Evidence Library

Focusing on the Boys: The Longer-Term Impacts of Wise Guys in Davenport, Iowa
Evidence | Publications

Focusing on the Boys: The Longer-Term Impacts of Wise Guys in Davenport, Iowa

OPRE Report 2019-97
Published: Sep 30, 2019
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

Associated Project

Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP)

Time frame: 2011–2020

Prepared for:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families

Authors

Reginald D. Covington

Robert G. Wood

Brian Goesling

Key Findings

  • As a supplement to the regular school curriculum, Wise Guys did not reduce boys’ likelihood of sexual initiation; at the end of the two-year follow-up, these rates were low for both the group who participated in Wise Guys and the control group.
  • The longer-term impact findings did show, however, that Wise Guys led to a sustained increase in students’ knowledge of contraception and sexually transmitted infections after two years, increased their support of condom use, and strengthened boys’ motivation to avoid getting someone pregnant.
  • Wise Guys did not change boys’ intentions to have sex, nor did it change their relationship attitudes, goal-setting ability, or communication skills after two years.

This report presents evidence on the longer-term impacts of the Wise Guys Male Responsibility Curriculum in middle schools in and near the city of Davenport, Iowa.

This is the last in a series of reports on the implementation and impacts of Wise Guys in Davenport middle schools. It presents evidence on the program’s longer-term impacts after two years. It also provides information on program costs and documents the study methods.

Efficiency Meets Impact.
That's Progress Together.

To solve their most pressing challenges, organizations turn to Mathematica for deeply integrated expertise. We bring together subject matter and policy experts, data scientists, methodologists, and technologists who work across topics and sectors to help our partners design, improve, and scale evidence-based solutions.

Work With Us