Agenda

Office of Adolescent Pregnancy Programs National Care and Prevention Grantee Conference
The Essence of AFL Demonstration Programs

Sheraton Premiere Hotel Tysons Corner - Vienna, VA
December 8-11, 2008

Monday, December 8 – Pre-Conference Event
Time	Session Topic, Speaker, and Objectives
3:00 PM – 8:00 PM	Pre Registration
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM	Communicating to Make a Difference: Strategies and Techniques for Effectively Telling Your Story Jeff Rosenberg, Rosenberg Communications In this day of information overload, segmented communications markets, and cacophonous messaging, how do you effectively tell your story to the community and state and national stakeholders who can maximize your ability to serve adolescents? This session will offer concrete tips for succeeding at any communications opportunity, from television interview to conversation in the grocery store line.
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM	Specific Questions about MY Evaluation RTI International staff
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM	Poster Set-Up and Welcome Reception

Tuesday, December 9 – Day One
Time	Session Topic, Speaker, and Objectives
7:00 AM – 8:30 AM	Registration
8:30 AM – 9:00 AM	Welcome Evelyn Kappeler, Acting Director, OPA Alicia Richmond Scott, Acting Director , OAPP
9:00 AM – 9:45 AM	Opening Plenary Session Jack’s Brain, Jill’s Brain: Why Gender Differences Matter Frank Kros, Upside Down Organization In this workshop participants will be introduced to the rapidly emerging research on how the brains of females and males are developmentally, structurally and functionally different. Based on these differences, participants will learn academic approaches customized to the distinctly different learning styles of girls and boys.
9:45 AM – 10:15 AM	POSTER REVIEW BREAK
10:15 AM – 11:15 AM	Plenary Session Status Report: National cross site evaluation Olivia Silber Ashley and Lori Palen, RTI International Grantees will be informed of the National Cross-Site Evaluation activities. Process and outcome evaluation design and implementation will be discussed, including purposes, samples, instruments, timelines, and procedures. Specific information about all grantees’ participation in the process evaluation will be provided.
11:15 AM – 12:00 PM	Plenary Session The Recruitment and retention connection Connie Wiemann, Baylor College of Medicine The presentation will highlight viable recruitment and retention strategies for high rates of program and evaluation completion.
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM	LUNCH – ON YOUR OWN
Concurrent Educational Sessions
1:30 PM – 2:45 PM 1:30 PM – 2:45 PM (cont.)	Adolescent Development: Importance of positive role models for girls Elizabeth Daniels, University of Oregon This session will focus especially on the role of media in girls’ exposure to role models. We will discuss current popular figures, like Hannah Montana, and talk about the effect of media on girls and especially girls’ body image. We will explain possible positive role models for girls and discuss why they are better options compared to much of what is presented in media. Finally, we will describe and apply media literacy techniques to help girls critique the media they engage with every day. Capacity Building: Being your best poster and abstract critic Connie Wiemann, Baylor College of Medicine This workshop will provide information on what the experts look for when evaluating abstracts and viewing posters. Participants will learn how to write abstracts for submission to scientific meetings and prepare verbal summaries of poster presentations. Adolescent Development: Obesity: Strategies for teens and their families Annie Carr, Centers for Disease Control NHANES survey found that obesity prevalence among children and adolescents showed no significant changes between 2003—2004 and 2005—2006. Based on the study, in the combined years of 2003—2006, 16.3% of children and adolescents aged 2–19 years were obese, at or above the 95th percentile of the 2000 BMI-for-age growth charts. This rate of obesity raises concern because of its implications for the health of Americans. Adolescent Development: Just Jack: Boys and Adolescent Development Frank Kros, Upside Down Organization This session will acquaint participants with the practical application of gender research to behavioral and emotional interventions with a focus on helping males avoid high risk activities such as drug use, alcohol abuse and sexual activity. In addition, participants will receive tools to help adolescent males overcome adversity, depression, anxiety and stress. Taking this workshop will also equip you to effectively utilize new scientific research on happiness and how to nurture the childhood roots of adult happiness in the children and youth you serve. Evaluation: Core instrument Olivia Silber Ashley and Lori Palen , RTI International This session will discuss administration of the core evaluation instruments, including administration in relation to grantees’ supplementary data collection instruments. Best practices for administration will be presented. Evaluation: Accounting for dosage in care programs Renate Houts and Ina Wallace, RTI International Dosage is a critical element in understanding a program’s impact. In this session, Care evaluators will learn the indicators needed and the ways to use this information in the analysis. The session will also cover child index data collection practices. Research: Under the PEER influence: Sexual decision making practices Monica Longmore, Bowling Green State University Learn how adolescents’ emerging identities provide a link between social groups and sexual decisions. In this workshop, three identities (the player, most popular, and troublemaker) that adolescents self identify with will be discussed. Dr. Longmore will share her research findings and peer-reviewed articles about each type as well as propose strategies service providers can utilize in assisting teens as they define themselves.
