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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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Take Back the Park (New York, NY)

Filed under Effective Practice, Art & Recreation / Sports Recreation & Parks, Urban

Goal: The goal of this program is to provide positive recreational, cultural, and educational activities for young people and adults in New York neighborhoods.

Teaching Nutrition and Life Skills to Adults with Low Incomes (Verona, VA)

Filed under Good Idea, Economy / Poverty, Rural

Goal: The goal of the program is to help clients reach self-sufficiency through life-skills and nutritional education.

The Food Trust (USA)

Filed under Good Idea, Health / Physical Activity, Children, Teens, Adults, Urban

Goal: The Food Trust's mission is to ensure that everyone have access to affordable, nutritious food by providing nutrition education and greater availability of affordable, healthy food.

The Harlem Hospital Injury Prevention Program (IPP) (Harlem, NY)

Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Children's Health, Children, Teens

Goal: The goal of this program is to prevent injuries and violence among children and adolescents in Harlem.

The Youthnet Trials (Denver, CO)

Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Immunizations & Infectious Diseases, Teens, Urban

Goal: The goal of the progarm is to use online-based modules to promote protected sex and prevent HIV transmission among teens.

Think Big Clubs - Teen Mentoring (Palm Beach and Martin, FL)

Filed under Good Idea, Education / Student Performance K-12, Children, Teens

Goal: The goal of the program is to match high school students to elementary school students in a mentoring relationship.

TJXtra!

Filed under Good Idea, Economy / Government Assistance

Goal: The goal of this program is to raise awareness of available government benefits among employees, their families, and their friends.

TRUCE Fitness and Nutrition Center (Harlem)

Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Physical Activity, Children, Racial/Ethnic Minorities, Urban

Goal: TRUCE works with young people in order to increase their awareness of fitness and health, improve their academic performance, and empower them to make healthier decisions.

Urban Youth Harvest (Oakland)

Filed under Good Idea, Community / Civic Engagement, Teens, Older Adults, Urban

Goal: The program strives to provide jobs for young people and fresh produce for low-income seniors.

Washington DC One-Stop (Washington, DC)

Filed under Effective Practice, Economy / Employment

Goal: The goal of this program is to help move people from public assistance to employment.

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.