1997 Annual Report
--Published February 1998
On May 20, 1997, PSI honored 84 Teen Leaders and their families, 84 health teachers, and 24 foundations or other organizations who brought over 726 PSI lessons to 4,071 students in 178 classes at 36 Cincinnati Public Middle and Elementary Schools during the 1996-97 school year.
More than 175 PSI supporters attended the seventh Annual PSI Banquet at Children's Hospital Medical Center of Cincinnati's Piano Lounge.
Dallas McCray Jackson, PSI Teen Leader Alumna Class of 1994, spoke enthusiastically about the influence of teaching PSI for three years upon her current work and family life.
Those in attendance watched a tape of Carol Williams and the Channel Nine News' recent "Eye On Your World" feature about our PSI Teen Leaders.
Withrow Teen Leader Abdul-Aziz Mu'Min and his Phantasy Dance troupe entertained.
45 Senior Teen Leaders ceremonially passed their legacy of leadership to 39 underclass Teen Leaders for the 1997-98 school year, while another 120 applicants for 85 Teen Leader positions awaited notice of their acceptance or non-acceptance for 1997-98.
Third-year Teen Leaders Scott Keyes from Hughes and Breen Hodge from Walnut Hills hosted this memorable banquet.
Local Teen Births Plummet to Eight-Year Low
There was an 18 percent reduction in the number of births to young teen girls in Cincinnati for the four-year period immediately following full PSI program implementation in 1992.
The 1996 total of 319 births to girls 16 and under is the lowest annual total in eight years, since PSI first tabulated local hospital birth records in this manner. Although it would be an overstatement to claim PSI caused this drop, it would be fair to conclude that PSI has contributed to the decline in young teen births.
Sexually transmitted disease rates also dropped. "This reflects a mix of national, state and local efforts to warn people about unsafe sexual practices," said Dr. Malcolm Adcock, Cincinnati Health Commissioner.
United Way In-Kind Benefits
When PSI became a United Way/Community Chest Agency in 1997, numerous in-kind benefits came to the agency along with the $78,000 allocation for 1997, and $105,000 allocation for 1998. For example, United Way donated a new IBM computer, terminal and software to the PSI Office at Hughes Center, thereby enabling the PSI Secretary to move from the Adolescent Clinic to Hughes in the same office as the rest of the PSI staff. The computer also opened PSI to the "information superhighway".
The United Way Campaign, which exceeded its goal in 1997, now lists PSI as a member agency, thereby publicizing the program widely. Contributors to United Way may designate their contributions to PSI individually. United Way has also encouraged collaboration with other agencies.
Finally, the United Way Field of Service volunteers are working with PSI staff to develop meaningful "outcome measures" of assertiveness among students in PSI learning how to handle peer pressure. Outcome measures are different from customer satisfaction surveys. They directly answer the question of whether PSI works. For example, in the 1996-97 school year, 66 percent of the 1,961 students sampled were able to recall two of the three assertiveness techniques for saying "no" to sex at the end of their PSI series.
In another outcome measure, Teen Leaders rate students' written responses to pressure lines. On a three point rating scale, where 3=very assertive, 2=somewhat assertive, and 1=needs improvement, the average assertiveness rating on responses to "If you love me, you'll have sex with me" was 2.21 among the 119 PSI students sampled second semester 1996-97.
Outcome measures in 1998 will assess student assertiveness before and after PSI, in order to determine the amount of improvement in assertive responses to pressure situations.
Customer Satisfaction Remains High
In a February 1997 survey of parents whose children recently completed PSI, 84 percent were supportive; and 12 percent were neutral. Ninety percent believed PSI will help a child postpone sex. Moreover, only 0.9 percent of middle school students in 1996-97 (27 out of 2,956) were opted out of PSI by written request from their parent or other guardian.
The following comments from parents surveyed indicate the reasons for their high approval ratings.
"Very informative program. I was surprised how much my child did not know, but was glad he was getting information in a supervised setting."
"I thought it was very positive that they got the kids talking about this. I know I have trouble talking about it with him."
"Her attitude has changed. She's much more open about questioning things. I'm glad they have this in the schools."
Preliminary results from a February 1998 Parent Survey indicate similar findings.
In a February 1997 survey of teachers hosting PSI, 88 percent felt PSI was a good use of classroom time, their students benefited from the teen leaders' instruction, and Cincinnati Public Schools should continue PSI. 89 percent of host teachers at the time (17 of 19) responded to the survey. Preliminary results from a February 1998 Teacher Survey indicate similar findings.
In addition, Teen Leaders rate their training and supervision by Adult Leaders consistently high.
