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HISTORY OF SYSTEM
STATE
STRENGTHENING GRANT
In
the spring of 1997, Washington State Cooperative Extension was
awarded a 5-year State Strengthening Grant from our federal partners
at USDA, the Cooperative State Research Extension and Education
System. State Strengthening Grants are awarded to states to accomplish
two goals:
1) Improve the statewide capacity to support community-based programs for children, youth, and families at risk.
2) Improve the quality and quantity of comprehensive community-based programs for children, youth, and families at risk.
In
Washington, our State Strengthening Grant project, "Partners
in Promoting Strengths" (PIPS), strives to attain these
goals through community collaborations, strengths-based programs
and inclusivity of community partners. In order to measure if
the goal of the quality of programs was being met by the PIPS
project, this evaluation system was created. It was felt that
everyone doing youth and family programs could benefit from this
evaluation system, so the process of creating a statewide life
skills evaluation system was employed.
LIFE
SKILLS
Life
skill outcomes were chosen as measurements of quality because
Family Living and 4-H Youth Development programs focus their work
on teaching youth and adults the life skills necessary to become
capable, competent, and caring citizens. The life skills model,
"Targeting Life Skills" (TLS),
by Pat Hendricks of Iowa State University, was used as a model
to create this system.
THE
VALUE OF THE TLS MODEL
(see
TLS
Preview Wheel)
The Targeting Life Skills (TLS) Model consists of 35 life skills.
These life skills were identified through a process of reviewing
and integrating numerous life skills models. Those life skills
or competencies that consistently emerged as being necessary for
individuals to attain success in life were used (Hendricks, 1999).
PROGRAM
PLANNING
Programs
that incorporate the TLS Model help individuals reach their full
potential through a positive approach to life skill development.
The model provides a format incorporating major points of program
planning:
- Delivering information and skill practice at the appropriate developmental level for the target audience
- Writing specific learning objectives for life skill development that are measurable
- Completing an instructional plan that creates experiences based on experiential learning theory to achieve life skill development
- Identifying observable/measurable indicators of change using these indicators to effectively evaluate program impact/goal (Hendricks, 1999)
To learn
more about the TLS Model and to order support materials, see the
TLS
Model Web site.
EIGHT LIFE SKILLS have
been selected in Washington State, to measure on a statewide basis.
These were chosen through a consensus process with over 70 Family
Living and 4-H Youth Development faculty and staff in the spring
of 1999. In the future, more life skills may be added. Currently
the life skills are:
Decision Making |
Leadership |
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Wise Use of Resources |
Useful / Marketable Skills |
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Communication |
Healthy Lifestyle Choices |
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Accepting Differences |
Self-Responsibility |
For more information select "View Life Skills."