Courage to Speak^® Drug Prevention Education Programs

The Courage to Speak^® Foundation received the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Service to Science Award to enhance the evaluation capacity of the innovative and promising programs.

Evaluation Results

Yale University: Courage to Speak Drug Prevention Program Grades 4-6

• Effective at increasing knowledge and perceptions of harm regarding alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs (ATOD).
• Had a significant effect on parental communication about the dangers of drugs.
• Had a positive effect on refusal skills learned.
• Had beneficial effects on increasing intent to avoid alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs.

Dubay Horton: Courage to Speak Drug Prevention Program Grades 4-6

• Increased student understanding of the risk of use of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs (ATOD).
• Increased ability to personalize the risk of ATOD.
• Increased coping strategies and assets to avoid use of ATOD.

Yale University: Courage to Speak Drug Prevention Program Middle School

• Statistically significant increases in youth’s communication with parents about substance use.
• Increases in the number of times students spoke to their parent(s) about drugs.
• Increases in the number of times students spoke to their parent(s) about family rules and expectations about drug use.
• Increases in the number of times students spoke to their parent(s) about things they could do to stay away from drugs.
• Increases in the number of times students spoke to their parent(s) about drug use in movies.
• Increases in the number of times students spoke to their parent(s) about people they know who got into trouble because of drug use.

Yale University: Courage to Speak - Courageous Parenting 101®

• Statistically significant increases in parent’s general communication with their child.
• Statistically significant increases in parent’s communication with their child about drugs.
• Statistically significant increases in parent’s knowledge about their children’s lives.
• Statistically significant increases in parent’s knowledge and ability to recognize warning signs.
• Statistically significant increases in parent’s confidence in their knowledge of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs.
• Statistically significant increases in parent’s confidence that they could intervene and prevent their children from trying alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs.