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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.

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Window Guard Law/ Window Falls Prevention Program (New York City)

Filed under Good Idea, Community / Governance, Children, Families, Urban

Goal: The goal is to reduce the frequency of accidental falls from apartment buildings.

Wisconsin Collaborative Diabetes Quality Improvement Project (Wisconsin)

Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Diabetes

Goal: The goal of this program is to improve diabetes care in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program (WHEAP) (Wisconsin)

Filed under Effective Practice, Community / Governance

Goal: The goal of the Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program is to help low income households meet their home energy needs.

Wisconsin Works (W-2) (Wisconsin)

Filed under Good Idea, Economy / Employment

Goal: The goal of this program is to engage TANF recipients in employment activities.

Wisconsin's Coordinated School Health Program (Wisconsin)

Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Adolescent Health, Children, Teens

Goal: The goal of this program is to reduce the prevalence of health risk behaviors among young people by creating healthy school environments that promote health and wellness.

Wise Guys (USA)

Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Adolescent Health, Children, Teens

Goal: Wise Guys aims to promote prevention of adolescent pregnancy, reduce sexually transmitted infections and develop sexual responsibility in young men.

Women Alive Coalition (Los Angeles, CA)

Filed under Good Idea, Health / Immunizations & Infectious Diseases, Women, Urban

Goal: The goal of Women Alive is to help women with HIV/AIDS connect with each other and exchange treatment information, and to take charge of their lives, their care, and their destiny.

Women Overcoming Violence (San Francisco, CA)

Filed under Good Idea, Community / Domestic Violence & Abuse, Women, Urban

Goal: Women Overcoming Violence assists women who are victims of domestic violence, homelessness, substance abuse, and mental health issues in their recovery using a unique, holistic approach.

World/BRIDGE Initiative (San Francisco)

Filed under Effective Practice, Economy / Investment & Personal Finance, Urban

Goal: The goal of this program is to encourage capital investment in low-income areas.

YIELD the Power (Chicago, IL)

Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Disabilities, Children

Goal: The purpose of Access Living's Y.I.E.L.D. (Youth for Integration through Education, Leadership and Discovery) the Power Project was to increase the participation of youth with disabilities in mainstream workforce development activities through a variety of youth-led systems change initiatives. Specific goals included the following:

-Train 100 youth with disabilities to become leaders in the disability community and other sectors of their communities

-Witness and document systems change in at least 10 WIA (Workforce Investment Act)-assisted youth programs in Chicago through trainings and focused one-on-one technical assistance

-Provide paid and unpaid work experiences for youth with disabilities.

An Effective Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success and/or promise in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures of improvement in outcome of interest (i.e. increase in voter registration, not just delivery of voter registration drive) and/ or the outcome measure is increased or improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant.

A Good Idea meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program funding source, program implementation steps and outcomes.
  2. The program evaluation is limited to descriptive measure(s) of success/accomplishment (i.e., program participation rates, number of services/education sessions/radio messages provided). Note: oftentimes, the program has been newly implemented and a program evaluation has not yet been conducted. Programs that have not yet been evaluated, but which show promise in improving health or quality of life, are classified as Good Ideas until an evaluation is conducted.

An Evidence-Based Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures showing improvement in the outcome(s) of interest after the implementation of the program (i.e. increase in smoking cessation, not just the delivery of a smoking cessation program). The outcome measure(s) is/are compared at relevant time periods before and after the intervention or program implementation. Alternatively, the evaluation study compares the outcome(s) between an intervention group and an appropriate control group.
  3. The study is of peer-review quality and presents numbers in a scientific manner; measurements of precision and reliability are included (e.g. confidence intervals, standard errors), results from statistical tests show a significant difference or change in the outcome measure(s), and relevant point estimates and p-values are presented. Note: if the results from an evaluation of a program are presented in a scientific manner and the outcome measure is improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant, the practice is classified as effective and not evidence-based.
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