suspensions and threats to teachers were maintained at the one-year follow-up. Statistically significant positive results also were observed for the intervention group on measures of knowledge and use of peer mediation.
Professional Development Resources and Program Costs
The major requirement for implementing this program is the hiring and training of a full-time violence prevention facilitator for each school. The prevention facilitator is responsible for teaching RIPP and supervising and coordinating the peer mediation. A four-day intensive training program is available at a cost of $600 per participant and includes the curriculum manual. (Current costs need to be verified with the program.)
For Further Information
Melanie McCarthy
Responding in Peaceful and Positive Ways
Youth Violence Prevention Project
Virginia Commonwealth University
808 W. Franklin St., Box 2018
Richmond, VA 23284-2018
Telephone: 804-828-8793
Fax: 804-827-1511
E-mail: email@example.com
Web site: http://www.wkap.nl/
Say It Straight Training
Say It Straight Training is recommended as a promising Safe, Disciplined, and Drug-Free Schools program.
Program Description
Say It Straight (SIS) Training promotes wellness, self-awareness, personal and social responsibility, good communication skills, positive self-esteem, and positive relationships. At the same time, it attempts to prevent risky or destructive behaviors, such as alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use; violence; teen pregnancy; and behavior leading to HIV/AIDS. SIS is action oriented and utilizes visual, auditory, and kinesthetic modalities to involve people with different learning styles. The learning is cognitive, affective, and psychomotor and creates opportunities for people to discover their internal resources; connect to their deepest wishes for pro-social behavior; and develop the skills to express and implement these wishes in appropriate ways, even in difficult situations. The training is cocreated by the participants, which gives them ownership and responsibility for their training.
SIS has been implemented in schools and in other community settings. It has been used with youths on probation, in detention, and in chemical dependency treatment centers, as well as with chemically dependent mothers in residential treatment and their children. Within schools it is conducted in five to 10 regular sessions of approximately 50 minutes each. Participants cocreate their individual training through activities such as body-sculpting and guided visualizations; role-playing difficult interpersonal situations; and participating in and learning how to do group feedback sessions. Training can be done on consecutive days or at least twice a week to accommodate school needs. Program materials consist of a trainer's manual, workbooks for younger and older students and adults, questionnaires used in the training, and three optional videotapes. A condensed trainer's manual, workbooks for student and adults, and a student questionnaire are available in Spanish.
Program Quality
Reviewers found that the program clearly outlined its goals and objectives and correlated them with the activities of the participants. Extensive documentation of the program's theoretical base, which was found to support soundly the goals of the program, was noted by reviewers. The program clearly demonstrated its relevance to the intended population, and its implementation methods were highly rated by reviewers for involving youths in the program content and delivery.
Evidence of Efficacy
SIS was evaluated through four studies. Research results were available for students in grades five through 12, parents, and other adults. Three studies used pre-post, quasi-experimental designs, and one study used a pre-post, randomized design. Reviewers concluded that the program's replication of behavioral outcomes using quasi-experimental studies and objective measures (e.g., suspensions and police records) helped overcome problems resulting from the lack of a true experimental design controlling for differences between treatment and control groups in all of the four studies. Reviewers reported that the program also showed positive outcomes for assertiveness/attitudinal skills, and that the attitudinal measure had good internal consistency and seemed valuable as a measure related to a risk factor. They agreed that program outcomes were consistently positive, although the best studies using the best outcome measures were short-lived.
In the experimental study, one out of three schools was randomly selected to participate in the program. The experimental school had 799 students in grades six to eight, and the control schools had 1,539 students in the same grades. Results showed statistically significant behavioral and attitudinal outcomes in favor of the experimental group in terms of 1) reductions in the number of students who incurred AOD-related school suspensions or referrals, and 2) increases in student willingness to implement constructive decisions in difficult situations and to feel more at ease doing so.
Professional Development Resources and Program Costs
Training occurs through a train the trainer model. Trainers receive a manual that contains a step-by-step description of their work with students, parents, and other community members. On-site support is available in some areas, and trainers can receive support via e-mail. The cost estimate for the first year for a school of 600 to 1,000 students is $2,600, including training and support. Parent workbooks are $6.50 each. The cost of workbooks for students or adults can be minimized by obtaining rights to copy workbooks for 15 to 30 cents per workbook, depending on the workbook. The cost in the second year of the program is just the price of the workbooks for incoming students. (Current costs need to be verified with the program.)
For Further Information
Paula Englander-Golden or David E. Golden
Say It Straight Foundation
6254 Paseo Elegancia
Carlsbad, CA 92009
Telephone: 760-431-1147
Fax: 509-278-7009
E-mail: email@example.com
Web site: http://www.sayitstraight.org
SCARE Program
The SCARE Program is recommended as a promising Safe, Disciplined, and Drug-Free Schools program.
Program Description
The SCARE Program is an anger and aggression management program for children and adolescents. The primary goals of the program are to teach young people about emotions, including anger and aggression, and to help them recognize alternatives to violent behavior and aggressive responses. It also aims to encourage young people to make good decisions in response to provocative situations.
This program was developed to focus exclusively on violence and aggression beginning in early adolescence, because a growing body of evidence has consistently indicated that early adolescence can be a critical developmental period. The SCARE Program adopts the perspective that the reattribution of perceived offenses and the control and management of resulting anger are of prime importance in preventing violent and aggressive acts from occurring. Literature has indicated that therapeutic intervention can effectively reduce anger. The SCARE Program was constructed as a treatment package focusing on anger management and coping skills for children and adolescents.
The program involves a total of 15 different sessions clustered into three distinct yet related sections: 1) recognizing anger and violence in the community, 2) managing and reducing self-expressions of anger, and 3) defusing anger and violence in others. The program is delivered weekly, twice a week, or daily in 45- to 50-minute sessions. The curriculum was designed for broad-scale implementation by teachers, counselors, law enforcement officers, graduate or undergraduate students, or adult volunteers.
Program Quality
This program received high marks for its focus and clear goals. According to reviewers, the program's activities consistently reinforced the application of acquired knowledge and contributed to the likelihood of attaining the stated goals. Additionally, the program materials were found to contain all the necessary information to achieve those goals. Reviewers noted that the body of literature cited sustained the program's theoretical foundation.
Evidence of Efficacy
Reviewers found the SCARE Program study design and data analysis to be adequate, despite attrition issues, the absence of behavioral measures, and the lack of distal measurement of outcomes beyond the eight-week post-test. They noted that the study's statistically significant outcome related to anger, and that the causal link between anger and substance use, violence, and conduct program behaviors was not addressed.
Participants in the SCARE Program demonstrated statistically significant decreases in state anger and trait anger and increases in anger control when compared with the control group on a self-report measure. The evaluation used a pre-post experimental design with random assignment of individual students to the treatment group. The study involved a multiethnic sample of male and female middle school adolescents in grades six to eight, and program effects were measured through the use of a self-report inventory assessing the experience and expression of anger.
Professional Development Resources and Program Costs
The SCARE Program is presented in an easy step-by-step format that assumes the leader has no formal training in teaching or counseling. Although not required, practice training by group leaders may result in greater treatment gains. Program materials consist of a leader's manual and a reproducible student workbook. Everything necessary to conduct the program is contained in the leader's manual. The current cost of the SCARE Program is $49.99. It is available through Kendall/Hunt Publishing, 1-800-542-6657, ext. 3087. (Current costs need to be verified with the program.)
For Further Information
Alan Vincent
SCARE Program
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company
4050 Westmark Dr.
P.O. Box 1840
Dubuque, IA 52004-1840
Telephone: 1-800-542-6657, ext. 3087
Evaluation Information
D. Scott Herrmann
Department of Counseling Psychology
Faculty of Education
University of British Columbia
Vancouver, BC
Canada V6T 1Z4
J. Jeffries McWhirter
Arizona State University
P.O. Box 870611
Tempe, AZ 85287-0611
Telephone: 480-965-4876
Fax: 480-965-0300
E-mail: email@example.com
Skills, Opportunity, and Recognition
Skills, Opportunity, and Recognition is recommended as a promising Safe, Disciplined, and Drug-Free Schools program.
Program Description
Skills, Opportunity, and Recognition (SOAR), formerly know as the Seattle Social Development Program, is a three-part intervention for teachers, parents, and students in grades one through six. It is a universal prevention program with interventions designed to reduce specific, empirically identified risk factors and to increase protective factors at the individual, peer, family, and school levels. The three major components to the intervention, each with its own age-appropriate skill set, are Teacher Training in Classroom Instruction and Management, Child Social and Emotional Skill Development, and Parent Training.
The package of interventions is guided theoretically by the social development model. Research has shown that teachers can improve children's attitudes toward school, behavior at school, and academic achievement through effective methods of instruction and management. This program provides a way to organize risk and protective factors into causal pathways. It hypothesizes that children learn patterns of behavior, whether pro-social or antisocial, through a process that involves four constructs: perceived opportunities for involvement with others, the degree of involvement, the skills to participate in these involvements, and the rewards and costs they perceive from their performance in involvements.
In the teacher-training component of the program, teachers receive 10 days of in-service training to learn proactive classroom management skills, interactive teaching strategies, and cooperative learning techniques. In the child skill development component, students receive four hours of training in problem-solving, conflict resolution, and communication, in addition to skills in recognizing and resisting social influences to engage in problem behaviors. The parent training component teaches parents behavior management skills, academic support skills, and skills to reduce their child's risks for drug use. Parents receive 15 days of training in three workshops over two years.
Program Quality
Reviewers found that the program clearly outlined the goals to teach pro-social skills to students through the implementation of a multiple-component intervention. The goals also were found to be strongly correlated to the research about promoting a child's attachment to school and family. Reviewers stated that the research and theoretical foundation of the program provided particularly strong support for improving children's behavior at school. Skills for both the teachers and parents were found to be appropriate for the varying age groups of youths addressed in this program.
Evidence of Efficacy
Reviewers found that the program presented well-designed multiple evaluation studies using random assignment of subjects and controls as well as quasi-experimental designs. Reviewers summarized that the evaluation was excellent in terms of strong design, reliable and valid measures, appropriate data analysis, and statistically significant outcomes. The program has conducted evaluations since the mid-1980s, and interventions have focused on different age groups for different lengths of time. All of the interventions were carefully evaluated. Reviewers found evidence of statistically significant effects in favor of the experimental group, as well as some mixed results.
Evaluation studies included an experimental pre-post control group design with 285 first- and second-grade students from seven schools in the experimental group and 173 first- and second-grade students from six of the same seven schools in the control group. After two years of intervention, experimental group males were rated less aggressive and externalizing-antisocial than those in the control group and females were rated less self-destructive, to a statistically significant degree. A longitudinal comparison group study with 199 fifth-grade experimental students and 709 fifth-grade control students showed that the intervention group students reported statistically significant less initiation of alcohol use and delinquency compared with the control students. Additional longitudinal comparison group studies following students who received full intervention at grades one through six up to the age of 18 demonstrated statistically significant outcomes in favor of experimental students on measures of childhood and adolescent problem behaviors such as aggression, violence, alcohol and drug use, delinquency, and school misbehavior.
Professional Development Resources and Program Costs
Professional development and training to implement this program include several parts: 1) a curriculum in cognitive and social skill training, 2) teacher training in classroom management and interactive teaching strategies, and 3) parent training through a seven-session "Catch 'em Being Good" workshop, a five-session "Preparing for the Drug-Free Years" workshop, and a five-session "How to Help Your Child Succeed in School" workshop. There is a six-day leader training to prepare teachers to facilitate the parent workshops. There is a six-day principal/facilitator training to facilitate the teacher training. The estimated cost of the combined SOAR intervention for six years is $2,991 per student, or about $80,000 per school for a two-year installation with all training, workshops, and ongoing technical assistance. (Current costs need to be verified with the program.)
For Further Information
Channing Bete Company
Skills, Opportunity, and Recognition
One Community Place
South Deerfield, MA 01373-0200
Telephone: 1-877-896-8532
Fax: 1-800-499-6464
E-mail: email@example.com
Web site: http://www.channing-bete.com
Evaluation Information
J. David Hawkins
Social Development Research Group
School of Social Work
University of Washington
9725 3rd Avenue NE, Suite 401
Seattle, WA 98115
Telephone: 206-543-7655
Fax: 206-543-4507
Web site: http://depts.washington.edu/sdrg/
Students Managing Anger and Resolution Together Team
Students Managing Anger and Resolution Together Team is recommended as a promising Safe, Disciplined, and Drug-Free Schools program.
Program Description
Students Managing Anger and Resolution Together (SMART) Team is a multimedia program for students in grades five to nine. It is a universal violence prevention program designed for use in schools by students using the Macintosh software independently, either alone or in pairs. The program's goals are to increase students' repertoire of nonviolent conflict resolution strategies and anger management strategies, to decrease the incidents of violent behavior, and to increase acts of pro-social behavior.
Skills taught through the program increase in difficulty level from novice to expert. The authors consulted with a panel of 10 teenage advisers throughout the development of the program. The input of this panel shaped the composite four characters that appear throughout the modules as advisers.
SMART Team's computer instruction program uses the four teenage characters to give advice and feedback to students as they interact with scenarios and questions. Interactive interviews, cartoons, game shows, and animation are used to teach anger management, dispute resolution, and perspective taking. The modules can be used in sequence or independently, because key concepts are reinforced throughout each module of the program. The software accommodates students' learning needs at various stages of mastery. The content of SMART Team is similar to commonly used conflict mediation curricula and can be integrated with other violence prevention strategies a school may implement.
Program Quality
This program was found to have clearly stated goals and a well-founded rationale. The computer format was considered by reviewers to be appropriate for delivery to the specified age group. The format of the modules, allowing individual or paired use, was also identified by reviewers as a positive attribute of the program. Additionally, reviewers noted that the characters in the materials positively represented many types of people.
Evidence of Efficacy
SMART Team presented evidence of efficacy from two evaluation studies. The first study was an intervention-only pilot test with 81 seventh-graders using a four-week pre-post test design and a teen conflict survey instrument. The results were replicated in a second evaluation study using a 13-week pre-post test, matched intervention and control group design with 321 sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-graders who had access to the SMART Team software and a control group of 195 students in the same school who did not have access. This evaluation used a survey, with scale reliability, assessing student self-reports of use of aggressive and violence-related behaviors. Evidence from the matched control group study showed that the program diminished sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students' beliefs supportive of violence and increased their awareness of how to handle anger situations to a statistically significant degree for the intervention group. Results of both the matched control group study and the intervention-only pilot test showed that the program increased middle school students' intentions to use nonviolent strategies to a statistically significant degree for the intervention group. The intervention-only pilot test also yielded statistically significant evidence of decreased student self-reports of incidents of getting into trouble; and increased student declarative knowledge about conflict management terms and principles, self-reports of altruistic behavior, and self-knowledge of how certain behaviors could contribute to the escalation of a conflict situation.
Reviewers found that SMART Team presented an excellent evaluation, specifically in reference to overall design, outcome measures, and data analysis procedures. Reviewers concluded there were overall statistically significant effects in the long-term control group study on targeted risk and protective factors, but not on violence, although there was evidence of short-term reduction in getting into trouble in the intervention-only pilot test.
Professional Development Resources and Program Costs
Training needs are minimal. Students receive an initial introduction to the software and are capable of using the system independently. The major cost incurred for this program is the computer hardware necessary to run the program, but many schools already have compatible systems in place. A single-user site license, permitting the installation of the program on one stand-alone computer, is available for $195. A multiuser license, permitting installation on any number of stand-alone systems, costs $395. A network license is also available for $595. The special-edition SMART/Cool CD, from American Guidance Service, is available in sets of three CDs for $300 or 10 CDs for $595. (Current costs need to be verified with the program.)
For Further Information
Kris Bosworth
Students Managing Anger and Resolution Together Team
University of Arizona, Department of Educational Leadership
Smith Prevention Initiatives, College of Education
P.O. Box 210069
Tucson, AZ 85721-0069
Telephone: 520-626-4964; 1-800-362-7323 to order materials directly from Learning Multi Systems
Fax: 520-626-6005
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Web site: http://drugstats.org
Social Decision Making
and Problem Solving
Social Decision Making and Problem Solving is recommended as a promising Safe, Disciplined, and Drug-Free Schools program.
Program Description
Social Decision Making and Problem Solving (SDM/PS) aims to establish a multiyear program of classroom-based training in social and emotional skills as part of an existing elementary school curriculum. The primary goal of this program is to prevent elementary school students from making unhealthy life decisions by teaching them the skills that form the foundation necessary to think clearly under stress and in emotional and socially complex situations. The program targets the following competency areas: 1) skills needed for self-control, 2) behaviors linked with peer acceptance and the ability to work cooperatively in groups, 3) problem-solving and decision-making skills, and 4) the ability to apply social and emotional capacities in response to changing social situations and demands.
The curriculum is based on empirical evidence predictive of a wide range of later-life outcomes and is used as a vehicle for integrating social and emotional learning into formal and regulated school operations.
SDM/PS instruction is organized into three domains: readiness skills for decision-making, instruction in social decision-making and social problem-solving, and application of social decision-making skills. The Curriculum Guide has operationalized a set of skills linked empirically with social competence and peer acceptance, and systematic skill-building procedures are used to teach course objectives. The curriculum contains a set of coordinated, sequenced, and scripted lesson materials and follow-through activities for elementary grades. Materials include a set of procedures for staff development activities, ongoing program monitoring, feedback gathering, parent and whole school involvement, and methods for evaluating effectiveness.
Program Quality
Reviewers found the goals of the program compelling and appropriate to the population. The repetition of skills reinforced the lessons. A wide variety of real-life and academic applications were made to promote internalization of skills and the transfer and generalization of skills to situations linked with the prevention of substance abuse, violence, teenage pregnancy, tobacco use, and more. Reviewers found the developmental stages of students effectively addressed, especially in the videotape materials.
Evidence of Efficacy
Reviewers found that the program evaluation showed positive changes in teachers' use of questioning to facilitate problem-solving thinking; children improved their social decision-making skills; and, upon follow-up, program students reported lower use of alcohol and a decrease in several areas of conduct problem behavior. The evaluation was a quasi-experimental design study, using nonexposed students as a comparison group. Reviewers agreed that the design and data analysis were appropriate and that the measures were reliable and valid for testing this program, despite attrition-related validity issues.
SDM/PS presented several evaluation studies demonstrating evidence of efficacy, including a pre-post, control group design that was replicated across three different districts with consistent results. The within-district control group study consisted of 101 experimental and 99 control fourth-grade students. The comparison-district group comprised 224 experimental and 120 comparison fourth-grade students. Students who received the intervention showed increases in their ability to give competent, pro-social solutions to problem situations; to name characteristics of friendships; and to know when they are upset and how to approach someone else who is upset. They also demonstrated statistically significant increases in problem-solving abilities of interpersonal sensitivity, problem analysis, and planning.
