Project

Common Sense Parenting

Project Description

This is a five-year experimental test of the efficacy of the Boys Town Common Sense Parenting® (CSP) program targeted toward a selective sample of eighth-grade students to improve the transition to high school. Both the original program and a modified version that is supplemented with materials piloted by the Social Development Research Group from the Stepping Up to High School (SUTHS) curriculum will be evaluated. Based on social learning principles, CSP is a widely used parent-training preventive intervention that seeks to improve family management and family interactions, as well as reduce child problem behaviors. Based on the social development model, SUTHS is designed to improve the transition to high school by reducing risks for substance use, delinquency, HIV-related risky sex behavior, and school failure. CSP and CSP+SUTHS represent promising family-based prevention programs for facilitating successful entry into high school. Seeking to improve the transition to high school among students at risk for school failure and dropout helps fill a critical programming need and holds promise for reducing the significant costs associated with substance use and related problem behaviors. The research study is being conducted in three Tacoma School District middle schools.

In 2013 Dr. Mason received an administrative supplement to analyze trajectories of marijuana use over time among the sample and to conduct focus groups about issues related to parenting, prevention, and the new marijuana law, with the goal of developing and testing parenting messages for the prevention of marijuana use.