Model Program

FAST Track is a comprehensive and long-term prevention program that aims to prevent chronic and severe conduct problems for high-risk children, with intensive interventions at school entry and from elementary to middle school. It is based on the view that antisocial behavior stems from the interaction of multiple influences, and it includes the school, the home, and the individual in its intervention. FAST Track's main goals are to increase communication and bonds between these three domains; enhance childrens' social, cognitive, and problem-solving skills; improve peer relationships; and ultimately decrease disruptive behavior in the home and school.

Program Descriptors Include:
Academic Improvement, Behavior Management/Discipline, Family/Parental Involvement, Life Skills Training

Starting Date: Unspecified
Students Served Per Year: Unspecified
Last Verified: 2009

Program addresses the following:

Individual factors

• Has a learning disability or emotional disturbance
• Misbehavior
• Early aggression

Family factors

• Low contact with school

Program promotes the following:

Relationships

• Clear social norms

Independence

• Healthy/conventional beliefs and standards

Competence

• Social competencies

Fast Track has been evaluated through a randomized clinical trial involving 50 elementary schools in four U.S. urban and rural locations with data collected post-intervention in the 1st grade and at the end of the 2nd and 3rd grades. Compared to control groups, intervention children had significantly lower rates of special education assignment, significantly lower serious conduct problems, and improvement in aggression and oppositional behavior. Parents participating in the program, compared to the control group, showed more maternal involvement in school activities.

How evaluation data was collected:
Data collected and analyzed at state or organizational level