Promising Practices
The Promising Practices database informs professionals and community members about documented approaches to improving community health and quality of life.
The ultimate goal is to support the systematic adoption, implementation, and evaluation of successful programs, practices, and policy changes. The database provides carefully reviewed, documented, and ranked practices that range from good ideas to evidence-based practices.
Learn more about the ranking methodology.
Filed under Good Idea, Environmental Health / Built Environment
Goal: Complete Streets aims to increase physical activity and contribute to creating safer communities for all users of the road.
Impact: Complete Streets has contributed to safer communities and streets for all users of the road by working with community residents, policy-makers, and the development community.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Physical Activity, Children, Families
Goal: Cook for Kids aims to improve nutrition at school, home, and restaurants by showcasing innovative school nutrition programs, healthful foods, and cooking techniques.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Children's Health, Children, Families
Goal: To teach children and parents how to manage anxiety disorders.
Filed under Effective Practice, Education / Student Performance K-12, Children
Goal: Core Knowledge is based on the idea that for the sake of academic excellence, greater fairness, and higher literacy, elementary and middle schools need a solid, specific, shared core curriculum in order to help children establish strong foundations of knowledge, grade by grade.
Filed under Good Idea, Environmental Health / Built Environment, Children, Teens, Men, Racial/Ethnic Minorities
Goal: Making Connections for Mental Health and Wellbeing Among Men and Boys is a national initiative to transform community conditions that influence mental wellbeing. The Prevention Institute works with 13 communities across the U.S. to shift policies, practices, and norms to create greater opportunities for health and resilience, with particular focus on veterans and men and boys of color.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Physical Activity, Children
Goal: The goal of McIntosh Middle School's coordinated health program was to improve the attendance and performance of students by decreasing health problems
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Alcohol & Drug Use, Teens, Adults, Racial/Ethnic Minorities
Goal: The goal of the Massachusetts Tobacco Cessation & Prevention Program is to improve public health in the Commonwealth by reducing death and disability from tobacco use.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Older Adults, Older Adults
Goal: The mentoring process is designed to help clients work through feelings and emotions, to recognize strengths and coping skills, and to redirect life toward greater meaning and purpose.
Teaching Alternative High School Students Computer Skills through Experiential Learning (Tonasket, WA)
Filed under Good Idea, Education / Student Performance K-12, Teens
Goal: The goal was to engage students in learning how to use and fix computers so they would be competitve in the job market following school.
Filed under Effective Practice, Education / Childcare & Early Childhood Education, Children, Families
Goal: The program aims to promote social, emotional, and academic competence and to prevent children from developing conduct problems.
Impact: The Incredible Years series has been shown to increase positive parenting practices and family communication while reducing children's conduct problems.