A delayed control design compared groups that had no, partial, and full implementation one year after the intervention, which was held in the fifth grade. Students in the full-implementation group showed statistically significant improvement based on frequency and problem intensity measures over those in the groups that received partial or no implementation. A control group design followed up at grades nine through 11 on students who had received the treatment in grades four and five. Results demonstrated statistically significant improvements, compared with no-treatment controls, in a variety of behavioral domains, including reduction in antisocial behavior (e.g., substance use, vandalism, interpersonal violence, and self-destructive behavior), improved peer relations, and higher levels of self-efficacy.
Professional Development Resources and Program Costs
The Curriculum Guide, which includes all reference and background information, evaluation materials, and master reproducible worksheets (only one copy needed per building), costs $75. The individual teacher curriculum is $35. The extent of training ranges from program "awareness" to multi-day sessions and ongoing multiyear program- and school-based consultations. Fees vary between $750 and $1,550 per day, depending on time, number of trainers needed, and the specifics of the school's training needs. When trainers must travel to the adoption site, their expenses for transportation, meals, and lodging must be added to training costs. Teachers participating in the in-service training are assessed a $50 materials fee, which covers a teacher's guide, training packet, and set of classroom posters for a standard introductory-level training. (Current costs need to be verified with the program.)
For Further Information
Linda Bruene Butler
Social Decision Making and Problem Solving
University of Medicine and Dentistry
University Behavioral Health Care
Institute for Quality Research and Training
335 George St.
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Telephone: 732-235-9280 or 1-800-642-7762
Fax: 732-235-9277
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Evaluation Information
Maurice Elias
Department of Psychology
Rutgers University
53 Avenue E, Livingston Campus
Piscataway, NJ 08854-8046
E-mail: email@example.com
Web site: http://www.EQParenting.com
Teenage Health Teaching Modules
Teenage Health Teaching Modules is recommended as a promising Safe, Disciplined, and Drug-Free Schools program.
Program Description
Teenage Health Teaching Modules (THTM) is a comprehensive health curriculum for grades six through 12. Students learn and practice seven essential skills for adopting and maintaining healthy behaviors: communication, decision-making, goal-setting, risk assessment, self-assessment, health advocacy, and healthy self-management.
The overall goal of THTM is to provide adolescents with the knowledge, attitudes, and practices necessary to improve and maintain their health and well-being. The hallmark of THTM is its student-centered, interactive approach to health instruction. The program also attends to students' previous knowledge and beliefs about health. THTM helps students to uncover, examine, and evaluate their own misconceptions and beliefs, and to reconcile them with accurate information, healthy behaviors, and their goals for the future. Unlike single-topic health curricula, THTM provides a consistent framework for all critical adolescent health topics, including violence prevention and alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use.
THTM was created in response to the pressing need for a comprehensive approach to secondary school health education. Single-topic health curricula tend to require several weeks or a full semester to implement, resulting in the neglect of other critical health content areas.
The THTM curriculum is a series of 23 modules grouped at three grade levels: six to eight, nine and 10, and 11 and 12. Each module consists of a teacher's guide with detailed instructions for conducting classroom activities. Although modules are designed to complement and reinforce one another, they may be used individually.
Program Quality
Reviewers found the holistic nature of the program to be an asset in achieving its clearly outlined goals. This comprehensive program was also highly rated by reviewers for its rationale and its ability to integrate diversity issues into the curriculum, a real plus for overall effectiveness. The program's emphasis on the association among cognition, affect, and behavior was found to be particularly relevant to both violence prevention and substance use prevention.
Evidence of Efficacy
The evaluation study of the THTM program used a quasi-experimental, pre-post, randomized control group design, with 1,291 students in the THTM treatment group and 1,132 students in the control group. Reviewers agreed that the THTM study represented a massive evaluation of the program that used a methodologically sound design and appropriate data analysis techniques, including the use of multiple data analytic strategies to strengthen the study's findings.
Reviewers found sufficient evidence to conclude that the THTM program had the potential for long-term effectiveness. Positive results were observed at treatment plus four months, which was approximately one year post-baseline. Statistically significant results were demonstrated for high school students. THTM students demonstrated statistically significant increases in the percentage of seniors who did not smoke cigarettes or use smokeless tobacco for 30 days, and a statistically significant reduction in the mean number of cigarettes smoked and incidents of illegal drug use over a period of 30 days. Despite some concern about the attrition rate, reviewers noted that the overall numbers of participants in the study lent credence to the positive findings.
Professional Development Resources and Program Costs
The program strongly recommends that teachers receive THTM training, which is available through certified trainers. Approximately 50 certified trainers are currently located throughout the country. Training costs for teachers range from free to $150 per teacher per workshop. Technical assistance for THTM users is available through the developer's toll-free telephone line.
A complete copy of THTM for grades six to 12 costs $999.95, but packages can be purchased separately for grades six to eight ($409.95), grades nine and 10 ($359.95), and grades 11 and 12 ($284.95). Individual modules are available for $25 to $80. Photocopying student handouts averages $7.20 per student per year. (Current costs need to be verified with the program.)
For Further Information
Erica Macheca
Teenage Health Teaching Modules
Center for School Health Programs
Education Development Center, Inc.
55 Chapel St.
Newton, MA 02458
Telephone: 617-969-7100
Fax: 617-244-3436
E-mail: email@example.com
Web site: http://www.thtm.org/
The Think Time Strategy
The Think Time Strategy is recommended as a promising Safe, Disciplined, and Drug-Free Schools program.
Program Description
The Think Time Strategy addresses disruptive behaviors in a manner that alleviates many of the problems associated with traditional classroom management approaches used in elementary schools. Although the Think Time Strategy was designed as a universal prevention intervention for K-9 populations, adequate evidence of efficacy was presented only for seriously emotionally disturbed (SED) populations. The Think Time Strategy requires that two or more teachers work together and helps teachers catch disruptive behavior early. Teachers send a disruptive student to a Think Time classroom, where a different teacher directs the student to a Think Time desk, which is located in an area free from distractions. That teacher initiates a debriefing process after the student has had "thinking time." The process includes a number of steps: for example, having the student fill out a form, having the teacher check the form, and returning the student to the original classroom.
The Think Time Strategy has five interrelated goals: to enable teachers and students to cut off a negative social exchange or power struggle over disruptive behaviors; to eliminate coercive interaction patterns between teachers and students; to initiate a positive social exchange between teachers and students; to include students in the process of addressing their disruptive behavior; and to decrease the variability in teachers' responses to disruptive behavior.
This strategy was developed due to a concern that many of the classroom management systems or strategies that teachers use to deal with students who exhibit disruptive behaviors do not work well. Research has shown that attempts to stop disruptive behavior sometimes aggravate the problem and often play a key role in establishing ongoing coercive family interactions.
Program Quality
The reviewers rated this program highly for its goals, which were identified as explicit, appropriate for the intended population, and supported by research. The skills taught were found by reviewers to be congruent with the protective factors indicated by the program. According to the reviewers, the program's rationale was both clearly stated and substantially documented in research and literature.
Evidence of Efficacy
Reviewers found that the evaluation used a methodologically sound research design, established the reliability and validity of the measures, used statistical analysis when possible, and tried to control for many variables in the test design, such as gender and attrition. Reviewers commented primarily on one of the three studies provided by the program. They noted that the study of highly disruptive behaviors of children with severe emotional or behavioral disorders was applicable not to all student populations, but only to the seriously emotionally disturbed (SED) population. They agreed that the evaluation results demonstrated positive effects for the SED population.
The program's three research studies used several evaluation designs, including pre-post quasi-experimental, continuous intervention time series, and multiple baseline across classrooms. Reviewers determined that convincing evidence of efficacy was found only in the multiple baseline study. The multiple baseline study was conducted across three fully self-contained special education classrooms serving 25 students classified as seriously emotionally disturbed. The sample comprised three female and 22 male students ranging in academic levels from first to sixth grades. Results showed that the average number of critical events (e.g., verbal and physical aggression) decreased by 77 percent weekly across all three classrooms and that two of the three classrooms continued to show decreases in the number of critical events during follow-up. In addition, the average duration of estimated on-task time that students spent increased by 34 percent weekly across all three classrooms, and all three classrooms continued to demonstrate increases in on-task performance during follow-up.
The pre-post comparison study conducted in elementary schools serving large numbers of students at risk for school failure showed statistically significant increases in the behavioral adjustment, school survival skills, and academic performance of the experimental students. However, reviewers determined that it was difficult to attribute these effects to the Think Time Strategy, which was one of four main components in the study, when just the implementation of a schoolwide effort, regardless of strategy, may have accounted for the effects.
Professional Development Resources and Program Costs
The Think Time Strategy offers a 35-minute, video-based training to ensure a high degree of fidelity to the program. The cost is $49 from Sopris West. (Current costs need to be verified with the program.)
For Further Information
Sopris West
The Think Time Strategy
4093 Specialty Place
Longmont, CO 80504
Telephone: 1-800-547-6747
Fax: 1-888-819-7767
Web site: http://www.sopriswest.com
Evaluation Information
J. Ron Nelson
University of Nebraska, Lincoln
Center for At Risk Student Services, Barkley Center
Lincoln, NE 68583-0738
Telephone: 402-472-0283
Fax: 402-472-7697
E-mail: email@example.com
Office of Educational Research and Improvement
Office of Elementary and Secondary Education
U.S. Department of Education