PSI Staff Works Full Time Now
During the first seven years of PSI, the five person staff consisted of one full time coordinator, one to four part-time adult leaders, and one part-time secretary. In June, 1997, long-time PSI Adult Leader Anthony Davis, M.Ed., M.C.P. became full-time PSI Community Outreach Trainer. In this position, Davis markets PSI training and consultation services locally, regionally, and nationally to help groups start their own PSI Teen Leadership programs.
In 1997, Davis performed six regional or national teen leader training contracts, generating $8,000 in consulting fees for PSI. Outside Cincinnati Public Schools, PSI trained 100 new teen leaders and 50 new adult leaders during 1996-97 from such cities as Harlem, N.Y.; Richmond, Va.; Columbus, Ohio; Milford, Ohio; Van Luis, Ohio; and Arlington, Ohio. Calls come to the PSI Office weekly from around the region and country inquiring about our newly coined Cincinnati PSI PAYOFF: Positive Alternatives for Youth, Opportunities For the Future.
Since 1992, our PSI program has made significant consultation contacts with 175 groups nationwide that are either operating or in the process of establishing a teen pregnancy prevention program. Davis was also recently honored as the 1998 Applause Imagemaker of the Year in Arts and Entertainment.
In January 1998, three-year PSI Adult Leader Valda Bronston became the full-time assistant coordinator for the Pre-Teen PSI program. In this role, Bronston will supervise PSI programs in at least 40 Cincinnati Public Elementary Schools, conduct five annual teacher training workshops, and solidify a group of 150 intermediate level teachers' annual PSI instruction to their 1,700-plus fifth or sixth grade students.
In 1997, PSI Coordinator Christopher Kraus, J.D., M.T.S. became the convener of Cincinnati Public Schools' newly formed Health Curriculum Subcommittee. Every six weeks, this committee of eight health educators representing all grade levels in Cincinnati Public Schools meet for the purpose of delivering good supplementary health education materials and resources into the hands of classroom teachers, and into the minds of their students.
In January 1998, Cincinnati PSI went online and entered the Internet, e-mail, and the vast information superhighway, thanks to the invaluable technical assistance of Teen Leader Alumnus and Hughes Center Computers Profession graduate Darius Martin. Initial plans include the creation of a Web site.
Long-term plans include an active interchange between a growing network of PSI coordinators and programs around the country, including several statewide programs.
Also planned is an active correspondence with health educators in the Cincinnati Public Schools that will promote their professional development, supplement their teaching resources, and stimulate creative teaching.
1997-98 Classroom Implementation in Cincinnati Public Schools
Halfway through the 1997-98 school year, 70 Teen Leaders have taught 289 sessions to 1,264 seventh graders at 15 schools; 21 sessions to 200 eighth graders at four schools; and 16 sessions to 250 5th or 6th graders at 6 schools.
For the second semester, PSI has scheduled at least 385 sessions for about 2,262 seventh and eighth graders in 16 schools; and 45 sessions for about 1,100 fifth or sixth graders at 16 schools.
Over 70 classroom health educators and 40 principals in the school district are giving 87 high school students an opportunity to lead their younger peers away from sexual pressure, teen pregnancy and parenthood, towards sexual health, healthy relationships, academic achievement, and responsible adulthood.
Show Me the Money
A significant portion of the 1997-98 Cincinnati Public School program has been made possible by cash grants from the United Way/Community Chest and the Hamilton County Family and Children's First Council, combined with over nine consecutive years of donations from The Cincinnati Adolescent Clinic Inc.
PSI gratefully acknowledges the support of 33 foundations, corporations, and other organizations that have made cash or in-kind contributions in 1996 or 1997:
Adoption Option Inc.
AIDS Volunteers of Cincinnati (AVOC)
Ande Chevrolet
Central Psychiatric Clinic-Alcohol and Substance Abuse Inc.
Children's Hospital Medical Center
Cincinnati Adolescent Clinic Inc.
Cincinnati Enquirer; Cincinnati Health Department
Cincinnati Public Schools
Columbus Children's Hospital
Greater Cincinnati Health Council
Grant Riverside Hospital, Columbus Ohio
Hamilton County Families and Children First Council
Harlem Hospital Center, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, New York, N.Y.
Individual donors
Madeira parent group, Madeira, Ohio
Milford Exempted School District; Ohio Department of Health
Ohio Department of Education
Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services, Ohio Teen Institute
Ohio State University, Office of Minority Affairs, Young Scholars Program Columbus and Cincinnati
Pickaway County General Health District, Circleville, OH
The Procter & Gamble Co.
Sandusky County Family and Children First Council, Fremont, Ohio
The Social Health Education Association of Greater Cincinnati
The Urban League of Greater Cincinnati; University of Cincinnati, Department of Health Promotions
University of Oklahoma
United Way and Community Chest
Virginia League of Planned Parenthood, Richmond, Va.
WCPO-TV, Channel 9
WXIX-TV, Channel 19
WIZfm 100.9
