Promising Practices
The Promising Practices database informs professionals and community members about documented approaches to improving community health and quality of life.
The ultimate goal is to support the systematic adoption, implementation, and evaluation of successful programs, practices, and policy changes. The database provides carefully reviewed, documented, and ranked practices that range from good ideas to evidence-based practices.
Learn more about the ranking methodology.
Filed under Good Idea, Economy / Investment & Personal Finance, Families, Urban
Goal: The goal of SparkPoint is to help low-income families create step-by-step plans to help them get out of poverty and achieve long-term financial stability.
Filed under Good Idea, Art & Recreation / Art, Children, Teens, Adults, Older Adults, Urban
Goal: SpeakOut allows individuals to share their personal stories, through song, poetry, and music, and enjoy a sense of camaraderie and love with their listeners.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Alcohol & Drug Use, Children, Teens
Goal: The goal of SPORT is to help adolescents avoid substance use by increasing physical activity and bettering their self images.
Impact: This program provides a whole body experience, where youth focus on improvements in their lives instead of drugs.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Alcohol & Drug Use, Teens
Goal: To reduce substance abuse and motivate positive behaviors including physical activity in adolescents age 13-17.
Impact: SPORT integrates content targeting alcohol, tobacco and drug prevention with promotion of physical activity and other health enhancing habits in adolescents.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Health Care Access & Quality, Children, Teens, Families, Urban
Goal: The free sports medicine physicals provided by Jackson Hospital & Clinic helps thousands of parents, 25 schools, and hundreds of coaches ensure that students are healthy enough to participate in athletic programs when school starts in the fall.
Filed under Effective Practice, Education / Educational Attainment, Teens, Urban
Goal: The mission of Summer Search is to find resilient low-income high school students and inspire them to become responsible and altruistic leaders by providing year-round mentoring, life-changing summer experiences, college advising, and a lasting support network.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Physical Activity, Adults, Families
Goal: SuperTracker aims to empower Americans to make healthier choices in nutrition and physical activity, based on personal preferences, lifestyle, and health status.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Alcohol & Drug Use, Urban
Goal: Insite’s mission is to provide a safe environment for people to inject drugs and thus reduce injecting activity in public while linking drug users to health care services such as primary care, addiction counseling and treatment.
Impact: Opening supervised injected facilities have resulted in significant reductions in public injection drug use related issues and increase in referrals to social services and detoxification programs in Vancouver.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Older Adults
Goal: To determine whether the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which addresses food insecurity, can reduce health care expenditures.
Filed under Effective Practice, Economy / Employment, Children, Teens, Racial/Ethnic Minorities, Urban
Goal: The purpose of the first component, ROP, is to develop a strong sense of African-American cultural pride and ethnic identity in the participants and instill a sense of responsibility in their community, their peers, and themselves. The second component, the JTP experience, places youths in summer jobs at desirable work sites such as dentist offices, local museums, and recreational centers. The third component, JA, teaches how to develop and implement a small business.