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.
Note: This practice has been Archived.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Education / Literacy, Children
Goal: The goal of In2Books is to promote reading, writing, and critical thinking skills in students grades three through five through partnership with a pen pal, and provide teachers with a structured curriculum designed to enhance their students' learning experiences.
Note: This practice has been Archived.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Children's Health, Children, Teens
Goal: The Children's National Food Allergy School Nurse Education Program seeks to increase knowledge about childhood food allergy through a standardized educational curriculum.
Impact: The Children's National Food Allergy School Nurse Education Program significantly increased the percent of nurses in the District of Columbia who believed students were teased or bullied due to food allergy and felt food allergy was a serious health concern for which schools should have guidelines.
Note: This practice has been Archived.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Food Safety
Goal: The goal of this program is to provide more dynamic and effective food safety training programs in order to engage food service workers and get them to adopt healthier food handling practices. In turn, this will reduce the number of food borne disease outbreaks and improve public health.
Note: This practice has been Archived.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Alcohol & Drug Use, Families, Urban
Goal: The goal of this program is to prevent parents who are addicted to drugs from relapsing, and to prevent substance abuse among their children.
Impact: Although studies evaluating the effectiveness of this program on the behaviors of drug-using parents and their children showed some positive findings, the overall evidence suggested no effects.
Note: This practice has been Archived.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Children's Health, Children
Goal: The goal of the KidsWalk-to-School program is to encourage physical activity as an integral part of a child’s daily routine, promote the development of safe walking and bicycling routes, and teach safe pedestrian practices to potentially reduce injury among children.
Note: This practice has been Archived.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Children's Health, Children, Families
Goal: The goal of the Children's Health Initiative is to provide children with consistent access to health care services.
Note: This practice has been Archived.
Filed under Good Idea, Community / Transportation, Urban
Goal: The key objective of the initiative was to promote sustainable, transit-oriented, mixed-use economic and community development that would promote investment, create jobs, attract and expand businesses, raise incomes, reduce poverty, stabilize and improve housing and neighbourhoods. The main strategy was to develop three key industry networks: media/publications, information technology/telecommunications and the entertainment industry in the NoMa area.
Note: This practice has been Archived.
Filed under Good Idea, Environmental Health / Wildlife, Children, Teens
Goal: The goal of the Voyager School was to supplement the current science curriculum with some outdoor activities and environmental education.
Note: This practice has been Archived.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Alcohol & Drug Use, Women, Racial/Ethnic Minorities
Goal: The goal of this program is to reduce tobacco use among groups experiencing the most pronounced tobacco-related disparities.