Teachers
Theory of Change that Guides Footprints for Life Programming
Footprints for LifeTM program design is grounded in the theory of asset-based prevention developed by The Search Institute, an independent non-profit organization whose mission is to provide leadership, knowledge, and resources to promote healthy children, youth and communities.
At the heart of the Institute‟s work is the framework of 40 developmental assets, which are positive experiences and personal qualities that young people need to grow up to be healthy, caring and responsible citizens. Young people with low levels of developmental assets are two to four times as likely to use alcohol, tobacco and other drugs as those who have above-average asset levels. This is true for young people from all racial/ethnic, family, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
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To help provide additional information and background to this set of courses, we have put together a list of material on the web which should prove helpful. Below are some useful resources that you may find helpful.
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What Teachers Have to Say
“The students were very enthusiastic about the footprints lessons. They looked forward to each class, completed the homework assignments and remembered the information from week to week.” “This is a wonderful program and the children seem to enjoy it. I truly believe the children benefit from this program.” “I think this has been an excellent program for my class. I will continue to use all the strategies with my class and encourage them to use them as well.” “The Solution Stoplight, win/win, and “I” messages have provided a great resource for me as a teacher when incidents occur.” “I encourage the children to use “I” messages and verbally express their feelings. This program has really helped the children utilize these strategies.” “I thought the lessons were excellent and perfect for their age. The presentations were interesting and informative. The puppets were a success.”
Here’s What Researchers Say...
Children who participated in the Footprints program had statistically-significant improvements in social competency compared to subjects who did not participate in the program. Teachers whose classes participated in the Footprints program witnessed students using the skills taught by the Footprints curriculum multiple times per week. Teachers also reported using lessons from the Footprints curriculum to reinforce concepts in the classroom. Teachers universally reported very high levels of satisfaction with the program. They indicated that Footprints was successful in engaging children and presented age- and grade-appropriate information on alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. Nearly 82% of parents of children participating in the Footprints program and who completed the survey indicated that the program influenced their child’s behavior in a positive way.
