By Karin Coyle, PhD | March 3, 2015
Senior Research Scientist, ETR

Most evidence-based sexual health programs include skill development as a core element. This underscores the value of optimizing instruction for skills. Education literature provides guidance on the optimal instructional sequence for teaching behavioral skills. There are a number of other important considerations for skill instruction that compliment this type of instructional sequence, and some common pitfalls to avoid.

By Joan Singson | February 25, 2015
Program Manager, ETR

I used to walk in and out of drab motels and dive bars in the middle of the night, distributing condoms and encouraging people to test for HIV. Yup! Been there, done that. The strategies we used to help reduce the spread of HIV in the early 1990’s were not for the faint of heart.

Those of us who were involved back when old school was hip hop and Wu-Tang-Clan was the bomb could probably rattle off a hundred ways to recruit individuals for HIV counseling, testing and referral. Organizations were motivated by the message that “anyone can get HIV,” and funding streams asked them to cast a wide net and bring in as many individuals as possible for testing.

Since then, the business of recruitment has evolved.

By Suzanne Schrag | February 6, 2015
Product Manager, ETR

Once again, the Get Real: Comprehensive Sex Education That Works program is a hot news topic in the world of teen pregnancy prevention. We're thrilled to announce that Get Real has been officially added to the Office of Adolescent Health's list of Evidence-Based Programs.

By Stephanie Guinosso, MPH | January 27, 2015
Program Manager, ETR

How do you define program success?

From my perspective, a successful program is one that is created in partnership with key stakeholders in the community. It’s developed with the community’s needs in mind. It facilitates positive change in peoples’ lives by addressing multiple layers of an issue, from individual knowledge, attitudes and behaviors to the social and cultural structures within which people live, work and play.

A successful program relies on the best evidence for what works. It’s also flexible and adaptable to the uniqueness of a particular context. Successful programs cultivate the knowledge and skills of implementers to ensure that the program operates at its best capacity—there is a culture of learning and growth, adapting and responding to change. 

By ETR | January 17, 2015

I want to change your mind. Correct a misperception. Support you in changing a behavior. I want to talk to you about something that is so important, your life depends on it.

Who do I need to be? Whom are you going to listen to? Who is going to be able to save your life?

Some interesting research on a behavioral intervention strategy called Popular Opinion Leader says that in communities at high risk for HIV, the people who can change hearts and minds are out there. And prevention programs can enlist their help in changing risk behaviors in their communities.

By ETR | January 13, 2015

Just about everyone working in adolescent reproductive health has been waiting for the new Office of Adolescent Health Teen Pregnancy Prevention funding proposals. Start breathing again, people! The proposals have arrived!

ETR has just launched a very cool website to help grant seekers develop their plans, choose their programs and prepare their proposals. Check out our brand new Program Success Center for an impressive array of useful tools and resources.

By Jen Slonaker, MSW | December 11, 2014

How should we be teaching teens about sex? Since I work in the health and sexuality field, this is a question I’ve considered often. Not surprisingly, so have many of my colleagues.

About 10 years ago, a group of people at Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts (PPLM) decided to develop and test a new sex education curriculum for adolescents based on the best evidence available about what works.

What does it take to do this? Quite a lot.

By Erica Marsh | December 3, 2014

In my family, libraries were more than buildings that housed and loaned books. They were places with unrestricted access to incredible tools. They nurtured our passion for finding, organizing and sharing information. 

Knowledge is serious stuff in my family. My grandmother, mother and sister were librarians. My father was an American Literature professor and author. My younger brother currently works at a library.

When I was growing up, whenever a question came up that my parents didn’t know the answer to, my mom would say, “Let’s find out!” She would call the reference desk at the local public library. We called this number so often it was posted by the phone.