Truman School of Government and Public Affairs

The Missouri Department of Health and Human Services (DHSS) contracted IPP to serve as the external evaluators for the Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) and the Title V Sexual Risk Avoidance Education program (SRAE). Missouri’s PREP and SRAE programs are part of a national initiative to reduce teenage pregnancy rates through the use of evidence-based programs. DHSS chose five evidence-based programs to implement in Missouri:

• Becoming a Responsible Teen (BART)
• Making A Difference! (MAD)
• Making Proud Choices (MPC)
• Promoting Health Among Teens! (PHAT)
• Teen Outreach Program (TOP)

Implementation began in the spring of 2012. In the academic year 2020-2021, 22 contractors implemented 71 programs in regions across Missouri that are at high-risk for teen pregnancy.

Impact

IPP collects data from the program facilitators and participants to determine the extent to which program implementation follows the prescribed curriculum (fidelity), the resources and ability that each community has to address teen pregnancy (community capacity), and the overarching effectiveness of the programs (outcomes). IPP determines if programs are being delivered in the most effective way and work with DHSS to provide technical assistance to facilitators. Additionally, through the use of participant entry and exit surveys, IPP determines if the programs are achieving the desired outcomes of decreasing course failures and school suspensions, increasing high school graduation rates, increasing sexual health knowledge, and reducing teen pregnancy and birth rates.