Program Profile: Too Good for Violence

This is a school-based violence prevention and character education program designed to improve student behavior and minimize aggression. The program is rated Promising. The program had statistically significant positive effects on risk and protective factors related to student violence for students in grade 3. There were also statistically significant positive effects on factors related to alcohol, tobacco, drug use, and violence for students in grades 9 through 12.

A Promising rating implies that implementing the program may result in the intended outcome(s).

This program's rating is based on evidence that includes at least one high-quality randomized controlled trial.

This program's rating is based on evidence that includes either 1) one study conducted in multiple sites; or 2) two or three studies, each conducted at a different site. Learn about how we make the multisite determination.

Program Goals/Target Population

Too Good for Violence (TGFV) is a school-based violence prevention and character education program designed to improve student behavior and minimize aggression. TGFV is designed to help students in kindergarten through 8th grade learn the skills they need to get along peacefully with others. A high school version, called Too Good for Drugs and Violence-High School, is available and contains substance-abuse prevention components.

In both content and teaching methods, the program addresses students' positive attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. It teaches skills sequentially and at each grade level provides developmentally appropriate curricula designed to address risk and protective factors.

Program Components/Key Personnel

The program consists of seven 30- to 60-minute age-appropriate lessons, for kindergarten through fifth grade, and nine 30- to 45-minute lessons, for sixth through eighth grade. The program is designed for lessons to be delivered once a week. In the high school curriculum, there are fourteen 60-minute lessons delivered over 14 consecutive weeks in one grade, which are supplemented by 12 booster or infusion lessons in other grades. Reviewing and practicing skills between and following lessons is strongly recommended.

The program’s interactive teaching methods encourage students to bond with prosocial peers and engage students by using games, role-playing, small-group activities, cooperative learning, and class discussions. The curriculum emphasizes developing interpersonal skills for conflict resolution and resistance skills to avoid substance use. TGFV teaches that each student has what it takes to solve conflicts peaceably and provides opportunities to practice peacemaking and antibullying skills. The program includes components to involve families and the entire school. The family component includes newsletters and an interactive homework assignment.

Trained teachers, counselors, or prevention specialists deliver the program in classrooms with 20 to 35 students.

Program Theory

The program’s components were developed by drawing on social learning theory, problem behavior theory, and social development theory. Social learning theory proposes that cognitive skills and resources can be directed to limit aggression and aggressive responses, since violence and aggression are socially learned and purposeful behaviors. TGFV incorporates social learning theory by addressing social influences and presenting the value of prosocial behaviors, as well as by modeling and rewarding prosocial skills. Problem behavior theory postulates that violence and other high-risk behaviors create a syndrome of purposeful behaviors and that efforts to change behavior need to concentrate on multiple behaviors (rather than just one high-risk behavior), personality, and the larger environment. Social development theory proposes that prosocial bonding, prosocial norms, and social and emotional skills promote positive development. Opportunities need to be offered for youths to develop these skills and have them reinforced. TGFV incorporates social development theory by building protective factors, including norms and bonding (Bacon 2001; Bacon 2003).

Study 1

Bacon (2001) used a randomized block design to assess the impact of the Too Good for Drugs and Violence (TGFV)?High School program on students? substance and aggressive behavior use intentions, attitudes, and perceptions, as well as the impact on their protective factors. The researcher recruited 201 high school students from 11 classrooms. The sample was 49 percent female, with an ethnic breakdown of 68 percent white, 20 percent Hispanic, 9 percent African?American, 2 percent Asian?American, and 1 percent multiracial and American Indian. Nine percent of the students were categorized as economically challenged by receipt of reduced or free lunch services. Forty-six percent of the students were 9th graders, 26 percent 10th graders, 12 percent 11th graders, and 16 percent 12th graders. The Florida high school where the study was conducted received a ?B? on the Florida School Indicators Report, indicative of an overall successful school on academic and other indicators.

Students in both groups were found to hold similar levels of intentions with regard to substance and violence use at baseline. The TGFV program lasted 14 weeks and was delivered to six health classrooms each week, with lessons lasting 50?55 minutes. Students in the control group received the standard physical education curriculum. Students in the treatment and control groups were surveyed at baseline and at the end of the treatment semester. No subgroup analysis was conducted.

Study 2

Bacon (2003) used a randomized block design to assess the impact of Too Good for Violence on children?s behaviors and skill development. Ten elementary schools from a large Florida school district were randomly selected and recruited for participation. Schools were stratified by location, size, academic performance, and socioeconomic status. A total of 46 teachers and 999 third grade students participated. The student sample was 48 percent female, with an ethnic breakdown of 44 percent white, 36 percent Hispanic, 12.5 percent African American, 5 percent multiracial, 2 percent Asian American, and 0.5 percent American Indian. Fifty-four percent of the students were categorized as economically challenged by receipt of reduced or free lunch services, 20 percent received exceptional education services, and 17 percent received limited-English proficiency services.

Students in five elementary schools participated in the prevention program during the first quarter of the school year. Students in the other five schools served as the control sample for the study. Trained TGFV instructors delivered the prevention program to students in the treatment schools in 40- to 50-minute lessons once a week over a 7-week period. Students in the treatment and control group were administered survey questionnaires before, immediately following, and 20 weeks after program delivery. Teachers completed student observation questionnaires before, immediately following, and 20 weeks after program delivery. No subgroup analysis was conducted.

Student workbooks are available in Spanish. Additional information on available kits and supplementary materials (e.g., student workbooks, teacher manuals) can be found on the website: https://toogoodprograms.org/collections/too-good-for-violence.

These sources were used in the development of the program profile:

These sources were used in the development of the program profile: