全球智库信息集成服务系统

Few programs are designed specifically to delay sexual activity and prevent adolescent fatherhood. To address this research gap, the Administration for Children and Families within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services directed Mathematica Policy Research to collaborate with the Iowa Department of Public Health to conduct a rigorous evaluation of Wise Guys in and near Davenport, Iowa. The Wise Guys curriculum is designed specifically for adolescent boys and aims to promote male responsibility while helping prevent teenage pregnancy. This programming was funded through the state’s Personal Responsibility Education Program grant, which it received in 2010.

For the evaluation, Mathematica partnered with a community-based organization, Bethany for Children and Families, which delivered the Wise Guys curriculum to 7th-grade boys in seven Davenport-area middle schools. Bethany offered the curriculum as a voluntary pull-out program during the school day. The Wise Guys curriculum includes topics and approaches designed to meet the specific needs of adolescent boys. In addition, by implementing Wise Guys in boys-only groups, the program aims to create an environment in which boys feel comfortable talking about topics related to male responsibility and sexual health.

This report summarizes Bethany’s experience implementing Wise Guys during the 2013–2014 and 2014–2015 school years.