Botvin LifeSkills Training (LST) has been selected as a "Top Tier" program by The Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy. The Top Tier initiative, which is being followed closely by Congress, focuses on identifying and validating social programs meeting the highest standard of evidence of effectiveness. LST is a substance abuse and violence prevention program that has been extensively tested and proven to produce "sizeable and sustained effects" on teen tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drug use. Research shows that the LST program can reduce substance use by as much as 80% and produce effects that last for up to 10 years. LST is the only classroom-based substance abuse prevention program selected for "Top Tier" honors.
Several recent Congressional actions have sought to focus funds in certain federal social programs on models and strategies meeting the "Top Tier" evidence of effectiveness -- that is, programs "that have been shown, in well-designed randomized controlled trials, to produce sizeable, sustained effects" on participants and/or society. To assist policymakers in implementing these provisions effectively, the nonprofit, nonpartisan Coalition launched an initiative to identify models meeting this evidence standard.
"We are honored to be selected as a Top Tier program by an independent expert panel that recognizes the high quality of our research and the effectiveness of LST," said program developer Dr. Gilbert J. Botvin. "As we consider strategies for improving the health and well-being of America's youth, it is more important than ever that decision-makers select programs based on the strongest scientific evidence of what works."
The Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, whose mission is to perform rigorous evaluations of government-funded programs and to identify evidence-based practices that improve the effectiveness of government-funded programs. Since the Coalition's founding in 2001, their work with key Congressional and Executive Branch policymakers has resulted in important evidence-based reforms.
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