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Unionized Government Takes and Spends More
An organization with close ties to government employee unions is trumpeting pronouncements by a university "labor studies" department (that's also closely aligned with unions), claiming the unionization of government employees has "no link" with state "deficits."
Michigan's largely unionized state, local and school employees, however, are granted fringe benefits exceeding what they would get in the private sector by $5.7 billion every year. The figure may start to fall now that Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has signed legislation capping local government and public school employee health insurance benefits at $15,000, which represents a haircut for many, but is still 46 percent more than what the average employer in Michigan pays.
On retirement benefits also, Michigan's unionized government employees also take more than their private sector counterparts. The benefits offered under the school pension system — the largest government pension system in the state — cost three to five times more than private-sector averages.
So how could anyone possibly think that state and local government overspending has anything to do with unions?
Actually, some informal Mackinac Center research suggests more broadly that the level of government employee union penetration is closely related to state employment and economic growth. My colleagues James Hohman and Paul Kersey created an index that identifies 29 "strong public unionism" states (Michigan is one of them) based on government employee collective bargaining and binding arbitration laws, and right-to-work status.
Here's how the "strong public unionism" states did economically between 2000 and 2010:
|Strong union
|Weak union
|Personal Income Growth
|Real GDP growth
|Employment Growth
More importantly, granting government employee unions the privilege of collective bargaining corrupts our democratic process, because the politicians representing "management" are chosen by a political process in which the unions exercise tremendous influence. In a hundred direct and indirect ways, this creates obstacles to desperately needed reforms, and incentives to overspend.
Claims by union allies of "no link" to overspending are just a desperate last stand in defense of unfair, unsustainable and unaffordable government and school employee benefit levels that far exceed what their neighbors in the private sector get.

