Evaluating a Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program for At-Risk Youth in Alternative Schools
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Evaluating a Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program for At-Risk Youth in Alternative Schools

OPRE Report #2020-81
Published: Jul 31, 2020
Publisher: Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Human Services Family Support Youth Development
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Authors

Jean Knab

Robert Wood

Joanne Lee

Lauren Murphy

Key Findings

Key Findings:

  • By design, Teen Choice enrolled highly at-risk youth with substantial academic and behavioral issues. Because the program served this high-risk population, maintaining regular attendance was a challenge, despite the considerable efforts of program staff to boost attendance.
  • Despite low attendance, Teen Choice increased students’ exposure to information on romantic relationships, birth control, and STIs. Increased exposure did not lead to increases in students’ knowledge about contraception or STIs, however.
  • As a supplement to the regular school curriculum, Teen Choice did not change the likelihood of having unprotected sex in the three months prior to the six-month follow-up survey.
  • The program did improve some outcomes associated with sexual risk behavior, however. Teen Choice increased students’ support for condom use and perceived skills for saying no to sex. In addition, Teen Choice reduced the percentage of youth who said they intended to have sex in the year following the survey.
This brief highlights evidence on the impacts of the Teen Choice curriculum for youth in alternative schools in and around New York City. Because alternative schools provide supplemental services to address the specific needs of youth, these schools often find it difficult to fit pregnancy prevention programming into the regular school day. The result is that youth enrolled in these schools often have limited opportunities to receive sexual health education. To help expand the available evidence on teen pregnancy prevention services for youth in alternative schools, the Administration for Children and Families within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services funded a rigorous evaluation of the Teen Choice curriculum in New York. The program was delivered by trained staff from the program developer, Inwood House, with federal grant funding to the New York State Department of Health from the Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP).

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