Blueprints
Promising Programs
| Linking the Interests of Families and Teachers (LIFT) |
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Program Overview:
Linking the Interests of Families and Teachers
(LIFT) is a school-based intervention for
the prevention of conduct problems such as antisocial
behavior, involvement with delinquent peers, and drug/alcohol
use. It is based on the view that the most reasonable
interventions for child conduct problems would utilize
an existing service system with widespread access
to children, be conducted at the earliest possible
point in the life of a child, and target malleable
precursors of later conduct problems. The main goal
of LIFT is to decrease children's antisocial behavior
and increase their pro-social behavior.
Program Targets:
LIFT is a population-based intervention designed for
all first and fifth grade elementary school boys and
girls and their families living in at-risk neighborhoods
characterized by high rates of juvenile delinquency.
Program Content:
LIFT targets the school, peers, and the family, in
the following ways:
- The classroom component contains 20, one-hour
sessions taught over ten weeks. Each session follows
the same format: lecture and role play on a specific
social or problem solving skill, structured group
skills practice, unstructured free play, and skills
review and daily awards. These activities are similar
for both first and fifth graders, however fifth
graders also receive a study skills component.
- A modification of the Good Behavior Game serves
as the playground component. Each class is divided
into small groups for playground play. Children
can earn rewards by exhibiting positive problem
solving skills and suppressing negative behaviors
while on the playground.
- Parents are taught how to create a home environment
that is most conducive to the ongoing practice of
good discipline and supervision through a series
of 6 meetings at their child's school. Each meeting
provides a review of the results from home practice
exercises, a lecture, discussion and role plays
of issues for the current week, and a presentation
of home practice exercises for the following week.
When parents are unable to attend a group meeting,
a member of the LIFT staff attempts to meet with
them individually in their home, or provides the
parents with a packet of materials covering the
content of the missed session.
Program Outcomes:
An evaluation of immediate, post-test results
indicated significant changes in each targeted area
of child and parent behaviors as a result of participating
in the LIFT program.
- First, LIFT had a significant decrease of physical
aggression on the playground for children in the
treatment group, compared to the control group,
and these effects were most dramatic for children
who rated most aggressive at pre-test.
- Second, LIFT mothers who displayed the highest
pre-intervention levels of aversive behaviors showed
the largest reductions, compared to control mothers.
- Third, teacher rating data indicated a significant
increase in positive social skills and classroom
behavior in children receiving the LIFT program.
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