Concurrent Educational Sessions
2:45 PM – 4:00 PM 2:45 PM – 4:00 PM (cont.)	Capacity Building: Maximizing the return on investment, Part 1: Hiring, training and coaching practices Karen Ray, Karen Ray Associates Hiring the right staff and training them to become a cohesive unit are important elements of a successful AFL project. While this can be a daunting task, learn trick of the trade about hiring, training and motivating staff from the presenter and colleagues during this session. Adolescent Development: Healthy parent-child relationships Joan Liversidge, National Institute of Relationship Enhancement Surveys of adolescents confirm that teens look to their parents for guidance. During adolescence parents are trying to maintain rules and boundaries to safeguard their children from harm while teens are testing the limits to exert their independence. Parents need encouragement and practice in applying relationship skills that foster open and respectful communication and build trust so that parental guidance can be part of the parent/teen experience. This guidance and support is especially needed when adolescents become parents. This session will identify and apply several relationship skills to the parent/child/teen relationship to increase open communication and build trust. Evaluation: Conducting a sound process evaluation - [podcast] [ppt] Barri Burrus and Ina Wallace, RTI International This session will focus on conducting a process evaluation that can provide important information for program managers AND inform the data analysis. Grantees will be asked to share some of their challenges and the group will explore solutions. All grantees are welcome to attend. Evaluation: Accounting for dosage for prevention grantees Renate Houts, RTI International Dosage is a critical element in understanding a program’s impact. Prevention evaluators will learn the indicators needed and the ways to use this information in the analysis. Capacity Building: Recruitment and retention of parents Kim Miller, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention In this session, effective recruitment and retention strategies for parents will be discussed. Also, ways to improve informed parental consent rates will be explored. Participants will share strategies that have worked in their communities. Research: Under the PEER influence: Sexual decisions making practices (Repeat) Monica Longmore, Bowling Green State University Learn how adolescents’ emerging identities provide a link between social groups and sexual decisions. In this workshop, three identities (the player, most popular, and troublemaker) that adolescents self identify with will be discussed. Dr. Longmore will share her research findings and peer-reviewed articles about each type as well as propose strategies service providers can utilize in assisting teens as they define themselves.
4:00 PM – 4:15 PM	BREAK
Concurrent Educational Sessions
4:15 PM – 5:45 PM	Capacity Building: Maximizing the return on investment, Part 2: Retaining staff Karen Ray, Karen Ray Associates This workshop will identify ways to keep your highlight qualified staff on your team. Supervisory strategies to increase productivity, accountability, and ownership of the project will be discussed. Capacity Building: Being your best poster and abstract critic (Repeat) Connie Wiemann, Baylor College of Medicine This workshop will provide information on what the experts look for when evaluating abstracts and viewing posters. Participants will learn how to write abstracts for submission to scientific meetings and prepare verbal summaries of poster presentations. Adolescent Development: Putting a stop to the drama! Joan Liversidge, National Institute of Relationship Enhancement Unmarried adolescent couples having a child together may say they “want to be together” to raise the child. Within one year many of them are not together and are often embroiled in conflict. Couples can learn relationship skills that will help them create a healthy environment for their child, as a couple or as co-parents if they are not romantically involved. Relationship skills will be identified and practiced that reduce drama and create more trusting and caring bonds between adolescent mothers and fathers and their child. Results from the Building Strong Families research and demonstration project will be presented. Adolescent Development: Importance of positive role models for girls (Repeat) Elizabeth Daniels, University of Oregon This session will focus especially on the role of media in girls’ exposure to role models. We will discuss current popular figures, like Hannah Montana, and talk about the effect of media on girls and especially girls’ body image. We will explain possible positive role models for girls and discuss why they are better options compared to much of what is presented in media. Finally, we will describe and apply media literacy techniques to help girls critique the media they engage with every day. Capacity Building: Recruitment and retention of parents (Repeat) Kim Miller, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention In this session, effective recruitment and retention strategies for parents will be discussed. Also, ways to improve informed parental consent rates will be explored. Participants will share strategies that have worked in their communities. Evaluation: Regression basics Jonathan Blitstein, RTI International This session is designed for Prevention evaluators who have a limited statistical background and will cover the foundations of regression techniques. It will be practical with real-life applications and will offer hands-on guidance. The material covered in this session will be a pre-requisite for the HLM session.

Wednesday, December 10 – Day Two
Time				Session Topic, Speaker, and Objectives
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM				Health Walk Through
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM				Morning greeting and Poster peer reviews
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM(Cont.)				Capacity Building: The essence of success through collaboration Melissa Maguire, The Night Ministry Barbara Strong, Simpson Academy Andrew Tonachel, Alternatives Inc. This interactive workshop is designed to provide participants with an opportunity to develop or improve upon collaborative efforts in order to best meet the needs of youth in their projects. This workshop is builds upon the Care and Prevention collaboration training in June 2008 by focusing on its practical application. Participants will review materials presented at the June training, share current collaboration activity and discuss their successes and challenges. Capacity Building: Engaging parents and promoting family connectedness Pat Garrity and Kathy Posegate, Lake County Health Department Steve Bean, ETR Associates Families in Our Community United for Success (FOCUS) prevention grant has successfully engaged parents empowering them with the tools to increase family connectedness and to become the primary sexual health educators of their children. This workshop will provide ideas and interactive demonstrations designed to help prevention programs recruit parent participation, offer engaging presentations, and provide incentives that keep them coming back and asking for more. Participants will learn how to give parents the confidence and tools to achieve and maintain closeness and effective communication with their teens. Adolescent Development: SIDS awareness and intervention Debra Howe and Nadine Goldberg, First Candle In this presentation, the latest SIDS statistics and the behavioral, socio-cultural and environmental SIDS risk factors will be introduced. In addition the role that socio-cultural factors play on SIDS reduction behaviors in the African American community will be discussed. Finally, findings will be shared from First Candle’s African American Bereavement Initiative where clergy, bereavement and pastoral counselors, and African American mothers who have suffered a perinatal loss (SIDS or stillbirth) discussed their bereavement experiences. Adolescent Development: Helping teens and parents get the rap on media Marion Howard and Marie Mitchell, Emory University American teens spend more than 40 hours a week plugged into a media outlet, which is equivalent to a full time job! An adolescent who watches 3-5 hours of television each day witnesses about 2 thousand sex acts per year. Participants will learn how to inform parents about the tricks the media uses to influence their children along with strategies parents can use to increase parent/child communication about the media. The presentation also will discuss ways professionals can increase the ability to of adolescents to resist unhealthy sexual messages in the media. Evaluation: Focus Groups Tracey Lewis-Elligan, DePaul University Following a brief introduction of the history and use of focus groups as a research method, this workshop will utilize an interactive format to engage participants with the core principles underlying the implementation of focus groups as an effective evaluation tool. Participants will be given samples of focus group protocols used in a prevention demonstration project and will be asked to evaluate and critique how to effectively implement a focus group. Discussion will focus on sample selection, moderating and managing group dynamics and confidentiality and institutional review board issues. Special attention will be given to addressing issues of working with adolescents and parents around topics perceived as sensitive. Evaluation: Empowerment evaluation: A collaborative approach to balance program realities with research design Carol Lewis, Center for Social Work Peg Gavin and Amy Pierce, LifeWorks Teen Parent Services Robin Rosell, Tandem Collaboration Evaluators of social service interventions often experience a tug of war between design and practicality in their efforts to engage program staff, collect data and recruit and retain research participants for program evaluation. This is especially true for programs that serve vulnerable, highly transient populations like pregnant and parenting adolescents. Participants will learn how one AFL care demonstration grantee applied the principles of empowerment evaluation resulting in strengthened relationships among project staff, evaluation team and collaborators. Participants will also learn how beneficial process evaluation and process use are to program development.
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM				Plenary Session Parental views on teenage sex Doug Evans, George Washington University This session will describe a randomized controlled efficacy trial of the Parents Speak Up National Campaign (PSUNC), a mass media social marketing campaign designed to increase parent-child communication about waiting to engage in sexual activity. PSUNC uses video, radio, and print advertisements to communicate messages aimed at parents about the importance of talking “early and often” to their children aged 10-14 about delaying sex.
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM				LUNCH – ON YOUR OWN
Concurrent Educational Sessions
1:30 PM – 2:30 PM 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM (cont.)			Capacity Building: Are all your eggs in one basket? Diversified funding for your nonprofit organization Schrendria F. Robinson, Clear Vision Seminars and Consulting Do you want your non-profit organization to grow? Who doesn’t? No more sole source funding, struggling to meet payroll, or wondering will the grant be renewed. This interactive session, will examine the current funding conditions of nonprofit organizations. Participants will learn ways to increase their program’s financial sustainability by applying big business methodologies. Areas reviewed to include: grant writing, annual/capital campaign, letter writing and special events in addition to strategic partnerships, supply and demand, marketing and leveraging. Capacity Building: "Let's Get Practical!" - Bringing program & evaluation together to make a school-based prevention program work. DeeAnn Arroyo, Pima Prevention Partnership Darcy Richardson, LeCroy & Milligan Associates School-based pregnancy prevention programs face numerous challenges with implementation and sustainability. A rigorous evaluation can be advantageous for addressing these challenges because it can provide periodic information on implementation processes and progress. It can also provide reliable and valid outcome data on which program improvement and best-practices can be based. However, an effective evaluation is difficult to accomplish in a school-setting. The strongest evaluation design may be impractical based on the complexities of the program being offered, financial considerations, and/or the responsiveness of the community. The challenge with these programs is to design a rigorous evaluation that is practical in a school-setting. This session will include discussion of the design and implementation of an AFL prevention program, including challenges and lessons learned. The importance of the partnership between program and evaluation will be emphasized throughout this interactive session. Adolescent Development: Helping parents talk to their children Jackie Lonegan, NORAL Group and Yvette Williams, Future Leaders Outreach Network This session will present the "Ready To Talk" Parent Mentoring Kit that can be used with parents to make them feel more comfortable talking with their teens about sex and sexuality. Evaluation: Translating data into published works Doug Evans, George Washington University In this session, we will describe and discuss how to design program evaluation studies in order to yield potentially publishable data. We will cover the building blocks of what makes evaluation data publishable: Objectivity, evidence requirements, innovation, salience for the target audience. We will then explore the current status of evaluation and research in the area of reproductive health and social marketing in order to understand the opportunities and challenges to publishing. Evaluation: Practical considerations for using HLM (Hierarchical Linear Modeling) Jonathan Blitstein, RTI International This session is primarily targeted for Prevention grantees. The session will describe considerations to use when utilizing HLM, drawing on specific examples from the realities faced by many school-based prevention evaluations. This session will include discussion of project-specific issues. Prerequisite – Regression analysis Evaluation: Instrumentation: Important considerations when developing or tailoring tools Ina Wallace, RTI International It is important for your evaluation instruments to address your key questions and you will likely need evaluation instruments, in addition to the Core instrument, that will help you answer your research questions. This session will focus on some practical “dos” and “don’ts” of instrument development. Grantees are encouraged to bring examples of instruments they have developed that could be included in group discussions.
Concurrent Educational Sessions
2:30 PM – 4:00 PM 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM (cont.)			Capacity Building: Are all your eggs in one basket? Diversified funding for your nonprofit organization (Repeat) Schrendria F. Robinson, Clear Vision Seminars and Consulting Do you want your non-profit organization to grow? Who doesn’t? No more sole source funding, struggling to meet payroll, or wondering will the grant be renewed. This interactive session, will examine the current funding conditions of nonprofit organizations. Participants will learn ways to increase their program’s financial sustainability by applying big business methodologies. Areas reviewed to include: grant writing, annual/capital campaign, letter writing and special events in addition to strategic partnerships, supply and demand, marketing and leveraging. Adolescent Development: Tips from a Parent Coach: Supporting Teen Pregnancy Prevention Holly Hollomon Schiffrin, University of Mary Washington In this presentation, Dr. Schiffirn will share strategies that a parent coach would give to a parent that would help empower them and build their relationships with their adolescent children. Adolescent Development: Counteracting Intimate Partner Violence Terri Clark The goal of this workshop is to provide an overview of adolescent intimate partner violence (IPV) to increase awareness and build skills for providers of adolescent prevention services/healthcare. Strategies for addressing this unhealthy behavior will be discussed as well. Adolescent Development: Working with Adolescent Trauma Survivors Charlotte Bright, University of Maryland School of Social Work When a traumatic experience occurs, the event impacts the person’s mental, emotional, physical, and social capacities. This presentation will discuss the ways trauma can impact adolescents and their decision making abilities, the role of shame, and the potential for professionals to both compound the effects of trauma through re-traumatization and experience problems themselves due to vicarious trauma. Strategies for serving adolescent trauma survivors will be introduced. Evaluation: Intervention mapping for Care Evaluators Jonathan Blitstein and Barri Burrus, RTI International This foundational session is required for all 2^nd and 3^rd year care evaluators. It will cover the procedures for using theory to develop and evaluate social interventions. Capacity Building: Building a strong teen father program Jay Fagan, Temple University This session will focus on the major components of developing a program for adolescent fathers. The session topics will include staffing, program content, recruitment, retention, and curriculum materials. Barriers to involvement will also be discussed.
4:00 PM – 4:15 PM			BREAK
Concurrent Educational Sessions
4:15 PM – 5:45 PM 4:15 PM – 5:45 PM (cont.)				Adolescent Development: Counteracting Intimate Partner Violence (Repeat) Terri Clark The goal of this workshop is to provide an overview of adolescent intimate partner violence (IPV) to increase awareness and build skills for providers of adolescent prevention services/healthcare. Strategies for addressing this unhealthy behavior will be discussed as well. Adolescent Development: Tips from a Parent Coach: Supporting Teen Pregnancy Prevention (Repeat) Holly Hollomon Schiffrin, University of Mary Washington In this presentation, Dr. Schiffirn will share strategies that a parent coach would give to a parent that would help empower them and build their relationships with their adolescent children. Adolescent Development: Working with Adolescent Trauma Survivors (Repeat) Charlotte Bright, University of Maryland School of Social Work When a traumatic experience occurs, the event impacts the person’s mental, emotional, physical, and social capacities. This presentation will discuss the ways trauma can impact adolescents and their decision making abilities, the role of shame, and the potential for professionals to both compound the effects of trauma through re-traumatization and experience problems themselves due to vicarious trauma. Strategies for serving adolescent trauma survivors will be introduced. Evaluation: Intervention Mapping for Prevention Evaluators Jonathan Blitstein and Barri Burrus, RTI International This foundational session is required for all 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd year prevention evaluators. It will cover the procedures for using theory to develop and evaluate social interventions. Research: Coparenting research from conception to publication Jay Fagan, Temple University The findings of a randomized study on the effects of a pre-birth coparenting intervention for adolescent fathers will be presented. The rationale and activities which led to the development of this project will also be described. Suggestions for future research will be provided. Research: Randomized controlled trial of Home-based Motivational Interviewing to Reduce Rapid Subsequent Birth in Adolescent Mothers Beth Barnet, University of Maryland In this session, participants will go over the phases of this randomized trial of a multi-component, home-based intervention to reduce repeat pregnancy/birth in adolescent mothers. Participants will review the program’s background and rationale, logic model, implementation, evaluation methodology, and outcomes. Finally, participants will discuss issues of fidelity of program implementation and the importance of program process monitoring and feedback of process data with frontline staff.
Thursday, December 11 – Day Three
Time	Session Topic, Speaker, and Objectives
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM	Fitness Walk Through
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM	Plenary Session Teenage Pregnancy Update Kris Moore, Child Trends This plenary will examine evidence on whether the teen birth rate has stopped declining and appears to be increasing. It will also explore a number of explanations that might explain the plateau and possible increase in the teen birth rate.
10:00 AM - 10:15 AM	BREAK
Concurrent Educational Sessions
10:15 AM – 11:30 AM 10:15 AM – 11:30 AM (cont.)		Capacity Building: Reading and understanding research articles Yvonne Hamby, JSI Research & Training Institute The purpose of this session will be to provide the non-researcher with an introduction to applying processes, models, questions, and theories when reading research articles that result in enhanced clarity and comprehension of the article's credibility. The session will emphasize the importance of critically questioning research articles; thinking about their structure, purpose, audience and author. Adolescent Development: Adolescent relationships: What’s healthy, what’s risky? Jennifer Manlove and Suzanne Ryan , Child Trends This workshop will examine research findings from two projects. 1) Focus group analyses of adolescent perceptions of healthy romantic relationships. We will present findings from focus groups in Washington, DC with adolescents aged 12-17. 2) Multivariate analyses of risky adolescent sexual relationships & reproductive health in young adulthood. We will examine whether teens who engage in risky sexual relationships in adolescence have heightened STI and unintended birth risks in young adulthood. Adolescent Development: Healing and second chances Andrea Coleman and Shakela Watkins, St. Vincent/Mercy Medical Center Meeting the clients or teens where they are can be a challenge. Teens are complex. Many of whom have experienced traumatic life situations. This session will explore some of the issues teens face today and how to best respond when they disclose their experiences to staff. It is particularly important for abstinence educators to be sensitive to those youth who have been sexually abused, have had sex, are being victimized or in some other way injuring themselves. Research: Who’s not having sex and why: Reasons for and predictors of adolescent abstinence Shanise DeMar and Allison Deschamps Hyra, The Lewin Group This session presents findings from a current OAPP project designed to develop theoretical frameworks explaining sexual abstinent choices. The session will focus on the reasons why some teens say they are abstinent and important predictors for abstinent behavior and virginity. These findings can help you better target your efforts towards changing attitudes and situations that have been demonstrated in the literature as encouraging and supporting abstinence. Evaluation: Ready, Set, Analyze! Scott Novak, RTI International This workshop will focus on the analysis of correlated data that may arise from either repeated measurements (i.e. longitudinal data) or from data collected from clustered designs (e.g., students nested within schools). Generalized Estimating Equations (GEEs) provide a practical method to analyze these types of data structures, and a fairly straightforward method for estimating outcomes that are non-normally distributed (e.g., binary, Poisson) compared to random effect (e.g., HLM) models. This workshop will provide an applied overview of the use of GEEs in the analysis of correlated data using the SAS and SPSS systems. Emphasis will be placed on model specification, estimation, diagnostics, and interpretation. The workshop presumes a basic familiarity with the general linear model (e.g., OLS regression, ANOVA) and generalized linear model (e.g., logistic regression). Participants should bring their data analysis plans with them to use during this session. Evaluation: Conducting a sound process evaluation (Repeat) Barri Burrus and Ina Wallace, RTI International This session will focus on conducting a process evaluation that can provide important information for program managers AND inform the data analysis. Grantees will be asked to share some of their challenges and the group will explore solutions. All grantees are welcome to attend.
11:30 AM – 12:00 PM		Plenary Session Next steps and closing remarks
12:00 PM		CONFERENCE ENDS
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM		Post Conference Specific Questions about MY Evaluation RTI International staff

Agenda

CONFERENCE ENDS