subset: commoncrawl


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Tag Archives: The Veterans' PTSD Project
Shining a Light on Like-Minded Orgs
Serve the Warrior is happy to be collaborating with Military Experience & the Arts! Like STW, Military Experience & the Arts is a nonprofit, volunteer-run organization for Veterans. MEA's primary mission is to work with Veterans and their families to publish creative prose, poetry, and artwork. All editing, consultations, and workshops are free of charge to those accepted for publication. Each Veteran receives extensive, one-on-one consultations on his or her written or artistic work no matter where that Veteran might be located. MEA also works with scholars to publish articles related to Veterans' issues in the humanities and social sciences. MEA's "flagship" publication is The Journal of Military Experience (JME). JME began in 2011 in a college classroom and presently receives worldwide submissions from Veterans and military communities. MEA is currently working on their third volume which will feature 59 original artwork pieces. You can … Continue reading


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The more Shia LaBeouf keeps talking, the more trouble he seems to make for Megan Fox.
First, he suggested in an interview that Fox was uncomfortable playing the sex symbol and that her "Spice Girl" feminism led her to pull out of the third installment ("Transformers: Dark of the Moon," opening this week). As if that weren't embarrassing enough, the claim led director Michael Bay to clarify the situation - which meant revealing the sticky truth that executive producer Steven Spielberg demanded Fox be fired after the actress compared Bay to Hitler in an interview.
In the newest issue of "Details," LaBeouf continued his quest to complicate Fox's life. When asked by Details writer Aaron Gell if he and Fox "hooked up" on the "Transformers set," LaBeouf, according to Gell, "nods affirmatively."
U.S. & World
"Look, you're on the set for six months, with someone who's rooting to be attracted to you, and you're rooting to be attracted to them," LaBeouf explains. "I never understood the separation of work and life in that situation."
Fox, of course, had been dating actor Brian Austin Green since 2004. The pair got married last summer. When asked if he knew whether or not Fox and Green were together during their tryst, LaBeouf offers little in the way of a straight answer.
"I don't know, man. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know," says LaBeouf. Gell then claims he repeated "I don't know" no less than eight more times before adding, "It was what it was."
So far there has been no comment from Fox on the subject.
Selected Reading: Details, Us Magazine


text: I got a Sansa Clip 2GB music player for Guppy, and another also for Guppy to give to a friend. I've been working with it this afternoon. It charged in around 4 hours or less, I didn't really time it. I put about 20 CD's on it, not erasing whatever music it was pre-loaded with. It shows to be 339 songs. I have Windows Vista Ultimate and have had no problems with the Clip. I also downloaded and installed the firmware update, the download link can be found in the Sandisk forums. I would post links here but I gotta run off to mass. The thing sounds great to me for the little time I've had it. FM radio was good too. Audio recording was rather low volume but do-able. Unfortunately, it also records the noise associated with handling the Clip and the button clicks. Over all, I think it's a good buy for $50 and am quite satisfied for my first impression.


