Jeffrey Sprague
University of Oregon Institute on Violence and Destructive Behavior
Vicki Nishioka
Education Northwest
There are few studies assessing the effectiveness of programs that combine whole school discipline with specialized supports for high-risk adolescents. This paper describes the background and procedures of a comprehensive approach to support at-risk students, implemented in concert with a whole school discipline system. Skills for Success is a systems-based intervention that combines universal prevention strategies to improve school discipline with early identification and multidisciplinary services for youth at-risk for delinquency and school failure. In addition to a description of the multi-level intervention, this paper describes the methods, procedures and results of two evaluation studies examining the association of the Skills for Success approach with positive outcomes for middle and high school students.