DP24-138 Implementing and Evaluating CDC's What Works in Schools Approach in Rural School Districts

Research Triangle Institute, Durham NC

Investigators

Abstract

PROJECT ABSTRACT/SUMMARY The proposed research project, Implementing and Evaluating CDC’s What Works in Schools Approach in Rural School Districts, aims to study and address rural communities’ cultural and contextual barriers to making WWIS-aligned strategies more accessible and more feasible. The goal is to advance health equity among underserved adolescents attending school in rural settings. The RTI International team, in partnership with Child Trends, Inc., comprises researchers and implementation scientists with experience in health education research and evaluation, as well as deep expertise in working in rural schools. The project will use RTI’s framework for equity-centered transformative research to collaboratively design and conduct evaluation research with two rural local education agencies (LEAs) in North Carolina. This partnership expands on a previous multiyear relationship between RTI, the LEAs, and their single regional health department (AppHealthCare) to build capacity for school-based health services. This study will answer evaluation questions about how WWIS-aligned strategies that are selected by and implemented in rural schools can reduce disparities in health outcomes for rural adolescents. The findings will support improved implementation and scale-up of WWIS- aligned strategies in other LEAs serving rural youth. Specific aims of this project are as follows: 1. Evaluate the effectiveness of strategies aligned with CDC’s What Works in Schools (WWIS) approach in two local education agencies (LEAs) serving rural youth, specifically regarding impact on health behavior and health disparities. 2. Examine the barriers to and facilitators of implementing the WWIS approach in rural schools using RTI’s equity-centered research framework and the Knowledge-to-Action Process Framework. 3. Translate and disseminate findings from the evaluation to support scale-up of WWIS strategies in other LEAs serving rural youth. RTI will partner closely with LEAs and key stakeholders in their communities to adapt and implement the WWIS strategies and will employ a mixed-methods implementation and outcome evaluation, complemented by a knowledge translation and dissemination plan to encourage continuous learning and sharing throughout the 5-year project. As a result of this work, health outcomes among rural youth related to sexual, behavioral, and mental health will improve.