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Furniture Conservation Training Program
The FCTP was a unique graduate-level program, designed to allow experienced woodworkers and practicing restorers to pursue advanced mid-career re-orientation of their professional activities into the field of professional, museum quality, furniture conservation.
An innovative curriculum, based on three years of intensive course work with 4 two-week courses per year, combined with extensive home study assignments, plus a one-year internship with a recognized furniture conservator, allowed the students' to maintain employment during their studies.
Upon completion of the program, students received a SCMRE certificate and, through an arrangement with Antioch University, were eligible for a Master's degree in furniture conservation.
By the infusion of these numbers of well trained conservators in a field where a severe shortage of such professionals existed, and still does, the FCTP can be credited with redefining furniture conservation in the USA.
What is furniture conservation?
Stated simply, conservation of furniture and other artifacts is the synthesis of three major endeavors; the minimization of deterioration (preservation), the consolidation (stabilization) of artifacts as they currently exist, and repair/replacement (compensation or restoration) of existing damage. In order to best preserve artifacts, the causes of deterioration are studied to understand how they can be minimized. The same quest for understanding is evident in devising the treatment of objects, in that processes and materials are tested for stability, safety toward the object, and effectiveness.
Beginning in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, artistic and historic objects were being examined in a scholarly manner. Their importance as cultural documents was identified and, as such, the need to preserve them became evident. Museum professionals realized the benefit of interdisciplinary study, recognizing that scientific inquiry could be applied in concert with artistic, technological and historical studies and lead to a better understanding of objects and their deterioration/preservation processes. Early conservation professionals became committed to open communication of ideas and techniques, so that preservation and treatment processes could be examined objectively.
The furniture conservation discipline is much newer than the conservation profession as a whole, having emerged only within the last few decades,. This is due primarily to the relatively recent acceptance of furniture as historically and artistically important, and the dearth of serious students in furniture preservation. Noting the widespread need for practitioners of furniture conservation, the Furniture Laboratory staff of the Smithsonian Center for Materials Research & Education proposed a comprehensive educational program to fulfill this need, the result being the establishment of the Furniture Conservation Training Program (FCTP) in 1986.
Program Scope
The Program is a graduate-level course of study intended to prepare experienced and skilled woodworkers for careers in furniture conservation. The curriculum consists of twelve sequential two-week-long courses offered at three month intervals, followed by a one year, full-time internship in a furniture conservation laboratory including a research project and thesis. This unusual format allows students to maintain their current employment and other commitments for the first three years while pursuing formal training in furniture conservation. After completion of the Program, a Certificate will be awarded by the Smithsonian Center for Materials Research & Education. Although the Smithsonian Institution is not a degree-granting body, students accepted into the Program may receive an M.A. through the Independent Master of Arts Program of Antioch University, Yellow Springs, Ohio, whose faculty has judged the FCTP curriculum to fulfill their requirements for a Master's degree. The Smithsonian Center for Materials Research & Educationhas no institutional affiliation with Antioch University, so students who wish to utilize this option must do so individually.
Program Content
The purpose of the Furniture Conservation Training Program is to integrate craft and technical skills with the ethical and philosophical bases of the profession and enable graduates to contribute toward the preservation of wooden artifacts within this framework. Woodworking is only one of several skills required of a furniture conservator. Other areas include knowledge of material technology, organic, inorganic and physical chemistry, cultural and art history, methods of analysis, written and photodocumentation, in addition to conservation practices. An excellent cabinetmaker can be a poor conservator. The outlook of the conservator is the key attribute which makes the difference - specifically, respect for the integrity of the object, the desire for minimally intrusive actions, and the concern for the long-term stability of the artifact.
Each of the twelve courses covers a specific furniture conservation subject area. Instruction will be by SCMRE staff and visiting faculty. Taken as a whole, the sequence provides an introduction to furniture conservation, including materials science and technology, furniture history, scientific analysis, and applied furniture conservation. The courses are very intensive, generally running from 9 AM to 6 PM daily. The lecture component for each course varies from three to six days long, and may be opened to outside attendees. The remainder of each course is a structured laboratory session solely for FCTP students. Most coursework will be held at the Smithsonian Center for Materials Research & Education, located in the Smithsonian's Museum Support Center in Suitland, Maryland, about 7 miles from downtown Washington, DC.
Prior to each course, extensive background readings will be assigned. Homework may also be assigned, such as completion of procedures too complex or lengthy for the two-week course format. A three-hour written examination will be given for each course. Other activities, such as written research and oral presentations, may be substituted for the examination. The experience of current students indicates that between each course, approximately 10 - 20 hours per week are devoted to Program-related work. Guidelines appropriate to graduate studies will be applied as they pertain to academic standing, i.e. probation or dismissal. Due to the nature of the courses, the internship serves the critical function of providing a supervised environment in which the knowledge gained previously can be integrated fully.
FCTP Master Reading List
For information on the FCTP Course of Study...
For information on the FCTP Detailed Curriculum...
For information on FCTP Admission and Application...


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About Gore Bike Wear
W.L. Gore & Associates founded GORE Bike Wear, and honestly, who better to use Gore-Tex and WindStopper technologies and innovations in bike-wear than the geniuses who developed these weather-blocking, breathable fabrics? With product-design awards coming out the ears, GORE Bike Wear also has the art of ride-specific designs mastered. No surprise-the renowned guarantee never goes half-assed on anything.


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NFL Draft
From Conservapedia
(Redirected from 1994 NFL Draft)
The NFL Draft is a yearly venture where the cream of the college football crop are systematically selected by professional NFL teams. Drafting order is based on the football team's prior year standings, with the teams that fared poorest drafting first. It is possible to trade away draft choices to other teams.
ESPN has been largely responsible for the increasing popularity of this event, because they own the rights to televise it.


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Happy (more than) halfway through 2014! If you made it your resolution to get organized back in January — and maybe forgot? — consider this your little reminder. To get the ball rolling, resolve to work on one of the most important rooms in your house: the bedroom. As the place in your home where you (hopefully) spend six to eight hours a night sleeping, and a lot of time relaxing, it's a great place to get started. Here are five easy tips to help you begin the process.
- Move your computer station or laptop to another room. Bedrooms should ideally be reserved for sleeping, relaxing, and romance. If nothing else, invest in first apartment essentials like an under-the-bed storage container or a basket that you can use to toss your laptop in and slide under the bed.
- Donate any clothes and shoes you haven't worn in the past year that are cluttering up your closet. Also, add any extra bedding you don't use to that pile, as well as books you will never lend to friends or read again. Choose your favorite local charity, or go with one of the bigger national charities that does great work, such as Goodwill or Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Once that's done, make your space neat and tidy with these closet organizing tips.
- Recycle papers and magazines that have spent too long sitting on your bedside table.
- Toss anything that's not in good enough condition to donate. If the objects are large, arrange a pickup from your waste service, or take them to the dump, which will probably involve a fee.
- Add shoe storage, closet storage, and under-the-bed storage. Take it a step further with these chic ways to display your jewelry too! The more items that are out-of-sight, the more serene your bedroom will feel.
See Related Articles: A Home Built For Organization
Floral Centerpieces For Every Occassion
8 Chich Bedrooms to Emulate
Story originally by POPSUGAR Home.


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easy rendering for Rhino in Windows
I stopped a rendering, then tried to save it. I get the error message:
"Unable to create save bitmap"
Do I need to purchase a license at this point?
Any ideas?
Thanks up front for any help.
Views: 899
Hello Mike,
I am attempting to track down the problem but need a little more information to figure it out. Does this fail every time you try to save after a rendering or only in specific models? Can you try starting Rhino, draw a box or sphere or something that will render, start the render command, wait for a pass or two, press the "Stop" button then try a simple save. If that fails could you press F2 and look see if there is any additional error information in the history window.
I searched the code for the "Unable to create save bitmap" error message and added some additional messaging to help identify why it may be failing and will be releasing a new beta shortly with this new code.
Thanks for the help in tracking this down, I'm sorry it is not working for you.
There are many possibilities here. Can you trya few things?
1) Render at a lower resolution. Will it save?
2) Turn off most of the model, then render at your current resolution, will it save?
3) Do you use suspend and resume rendering?
This problem is lingering around. We are having trouble understanding the specific cause.
Here's what I found John - & Scott:
I tried with two models, one about 4Mb, the second about 113Mb. Tried turning off everything but the groundplane in the small one - no luck.
Then I shut down the machine - Dell Inspiron Laptop, 1.8Ghz processor, 2gb ram, running in 3gb mode WindowsXp - 32 bit - turned it off, waited a few minutes, booted back up, opened Rhino5, opened the small drawing, hit render, stopped after 5 passes & it let me save the image as a .jpg. I continued the render one more pass, tried to save, it would not let me save.
I opened the large drawing, rendered a view with very few objects visible - most layers turned off - ran 2 passes, it would not let me save. I tried re-opening the small drawing, rendered 2 passes in a simple view, would not let me save. I hit F2 - nothing happened, did not show any more text in the command line.
It seems that the first time I open Rhino & render it will let me save, but not after that until I re-boot the machine. I even tried just closing Rhino, waiting a few minutes, re-opening Rhino, render & try to save - nothing.
I thought that maybe the installation of Rh5 or FlamingoNxt were corrupt or something, so I re-downloaded & re-installed both. No change.
I just tried it on another machine - Dell Optiplex GX 280 2.8ghz processor, 2Gb ram, WinXpPro 32 bit installed FlamingoNxt, opened Rh5 latest, opened the small file, rendered 3 passes, & tried to save, but it would not let me save, right off the bat. Machine had been on for a while.
I shut the machine down, restarted, first opened Rh5, opened small file, rendered 3 passes, tried to save, would not let me. Here's what was in the command history.
"Loading Flamingo nXt Beta Version 3.1.2011.1213, Date Built 13-Dec-2011
Flamingo nXt Beta will expire on 20 Mar 2012
Command: _Open
Name of the file to open ( UpdatePromptUpdateBlocks=Yes Browse ): "\\laptop\my documents\calvino studio\20000AdditionRenovations\20006-11Diana\20006-11-00.3dm"
Loading Rhino Render, version 1.50, Jan 3 2012, 21:48:38
File "\\laptop\my documents\calvino studio\20000AdditionRenovations\20006-11Diana\20006-11-00.3dm" successfully read
Creating meshes... Press Esc to cancel
Command: _Render
Unable to create save bitmap
Unable to create save bitmap
Command: _CommandHistory"
If you create a completely new model on the Optiplex, 3 boxes. Render it with default settings. Does it save?
I setup a very similar box with Rhino 5. It worked for me. But, there could be something else going on. WE still need to determine if it is Flamingo or the model. The render test of a new model will show us.
Hi Scott,
I just opened Rh5 on the Optiplex, the machine was just booted and I had not run any other programs yet, I created 3 boxes of similar but slightly different sizes, as you described, then just clicked render (Flamingo nXt>Render) I stopped it at 3 passes & tried to save. Same message. "Unable to create save bitmap" F2 shows nothing further.
Hi Mike, are you using the 3gb switch in windows XP?
This makes the system unestable.
I am only using the 3gb switch on the laptop - that's the one that the save works sometimes on - I've been using the 3gb switch for like 3 yrs on it - no problems.
On the Optiplex I don't have the 3gb switch running & it will not save at all, not even when first booted up. The laptop at least will save an image when Rh5 is run first time after booting. & actually I was able to save off about 5 images this afternoon. Can not figure out what was different, but it let me save a few different renders from the same model right in a row. But then on like the 5th or 6th try, it went back to the same error message.
I don't think it's the 3gb switch.
Thanks for the input though.
Mike -
I just released a new build 36. Can you run this on your machines? We hoep that you will see more information on the commandline to help us understand better what is happening.
To get the build, go to the Download Page....
I'll give it a try tonight or maybe tomorrow, thanks Scott.
I downloaded & installed, but it would not load when I started Rh5. I got this error message (attached). I'll try re-downloading & re-installing.
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Tag Archives: C-130
A couple of frantic minutes later, the noise in my mind was interrupted by Leigh's soothing voice. By concentrating on her words, I was able to re‐focus my thoughts and get back to the task at hand. She had us focus on a loved one that was sick or in need of help. With every inhale, we were to take in their suffering and with every exhale, concentrate on giving out love, hope, and understanding. As my son was sick that day, I envisioned taking away his suffering with every breath in, and with every exhale, sending him love and wellness. A few moments later, I began the same process, but focused on the parents of my fallen brothers. With every inhale, I imagined taking away the pain they felt from losing their sons, and with every exhale, sent them my love and understanding.
However, it only took a few more breaths before my mind went nuts again. I was trying so hard to concentrate but kept failing. Finally, Leigh Anne guided us to come out of our meditative state. All I could think about as I came back to full awareness was how completely I had failed at meditation. I was disappointed because I thought I would only Continue reading →
Giving and Taking – Part Two of Three by: Robert Tanner Please read Part One to understand where this picks up: Thursday evening, I pulled into the parking lot of Sacred Om Yoga in Point Pleasant, NJ, feeling a bit nervous. "What did I get myself into," I wondered as I made my way across the parking lot. I wanted so badly for this to help, to feel that same sense of relief as when I finished the writing, but I was afraid. I wasn't convinced that meditation could actually help me. It's not that I didn't have an open mind; it's just that I wasn't sure everything would go as planned. In the lobby, I was greeted by the owner, Susan, a very pleasant woman who made me feel welcome. As I was a few minutes early, I sat … Continue reading →
Giving and Taking – Part One of Three by Robert Tanner Nearly ten years ago, I sat in the cargo bay of a C-130 as a USMC infantryman on my way to Kuwait. I was part of a contingent of Marines deployed to Fallujah, Iraq to help restore order and bring peace to the people of the region. Seven grueling, heart-wrenching months later, I left Fallujah knowing that I had done my job to the best of my ability, but at a cost. Too many good friends had passed during our time and the mental toll this had taken on us all was enormous. When we got back to the United States, I tried not to think much of what happened in Iraq. I fought internally to keep the bad memories out of mind. My line of thought … Continue reading →


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Sometimes, you just got to call it in and go play for a day.
Both kids moved up in the "candy line," which means they can ride bigger and better rides.
Those damn roller coasters get to you more and more the older you get.
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Nothing is more awesome than fire in slow motion, captured with a really fantastic camera. But it's even better when fire is combined with imagery that seems ripped from a tale of megapolisomancy, where strange magic lurks in the urban storm drains beneath our feet. Take a few seconds out of your day to enjoy the physics of fire, and possibly the fantasy of something beyond science.
Filmmaker Danny Cooke writes:
I performed this test as an experiment with the overcranking mode on the Sony FS700 camera (240fps/480fps) in order to directly compare the results to 'Incendium' where the slow motion was interpolated using Twixtor and shot on Canon 7D (60fps).
Nicely done, fire-breather Elliott Montello. See more of Cooke's work on his website.


