Recent meta-analytic efforts have documented how couple and relationship education (CRE) programs promote healthy relationship and family functioning. The current meta-analysis contributes to this body of literature by examining stepfamily couples, an at-risk, subpopulation of participants, and assessing the effectiveness of CRE programs for…

Advances in the field of prevention science have resulted in strategies that target various youth outcomes. In recent years, numerous "best practices" lists have been developed to help professionals identify such strategies. Some scholars have questioned the quality of these lists and cautioned that there are flaws in evaluations of many…

"Veteran parents" (VPs), or parents who have experienced challenges concerning their children's health and then mentor other families through similar situations, are widely used for parent support. This model has been adopted by Child Protective Services (CPS) to increase parent engagement. Here, we expand the theoretical discussion of VPs in CPS…

Family life practitioners are increasingly being called upon to help families meet work-life challenges. This article describes the grassroots beginnings, program development, and formative evaluation findings for 1 module of a Cooperative Extension work-life management program. Although the curriculum module is based on theory and research, it…

This study chronicles the transformation of a master's program from a traditional degree format to a more integrated, flexible, efficient, and relevant approach. The transformative strategies involve cohort learning, creative concentrations, portfolio documentation, and outreach presentation. Through integrating resources and goals, the new…

Although focus groups continue to gain popularity in marketing and social science research, their use in program evaluation has been limited. Here we demonstrate how focus groups can benefit evaluators, program staff, policy makers and administrators by providing an in-depth understanding of program effectiveness from the perspective of…

Identifies and elaborates several programs in British Columbia which have been designed to strengthen the family. The programs are evaluated to assess their impact on family health. Some forces in education which have affected the family-school partnership are also analyzed. (JAC)

Presents stories of low-income fathers (N=20) who participated in a Responsible Fatherhood (RF) program in a large urban area. A hermeneutic phenomenological methodology was used to document participants' memories of becoming fathers, the benefits and barriers to them remaining in the program, and their suggestions for program improvement.…

Examined the effects of a short term, church-based program in relation to three program goals: increased sex information, heightened self-esteem, and clarity of personal sexual values. Using a pre-posttest, control group design, significant positive change in sex information and clarity of personal sexual values were found. (Author/BL)

Describes the use of transformative learning theory to evaluate a family-empowerment project focusing on life skills (N=34). Results reveal evidence of transformative learning outcomes such as an empowered sense of self and new connections with others. Participants also spoke of factors built into the program designed to foster transformative…

In this article, we report the results of an evaluation study of a program for couples during the transition to parenthood on father involvement in child care. One-hundred-twenty couples were assigned to 1 of the 3 groups: a treatment group that received the Welcome Baby new-parent, home-visiting program focused on infant development and health,…

Evaluated a preparation for marriage workshop using pre- and post-workshop assessments of various personal and relationship issues related to marriage, and a follow-up questionnaire. Noted that the greatest improvements in individual and couple responses were communication and sexual relationships, and that indecision about aspects of marital…

Although school-based programs for adolescent mothers have grown, few attempts have been made to evaluate their impact. A review of recent evaluation attempts suggests that school-based programs are not serving a large segment of the pregnant and parenting school-aged population. Intervention efforts are discussed. (Author/BL)

Three significant trends in youth development practice are discussed: movement toward consensus in models guiding practice, movement toward science-based practice, and increasing resources available to practitioners. Consensus on an ecological framework for risk reduction and competence building among advocates for prevention, resilience, and…

Presents a conceptual model depicting the effects of family-oriented benefits, policies, and services in the corporate sector, on employees' work and family lives. Discusses the model in the context of the historical development of, and recent expansions in, corporate supports for employees and their families, and the need for a work-family model…