ABOUT WCER NEWS Events Cover Stories Research News International Research Press WHAT'S THE RESEARCH ON...? PROJECTS All Active Projects All Completed Projects PUBLICATIONS LECTURE SERIES PEOPLE Staff Directory Project Leaders ERG - EVALUATION RESOURCES GROUP RESOURCES Conference Rooms Equipment GRANT SERVICES GRADUATE TRAINING SERVICE UNITS Director's Office Business Office Technical Services Printing & Mail EMPLOYMENT CONTACT INFO MyWCER WORKSPACE LOGIN

With young at-risk children, the engagement of the family is essential for prevention of delinquency, substance abuse, school failure, and violence. The search for proven and effective violence and delinquency prevention strategies has shifted the focus toward schools as a location for intervention, and toward families as a part of the solution.

Professor Lynn McDonald developed the Families and Schools Together (FAST) program to build partnerships between schools and parents, along with professionals from the community. Because of the partnerships required in FAST—multifamily groups meeting at the schools with professional support—FAST builds social capital.

FAST has been widely disseminated over the past 10 years to over 600 schools in 38 states and 4 Indian Nations.

The U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance recently provided funds for McDonald to replicate FAST nationally. She and her staff will build relationships between FAST parent graduates, FAST parent leaders, FAST certified trainers, FAST implementation teams, FAST supervisors of interns, and FAST interns; by creating new training materials and conducting state-of-the-art trainings; and by creating an independent certification structure and an independent program evaluation structure.

For more information, contact Lynn McDonald, at mrmcdona@facstaff.wisc.edu.