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, Health / Maternal, Fetal & Infant Health, Racial/Ethnic Minorities, Urban
Community Voice is a grassroots program that utilizes community residents to provide factual perinatal information throughout the community in an effort to reduce African American infant mortality.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Maternal, Fetal & Infant Health, Racial/Ethnic Minorities
The goal of the program is to decrease African American infant mortality through raising awareness of racial health disparities, encouraging safe and healthy lifestyle practices, and providing correct perinatal health education.
Community-based Exposure Study and Development of a Community-First Communication Model (San Francisco)
Filed under Good Idea, Environmental Health / Toxins & Contaminants, Rural
The goal of this study was to address the health effects of PFOA pollution, with a strong desire to implement a community-driven communication strategy to communicate the study results.
Filed under Good Idea, Environmental Health / Built Environment
Complete Streets aims to increase physical activity and contribute to creating safer communities for all users of the road.
Complete Streets has contributed to safer communities and streets for all users of the road by working with community residents, policy-makers, and the development community.
Filed under Good Idea, Education / Childcare & Early Childhood Education, Adults
The program's mission is to improve the quality of early learning programs by focusing on increasing the quality, effectiveness, and retention of early educators.
Filed under Effective Practice, Economy / Employment
The purpose of the Career Connections Employment Resource Institute is to expand employment opportunities for persons with mental illness.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Children's Health, Children
The goal of this program is to improve the safety of child care centers in Idaho by making sure that recalled products are removed.
Filed under Effective Practice, Education / Student Performance K-12, Children
The goal of this program is to help all students achieve at the highest levels.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Children's Health, Children, Teens
The goal of cooperative learning is to establish positive interdependence among students. When positive interdependence is established in group learning situations, the quality of peer interaction improves. Instead of competing with or ignoring one another, students are more likely to promote the success of one another through mutual assistance, emotional support, and the sharing of ideas or resources. These positive social interactions, in turn, encourage greater social acceptance and the development of positive relationships among students and, in educational contexts, promote greater academic motivation and achievement (Johnson & Johnson, 1989, 2005). In fact, research on social interaction suggests that gains in social skills alone are insufficient to reduce social problems among students and encourage more positive peer relations. Only positive interdependence, and the subsequent positive social interactions that arise from it, can motivate youth to re-evaluate previous conclusions regarding the social desirability of others (Bierman, 2004).
Cooperative learning can have positive effects on adolescent bullying, alcohol use, and tobacco use.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Mental Health & Mental Disorders, Children, Teens
The goal of this program is to prevent depression and other mood disorders in adolescents.