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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.

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Rejuvenation of Base Recycling Program at Tinker AFB (Oklahoma City, OK)

Filed under Effective Practice, Environmental Health / Toxins & Contaminants

Goal: The goal of this program is to reduce waste and encourage recycling at Tinker Air Force Base.

Responsive Classroom

Filed under Effective Practice, Education / School Environment, Children

Goal: The approach was developed with the goals of increasing student investment, responsibility, and learning and decreasing problem behaviors.

Safe City Youth Leadership (Denver, CO)

Filed under Good Idea, Community / Civic Engagement, Teens, Urban

Goal: The group’s mission is to improve the leadership skills of Denver’s youth while supporting and improving the community.

Safe Passages, Early Childhood: The Oakland Early Childhood Initiative (Alameda County)

Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Children's Health, Children, Families, Urban

Goal: The goal of Safe Passages' Early Childhood Initiative is to reduce the impact of violence on young children and to encourage the development of positive social skills and healthy family environments in order to prevent future violence.

SAFE-T Program (Toronto, Ontario)

Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Mental Health & Mental Disorders, Teens

Goal: SAFE-T is committed to conducting research in the areas of child sexual abuse, sexualized behaviour in children and adolescents who have offended sexually. Our treatment is uniquely tailored to respond to the strengths and challenges of individuals and families with the overarching goal of healthy future relationships.

Safer Homes Project (Pacoima)

Filed under Good Idea, Environmental Health / Toxins & Contaminants, Children, Teens, Adults

Goal: The mission of the Safer Homes Program is to help residents to create healthy comes for their families in order to prevent environmentally related health problems such as lead poisoning, asthma, mold, and moisture.

SCARE Program

Filed under Effective Practice, Education / School Environment, Children, Teens

Goal: This program's primary goals are to teach young people about emotions, including anger and aggression, and to help them recognize alternatives to violent behavior and aggressive responses.

School Food FOCUS (USA)

Filed under Good Idea, Health / Physical Activity, Children

Goal: School Food FOCUS is a national collaborative that leverages the knowledge and procurement power of large school districts to make school meals nationwide more healthful, regionally sourced, and sustainably produced.

Impact: School Food FOCUS helps partners procure healthy and sustainable school foods, works towards policies that advance healthy school foods, and facilitates knowledge sharing around school food issues.

School Wellness Council Project (New York City )

Filed under Good Idea, Community / Governance, Children, Teens, Urban

Goal: The mission of the New York City Department of Education wellness policy is to reduce sedentary lifestyle and to promote nutritious eating among children.

Seattle Social Development Project (Seattle, WA)

Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Children's Health, Children, Urban

Goal: The mission of SSDP is to understand and promote healthy behaviors and positive social development among children, adolescents, and young adults.

An Effective Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success and/or promise in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures of improvement in outcome of interest (i.e. increase in voter registration, not just delivery of voter registration drive) and/ or the outcome measure is increased or improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant.

A Good Idea meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program funding source, program implementation steps and outcomes.
  2. The program evaluation is limited to descriptive measure(s) of success/accomplishment (i.e., program participation rates, number of services/education sessions/radio messages provided). Note: oftentimes, the program has been newly implemented and a program evaluation has not yet been conducted. Programs that have not yet been evaluated, but which show promise in improving health or quality of life, are classified as Good Ideas until an evaluation is conducted.

An Evidence-Based Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures showing improvement in the outcome(s) of interest after the implementation of the program (i.e. increase in smoking cessation, not just the delivery of a smoking cessation program). The outcome measure(s) is/are compared at relevant time periods before and after the intervention or program implementation. Alternatively, the evaluation study compares the outcome(s) between an intervention group and an appropriate control group.
  3. The study is of peer-review quality and presents numbers in a scientific manner; measurements of precision and reliability are included (e.g. confidence intervals, standard errors), results from statistical tests show a significant difference or change in the outcome measure(s), and relevant point estimates and p-values are presented. Note: if the results from an evaluation of a program are presented in a scientific manner and the outcome measure is improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant, the practice is classified as effective and not evidence-based.