THOUGHTFUL SUSTAINABILITY Teri Lewis Oregon State University Ronnie Detrich Wing Institute David StandifordOregon State University ABAI, San Antonio, Texas June 1, 2010

Goals for Today  Summarize the literature on sustainability and describe what we have learned.  Describe one way to use what we know to increase chances of sustaining effective programs.

Nature of the Problem  In education innovations come and go in months (Latham, 1988).  Sustainability should be a focus from the day a project is implemented.  With most projects, the pressure of just becoming operational often postpones such a focus until well into the 2nd year (Aldelman & Taylor, 2003).

Review Parameters  15 years ( )  Descriptors  Sustainability  Maintenance  Generalization  Implementation fidelity  Longitudinal

Review Process  Reviewed 95 articles  57 included  38 not included  Coded articles  Defining sustainability  When intervention has sustained  Critical features (i.e., selection, implementation)

Interest in Sustainability

Topics - Included  Education (22)  Professional development (14)  Medical (4)  Mental health (6)  Higher education (4)  Community (2)  Other (2)  Business (2)

Not Included  Quality of research (5)  Assessment protocol (1)  Public-private partnerships (2)  Evidence-based practices (1)  Implementation (7)  Program description (7)  Policy/standards (2)

Type of Article  *Descriptive (19)  Position (10)  *Case study (10)  *Qualitative (7)  *Experimental-group/single subject (5)  Literature review (4)  Pilot (1)  Unknown (1)  * each had one longitudinal

Evaluation (Could be multiple categories)  None mentioned (13)  NA (12)  Descriptive (9)  Outcome measure (6)  Survey/satisfaction (5)  Fidelity (2)  Post-hoc (1)

What is Sustainability?  Maintenance - durable over time  Generalization - across settings, people, etc.  Adaptation - changed to fit different settings/contexts

What is Sustainability?  Term applied across three different related but different levels:  Student Outcomes  Interventions  Systems

What is Sustainability?  Sustainability does not simply mean whether something will last. It addresses how particular initiatives can be developed without compromising the development of others in the surrounding environment now and in the future.  Hargreaves & Fink, 2006

Definition- Features  None provided (36)  Learn/change/adapt/innovate (7)  Endure/maintain (5)  Resource management (4)  Part of culture (4)  Partnership (3)  Long term plan (2)  Local champion (1)

Definition - Complexity  One feature (8)  Two features (4)  Three features (1)  Four features (0)  Five features (1)

Critical Features  Elliott & Mihalic (2004) review Blueprint Model Programs (violence prevention and drug prevention programs) replication in community settings. Programs reviewed across 5 dimensions:  Site selection  Training  Technical assistance  Fidelity  Sustainability

Features  Implementers - Who implemented  Exploration - Why look for program  Site Selection - Critical features  Practice Selection - Why selected  Implementation - Support/resources  Evaluation - of sustainability  Success & Challenges

Implementers (Could be multiple categories)  Service providers (31)  NA (15)  Community/Agency (9)  Researchers/Consultants (7)  Administrators (7)  Leader/Champion (6)  Students (5)  Parents (3)  District/State (3)  Government (2)

Exploration  None discussed (23)  NA or part of existing study (19)  Site goal (5)  Site need (3)  Capacity/Ready for change (2)  Policy/Initiative (2)  Research question (1)

Site Selection  Beliefs/values (13)  Buy-in/Volunteer/support (13)  Research need (11)  NA (11)  Administrative support (9)  Policy (8)  Resources (6)  Prior success (6)  None (4)  Need (4)  Community support (4)  Fit with other initiative (3)

Evalutation  None (13)  NA (11)  Descriptive (9)  Outcome measure (6)  Survey/Satisfaction (6)  Fidelity measure (2)  Post-hoc (1)

Summary  Broad range of topics/fields focusing on sustainability  Most of the literature is descriptive with limited evaluation  Still need to learn more about critical features - process beginning to end

Initial Recommendations  Limited information about site prerequisites  Need, readiness  When choosing sites to implement consider  Buy-in and fit with values of culture  Support such as administrator, resources, organizational structure and policy

Initial Recommendations  Implementation should include direct service providers, relevant stakeholders and at least one local champion/leader  In general success was attributed to  Collaboration and communication  Integrating/embedding w/existing practices  Methodical/slow implementation  Adapting practice/program to fit the culture  Access to resources

Practitioners Guide  Innovation Configuration (Hall & Hord, 1987)  Assess the extent of implementation of a program  “road map”  Use  Start new intervention  Review/refine current intervention  Applied research considerations

Practitioners Guide  Content Sections  Exploration  Site Readiness  Implementers  Implementation  On-going decision-making  Five sub-sections  Summary of key literature/considerations  Scoring guide  Strengths/weaknesses and Action plan

Site Readiness01234Rating Buy-In o Staff Support o Voluntary participation o Community Support o Prior implementation success None Staff support for implementation Staff support plus voluntary participation Staff support, voluntary participation plus community support Staff & community support, voluntary participation plus prior implementation success Contextual Fit o Meets a program need o Aligns with values o Doesn’t interfere with other initiatives o Supports other initiatives None Meets a need of the program Meets a need plus aligns with values and beliefs of program Meets a need, aligns with values plus doesn’t interfere with other initiatives Meets a need, aligns with values, doesn’t interfere but support other initiatives Resources o Administrator Support o Protected FTE/Leader o Time/ Materials/ Funding o Policy None Administrative support Administrative support plus a designated leader Administrative support, designated leader plus sufficient resources Administrative support, designated leader, sufficient resources plus written policy Column subtotals

Final Thought  Sustainability of initiatives is due in a large part to thoughtful selection, planning and early implementation

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