Recognitions

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
In 1997, SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) created the Model Programs Initiative. More than 1,100 programs were reviewed and more than 150 were designated as Model, Effective, or Promising Programs under this system. In 2002, Lions Quest Skills for Adolescence received a "Model" designation - their highest rating - due to its proven effectiveness in reducing substance abuse by students, and the program's promotion of protective factors such as interpersonal communication skills, decision-making skills, resistance to negative pressure, and reinforcing pro-social development. SAMHSA's rated programs were listed on the National Registry of Effective Prevention Programs (NREPP).

In 2004, SAMHSA started the process of expanding this system to include interventions in mental health and substance abuse prevention and treatment. The agency also began looking at ways to improve the transparency, timeliness, and accuracy of information in NREPP. Rating evidence at the outcome level, rather than at the overall program level, was one critical way to provide more transparent information to the public. Launched in March 2007, SAMHSA's new registry--with its online searchable database--is designed to serve as a more comprehensive and interactive source of information than the previous system. In addition to descriptive information on interventions, the National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP) now provides ratings for individual outcomes targeted by an intervention, rather than ratings of interventions overall. Today, Skills for Adolescence remains on the NREPP list as an evidence-based prevention program, rated for Quality of Research and Readiness for Dissemination.

U.S. Department of Education - Safe, Disciplined and Drug-Free Schools
Lions Quest Skills for Adolescence received a "Promising" program rating from the U.S. Department of Education's Safe, Disciplined and Drug-Free Schools expert panel. Reviews rated this program highly for its clear goals and strong rationale. It was noted that the skill-building activities connected with research and clearly contributed to the attainment of the stated goals. Program content and examples took into consideration the diverse needs of students and content delivery took into account multiple learning styles.

The Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL)
Lions Quest Skills for Adolescence and Skills for Action are considered "Select SEL" programs by CASEL - their highest rating - for meeting standards of excellence in three areas: outstanding life skills education, evidence of effectiveness, and exemplary professional development.

Penn State Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness
Funded by the Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Penn State’s Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness evaluates the effectiveness of programs and practices designed for military families. Lions Quest Skills for Adolescence was designated as a “Promising” program. A summary of the effectiveness can be found on their website.

California Healthy Kids Resource Center (CHKRC)
CHKRC was created to encourage schools throughout California to establish stimulating and effective health education programs. While all programs available from the CHKRC are research-based, a limited number of programs have demonstrated the level of credible evidence of effectiveness that identifies them as research-validated. Lions Quest Skills for Adolescence has earned this identification.

California Department of Education
The CDE maintains strict criteria for allowing programs to appear on their Science-Based Programs list. Lions Quest Skills for Adolescence was named to the list on the following criteria: It has been determined effective by CHKRC and NREPP; Prevents alcohol, tobacco or drug use; Prevents disruptive behavior and violence; and Targets students in one or more grades, K-12.

Character Education Partnership
The Character Education Partnership (CEP), a leading nonpartisan coalition of groups dedicated to character and civic education, has recognized Lions Quest curricula as "scientifically supported programs that can improve school climates and positively impact the development and learning of students." Further, Lions Quest curricula address CEP's Eleven Principles of Effective Character Education.

Communities that Care
Communities that Care (CTC) has singled out a number of programs, including Lions Quest Skills for Adolescence (SFA), as having an "Effective Approach" to prevention. Effective Approaches are prevention strategies that have been shown to be effective in reducing known risk factors and enhancing protective factors for adolescent health and behavior problems in high quality research studies. CTC acknowledged SFA's protective factors in four categories - Peer and Individual, Family, School, and Community, such as bonding between peers, assertiveness and refusal skills, goal setting, self-discipline, stress management, problem solving, and effective communication.

Drug Strategies
Drug Strategies, a non-profit research institute, included all three Lions Quest programs in their publication, Making the Grade: A Guide to School Drug Prevention Programs. Skills for Growing received the highest rating in coverage of awareness and resistance skills, while all programs received "Good" ratings in personal and social skills. Noted program strengths included emphasis on cooperative leaning, strong community service components, addressing drug and violence issues, and personal and social responsibility.

National Youth Leadership Council, National Service Learning Clearinghouse,
Services Works Retrospective Evaluation
These three organizations, which promote positive youth development through service, have all recognized Lions Quest curricula as "Highly Effective" service-learning programs.

Search Institute
Search Institute is a research institution that promotes an asset-based approach to positive youth development. Lions Quest programs have been recognized by the Search Institute as research-based programs that effectively promote the development of positive assets in youth, while discouraging negative risk factors.

What Works Clearinghouse
Established by the U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences, WWC is a central and trusted source of scientific evidence for what works in education. Lions Quest Skills for Adolescence was found to have potentially positive effects on behavior. A summary including research, effectiveness and references is included.

Ministries of Education in Numerous Countries Around the World