About Project ALERTImplement Project ALERTAdditional ServicesMeet the Team
Project ALERT Educator
To support the implementation of Project ALERT we periodically send out an e-newsletter that will help keep you up-to-date on project goings on. This is our main mode of communication about any updates made to curriculum materials, research participation opportunities, news about current implementations, and other relevant items of interest. It is distributed electronically, and can be sent to an email that you provide. To subscribe to the newsletter, please send us a message. Or if you do not yet have a Project ALERT account, you can create an account now and indicate that you would like to subscribe.

February 2014

Parent Involvement in Project ALERT

Parent with Teen





Research has demonstrated the importance of including parents as partners in prevention efforts. Therefore, nearly all of the core lessons include a homework assignment designed to be completed with a parent. These assignments are best viewed as “home learning opportunities” that make it easier for parents to engage in conversations with their children about drugs and reinforce the learning that occurs in the classroom. Translated homework assignments are available for Spanish-speaking homes.


Sometimes Project ALERT teachers express concern or skepticism about parents’ willingness to collaborate in the home assignments. In these cases, another trusted adult, such as an extended family member, adult friend, or school staff, may be enlisted to provide that support. Others worry that the home assignments might be viewed as intrusive to family privacy. Teachers can reassure parents that the information will not be shared in class. One way to encourage positive home learning experiences is to provide a letter explaining the curriculum at the beginning of the Project ALERT course. A sample parent letter is located in Lesson One, and can be sent home to parents with the first homework assignment. This letter can be downloaded and adapted and is available in both English and Spanish.


Since the intent of the home assignments is to facilitate discussion about drugs with a parent, the assignments cannot be graded in the traditional way. Instead, many teachers provide participation points for completed assignments. A note signed by the parent can be used to verify completion for those parents reluctant to return their responses to class.


The parent letter, in both English and Spanish, can be found in My Project ALERT under Core Lesson 1.


Project ALERT Home Learning Opportunities



Core Lessons


Lesson 1 - Test Your Drug IQ. Students and parents independently compare their answers and discuss them. 



Lesson 5 - Parent/Guardian Interview: Peer Pressure. The purpose of this activity is to stimulate home discussion of peer pressure to use drugs and to involve parents in the curriculum. 



Lesson 6 - Internal Pressure Scenarios. Sharing thought processes with their parents helps student to think things out and opens better lines of communication about important stresses and pressures. 



Lesson 8 - Oral Report on Inhalant Abuse, Family Evaluation Form. The oral report that students prepare as homework to give to their parents is designed as a tool for encouraging family discussion. The evaluation is not intended to grade or actually evaluate the performance of the student, but rather it’s a device to engage the parents in the homework assignment. Many parents are not fully informed about the dangers of inhalants and have an opportunity to learn right along with their child.



Lesson 9 - Oral Report on Drugs, Family Evaluation Form. This assignment functions in much the same manner as the inhalant homework in Lesson 8.




Booster Lesson


Lesson 2 - Parent/Guardian Questionnaire, Resisting Pressures. A lot changes in the life of an adolescent in one year. This assignment gives parent and students a chance to revisit attitudes and strategies for resisting drugs one year later.



The Home Learning Opportunities, in both English and Spanish, can be found in My Project ALERT under the corresponding lessons.

The Parent Toolkit














A drug and alcohol prevention resource for parents. 




Visit in English or Spanish


Archive

Please provide your contact information below to sign up to receive the Project ALERT e-newsletter.