Social networks and drug use among low-income students in high-performing schools

描述（由申请人提供）：社交网络越来越被认为是健康行为的重要决定因素，包括青少年使用大麻和其他药物。虽然关于社交网络如何影响行为的知识正在迅速扩展，但将这些发现转化为可操作的健康干预措施或政策是困难的。然而，学校环境可能是一个潜在的可改变的因素，对社交网络和青少年健康行为有很大的影响。 在这项拟议的研究中，我们将利用一个自然实验，并研究成功的公立特许学校对社交网络和大麻使用的影响。特许学校在美国迅速增加，主要是在低收入社区。虽然不是所有的都成功了，但许多，特别是那些由较大的特许管理组织经营的特许管理组织，在提高学术成绩方面是有效的。其中两个最大的组织，绿色点和联盟，在洛杉矶有30多所学校，每年为数千名低收入的少数民族学生提供服务。这些学校的毕业率为85-100%，而附近的公立学校为50%，标准化考试的分数比附近的公立学校高2.5个标准差。尽管这些学校对学生的学业成绩有明显的影响，但对社交网络和健康行为的影响还没有研究。由于这些学校的录取是基于随机抽签，忽略了人口统计数据或以前的学习成绩，绿色和联盟学校提供了一个完美的环境，在其中进行一个自然的实验。 我们提出了一个为期4年的纵向研究，在八年级的学生谁适用于几个绿色或联盟特许学校之一抽样。我们将比较那些被随机选择入学的学生（实验组）和那些没有被选择入学的学生（控制组）。我们将跟随自然实验队列超过4年，探索社交网络如何形成并随着时间的推移而演变，以及它们如何与两个非常不同的学术环境中的大麻使用和其他危险的健康行为相关。我们将研究高绩效的特许高中对学生的社交网络和使用大麻和其他危险行为（酒精，烟草和其他药物使用，性活动和暴力）的影响。我们还将研究社交网络是否在这些学校对大麻使用和其他危险行为的影响中起着中介作用。如果成功的学校像假设的那样影响大麻的使用，那么拟议中的研究结果将提供非凡和令人信服的证据，证明不仅可以实现教育改革，而且这种改革对社会有广泛的好处，包括更好的健康。这些结果可以刺激新的研究和努力，通过教育改革以及改变社交网络来改善健康。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Social networks are increasingly being recognized as an important determinant of health behaviors, including use of marijuana and other drugs among adolescents. While knowledge about how social networks influence behaviors is expanding rapidly, translating these findings into actionable health interventions or policies is difficult. However, the school environment may be a potentially modifiable factor that has a strong impact on social networks and on adolescent health behaviors. In this proposed study, we will take advantage of a natural experiment and examine the impact of successful public charter schools on social networks and marijuana use. Charter schools have rapidly multiplied in the U.S., primarily in low-income communities. While not all have been successful, many, particularly those run by larger charter management organizations, have been effective in raising academic performance. Two of the largest organizations, Green Dot and Alliance, have more than 30 schools in Los Angeles, serving several thousand low-income, minority students annually. These schools have graduation rates of 85-100% compared to 50% at nearby public schools, and standardized tests scores 2.5 standard deviations higher than nearby public schools. Despite the clear impact of these schools on students' academic achievement, the impact on social networks and health behaviors has not been studied. Because admission to these schools is based on a random lottery that ignores demographics or previous academic performance, Green Dot and Alliance schools provide a perfect setting in which to conduct a natural experiment. We propose a 4-year longitudinal study, sampling among 8th grade students who apply to one of several Green Dot or Alliance charter schools. We will compare those who are randomly chosen for admission to the school (Experimental Group) with those who are not selected for admission (Control Group). We will follow the natural experimental cohort over 4 years exploring how social networks form and evolve over time and how they are related to marijuana use and other risky health behaviors in two very different academic environments. We will examine the impact of high-performing charter high schools on student's social networks and on use of marijuana and other risky behaviors (alcohol, tobacco and other drug use, sexual activity, and violence). We will also examine whether social networks acts as a mediator in the impact of these schools on marijuana use and other risky behaviors. If successful schools influences marijuana use as hypothesized, the results of the proposed study will provide extraordinary and compelling evidence that not only can education reform be achieved, but also that such reform has a wide range of benefits to society including better health. These results could stimulate new research and efforts on ways to improve health through education reform and also through changing social networks.