Evaluation of SATC's Curriculum-Based Education Program by the CDC

SATC applied to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and our curriculum-based education project was selected as one of 20 programs nationally that merited formal evaluation as a practice-based sexual violence prevention strategy. Such strategies address creating safe and protective environments, promoting healthy social norms and using gender equity approaches to address sexual violence.

In April, staff from ICF, CDC’s evaluation consultant, traveled to Honolulu to conduct their assessment site visit, which included interviews with program stakeholders, visits to schools that are implementing SATC’s curricula, and attendance at the Sexual Assault Awareness Month “Expect [respect]™” performance in partnership with the Honolulu Theater for Youth (HTY). 

The stakeholders who met with the ICF team included Hawai‘i Department of Education school administrators, teachers and coordinators for Project HI Aware; staff from the Hawai‘i Department of Health; the directors and artists from HTY; and Hawai‘i Youth Services Network staff who are currently implementing SATC’s curricula in the Northern Mariana Islands.

SATC subsequently received the CDC and ICF’s Summary Report in May.  The report praised SATC for our careful documentation of our program’s implementation to date, the scalability and sustainability of our train-the-trainer approach, the cultural relevance of our Hawai‘i-developed curricula and our access to expert resources for program evaluation. It also provided solid recommendations for how to further develop the project, including tools for reviewing curricula updates and collecting data about how the curricula are used in schools.