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Radcliff United Methodist Church
Saturday, October 31, 2020
God's People Filled with God's Presence Fulfilling God's Purposes
Willis Small Group
Date: Thursday, October 22, 2020
Time: 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
Location: Joyce Conn's: 718 Yates Drive, Radcliff
Willis Small group meets every Thursday evening from 5:30 p.m.- 7:00 p.m. at Joyce Conn's house, 718 Yates Drive. They are active in ministry, evangelism, fellowship, worship, and disicpleship. POC: Mitch Willis, email@example.com Page


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Date(s) - September-07 2020
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LondonDairy Alpaca Ranch
Visit LondonDairy and take a one hour "behind the scenes tour." Hear about the history of LondonDairy Alpaca ranch, learn hundreds of fact and gain in-depth knowledge about alpacas, test your fiber sorting skills; interact, feed, and photograph beautiful and friendly alpacas in a pen or pasture. This is the one hour "behind the scenes" tour offered at LondonDairy Alpacas on a daily basis. The tour must be arranged by calling the ranch in advance and scheduling an appointment. Walk-ins or drive ups cannot be accommodated. Please note, LondonDairy is not a petting zoo or a playground. Children need to be supervised at all times so everyone can have a fun and safe experience while visiting. Admission fee: adults are $7 plus tax, children ages 4-14 are $6 plus tax, under age 2 is free. Self-guided tours are $5 per person. Under age 2 is free. Call 920-793-4165 to reserve a date and time.


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Our goal at Barnett Woods is to meet each resident's needs while maintaining the highest level of choice, dignity, privacy, respect and individuality. To assure that this is done effectively, a personal assessment is conducted prior to move-in. Residents, family members and the Barnett Woods staff work together to develop an individually-tailored service plan. A follow-up family care conference will be held regularly to assure that, as a resident's needs change, the Personalized Service Plan is adjusted accordingly.
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For this week's reviews, we get a diverse pair of West Valley restaurants — Bento Box Japanese Grill in Ontario and Jim's World Famous Charbroiled Hamburgers in Upland.
Elaine Lehman follows the Ontario police to the Bento Box Japanese Grill (2910 S. Archibald Ave., Suite C) and enjoys their "affordable," "delicious" food.
You can check out her review here.
Let's Dine Out Show's Allan Borgen, on the other hand, visits Jim's World Famous Charbroiled Hamburgers (969 W. Foothill Blvd.), which offers much more than just burgers.
Allan mentions the following menu items: chicken fried steak and eggs; Western omelette; pastrami sandwich; fried chicken; pastrami, chili and cheese burrito; Polish sausage sandwich; shakes; and pancakes.
I guess they're called Jim's World Famous Charbroiled Hamburgers because Jim's World Famous Charbroiled Hamburgers, Chicken Fried Steak and Eggs, Western Omelettes, Pastrami Sandwiches, Fried Chicken, Pastrami, Chili and Cheese Burritos, Polish Sausage Sandwiches, Shakes and Pancakes just wouldn't fit on the sign.
Or perhaps because only their burgers are world famous.
Whatever the case, Allan gives them four out of five stars…not bad.
Jim's is legendary…I remember my uncle talking about them being one of his haunts back when he was working for Caltrans.
I've been there before, but not for a long, long time. I think it might be time for a return trip.
Click here to peruse Allan's review.


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Chargers embarrass lifeless Steelers 34-24
Ben Roethlisberger's sprained right shoulder appears to be OK. It's everything else about the Pittsburgh Steelers that could use some work, as the San Diego Chargers showed Sunday.
Philip Rivers threw three touchdown passes, two to Danario Alexander, and the Chargers beat the Steelers 34-24.
The win was San Diego's first in 15 regular-season visits to Pittsburgh and snapped a four-game losing streak. The Chargers (5-8) dominated from the outset, never letting Roethlisberger get comfortable in his first game in nearly a month.
Roethlisberger completed 22 of 42 passes for 285 yards and three second-half touchdowns. But he also threw an interception and had a botched screen pass turn into an easy San Diego score as Pittsburgh (7-6) hardly played like a team readying for a postseason run.
The Chargers have been one of the NFL's biggest disappointments after a 3-1 start evaporated into a 1-7 slide that fueled speculation coach Norv Turner and general manager A.J. Smith could be fired at season's end.
Maybe, but for an afternoon, anyway, the Chargers played with a focus lacking for much of this season. The injury-ravaged offensive line kept Rivers out of harm's way and helped him convert 12 of 22 third downs, allowing San Diego to chew up the clock and keep Roethlisberger from getting going while the game was still competitive.
It wasn't exactly the triumphant return the Steelers were expecting from their franchise quarterback. Pittsburgh hoped Roethlisberger's comeback combined with last week's emotional win at Baltimore would serve as fuel for another December push.
Instead, the previously inept Chargers pushed back.
San Diego took a 13-3 lead during an ugly first half that made it difficult to tell which team was trying to get back into the postseason and which was simply playing out the season.
Roethlisberger, less than a month removed a punishing hit against Kansas City that nearly sent one of his ribs into his aorta, struggled getting loose. His second pass stuck in his hand and ended up spiking into the ground. His third short-hopped an open Mike Wallace.
Things never got better. The running game got no traction - Roethlisberger actually led the Steelers in rushing in the first half - and Pittsburgh's receivers did little to help their rusty quarterback.
Wallace let a 50-yard pass that would have gotten Pittsburgh out of an early hole bounce harmlessly off his fingertips. Brown followed suit on Pittsburgh's next drive, a 30-yard bullet thudding off his chest.
It led to a familiar pattern. The Steelers got pinned deep in their territory, sputtered out in a handful of plays, giving San Diego the ball near midfield.
Eventually, the Chargers took advantage. Playing conservatively while trying to protect Rivers behind that patchwork offensive line, San Diego got going late in the half.
Rivers hit a wide-open Alexander on a 39-yard touchdown pass and Nick Novak added a 39-yard field goal to make it 13-0.
Pittsburgh briefly rallied, getting across midfield for the first time during a last-second drive. Shaun Suisham made a 49-yard field goal at the halftime gun.
Any boost for the Steelers disappeared during the first 10 minutes of the third quarter.
San Diego converted five straight third downs during a clock-chewing, momentum-sapping drive, the final conversion on a 3-yard pass from Rivers to Floyd to make it 20-3.
The 17-play march ate up nearly 10 minutes. And San Diego needed barely 10 seconds to put the game away.
Backed up yet again, Roethlisberger tried to hit Brown on a screen pass. It caromed off tight end David Paulson's rear and rolled into the end zone, where Quentin Jammer fell on it.
The play appeared to be overturned on review. Pittsburgh's offense ran back onto the field when referee Scott Green popped out from under the hood.
Instead, Green pulled a switcheroo, confirming the score to give the Chargers a 27-3 lead and a brief moment of joy in a year full of chaos.


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Two things are immediately apparent in this one-man year-end GoPro best-of collection: Ken Block probably has way more fun than any other Ford Fiesta driver on Earth. He also has many more cameras around himself at any one time.
Although you'd think these GoPro perspective shots would be starting to get a tiny bit cliche, just when you think you've seen it all something new pops up and bops you in the face. Same goes for Block's videos and the increasingly original ways he finds to abuse his Pirellis. Here's hoping that 2012 is just as good for everyone's creative processes.