Evaluating Community and School-Based Opioid and Substance Use Prevention Programming

This project is a collaborative partnership between the College of Education and Human Ecology and Ohio State University Extension to support Ohio communities in implementing and evaluating evidence‑based substance use prevention initiatives. While overdose deaths in Ohio declined in 2023, rates remain well above the national average, highlighting the need for strong prevention strategies across schools and communities.

Our evaluation team is designing and implementing an evaluation plan for school, family, and community‑based programming, with a focus on evidence‑supported approaches such as Mind Matters and Botvin LifeSkills Training. These programs aim to strengthen protective life skills, including decision‑making, relationship building, self‑ and social‑awareness, and self‑management, to reduce long‑term substance use risk among youth. CETE’s evaluation team conducts an evaluation based on the project’s theoretical framework and community‑level logic model.  Our team uses seven evaluation instruments aligned with these tiers of intervention, and analyzes and summarizes the data to support continuous program improvement.

Funded by: OneOhio Recovery Foundation

Project Contact: Dr. David Julian