Principles of Effectiveness

This KnowledgeBase archive includes content and external links that were accurate and relevant as of September 30, 2019.

The Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act (SDFSCA) encourages safe and drug-free learning environments supporting student academic achievement. While the Principles of Effectiveness described in the non-regulatory guidance for state and local grant implementation apply to SDFSCA grant recipients, these principles offer guidance for district/school planning teams as they assess programs or activities to create positive learning environments for students.

The Principles of Effectiveness provide the framework to assist states and local entities in designing, implementing, and evaluating high-quality programs and achieving measurable results.

Programs or activities must:

• be based on an assessment of objective data regarding the incidence of violence and illegal drug use in the elementary schools and secondary schools and communities to be served. This assessment must include an objective analysis of the current conditions and consequences regarding violence and illegal drug use that is based on ongoing local assessment or evaluation activities. Analysis of the conditions and consequences must include delinquency and serious discipline problems among students who attend such schools (including private school students who participate in the drug and violence prevention program).
• be based on an established set of performance measures aimed at ensuring that the elementary schools and secondary schools and communities to be served have a safe, orderly, and drug-free learning environment.
• be based on scientifically based research demonstrating that the program to be used will reduce violence and illegal drug use.
• be based on an analysis of the data reasonably available at the time, of the prevalence of risk factors, including high or increasing rates of reported cases of child abuse and domestic violence; protective factors, buffers, assets; or other variables identified through scientifically based research that occur in schools and communities.
• include meaningful and ongoing consultation with and input from parents in the development of the application and administration of the program or activity."

Source:
Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act State Grants: Guidance for State and Local Implementation of Programs, U.S. Department of Education Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools, January 2004

The contents of this website were developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education and are intended for general reference purposes only. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education or the Center, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Some resources on this site require Adobe Acrobat Reader. This website archive includes content and external links that were accurate and relevant as of September 30, 2019.