Life Stories for Black Youth: Exploring Cultural Heritage through Storytelling

描述（由申请人提供）：美国有1000万18岁以下的黑人儿童。与白人儿童相比，这些儿童在学业和行为健康方面存在严重差异（Breland-Noble， 2004年；美国国土卫生和社会服务部，2001年）。需要文化相关的项目来减少黑人青年的行为健康差异（Carter, 1996; Tillman & Shirley, 2002）。具体来说，研究表明接受黑人学生和融入学校社区是促进跨领域积极功能的关键环境因素（例如，Grieg 2003; Carter et al., 1997; Smith et al., 1999）。庆祝黑人文化遗产的干预措施，促进对多样性的接受，并教育学生了解文化之间的相似性，可以有效地产生一个整合的，接受的学校环境，从而促进行为健康益处（Coard, Wallace, Stevenson, & Miller, 2004; Roscigno, 1998）。提议的创新产品“儿童生活故事：黑人文化遗产系列”（LS-BCH）是一门以学校为基础的小学高年级儿童课程，以黑人遗产和文化为重点，由专业的黑人故事讲述者讲述。完整的故事库将包括传统（例如，地下铁路的故事）和体验（例如，文化适应）故事，以提高黑人学生的自尊和学校参与度，并促进一个综合的，积极的整体学校氛围。该项目的第一阶段将解决两个具体目标：(1)开发课程原型，即专业手册（行政指导、课程脚本、活动）、以黑人专业讲故事者为特色的DVD、家长讲义和网络资源；(2)原型产品的可行性测试（即由参与课程采用的学校专业人员对产品进行详细评估，并与3-5年级的学生及其家长进行焦点小组讨论）。在第二阶段，原型将根据第一阶段的发现进行修订和扩展，增加四位黑人故事讲述者以及所有相关的课程脚本和材料。第二阶段还将完成一项随机治疗对照研究，研究儿童在学校的学业、社会情感和行为功能以及整体学校氛围的变化。第一阶段和第二阶段项目的努力将为3-5年级的儿童提供以证据为基础的、普遍的、以文化遗产为基础的课程，《儿童生活故事：黑人文化遗产系列》（LS-BCH），该课程采用引人入胜和强大的讲故事的教育形式，分享黑人文化遗产的故事，连同附带的课程和材料，促进黑人学生对学校社区的文化接受和融合。公共健康相关性：数据一致地指出全国黑人和白人之间的成就差距。为了有效地解决黑人青年面临的不平等问题，需要与文化相关的课程，涉及与接受和融入学校社区有关的关键环境和社会因素。迫切需要与文化相关的项目，以促进文化接受和融入学校社区。LS-BCH满足了这一需求，并与《2010年健康人：了解和改善健康》相一致，后者强调“设计、实施和评估过程应考虑到特定人口群体（族裔和种族）的特殊问题”（美国国土卫生和健康服务部，2000年）。LS-BCH是一种与文化相关的产品，旨在解决日益增长的人口多样性问题，并需要有文化能力的干预措施，以帮助消除族裔和种族行为健康差异。拟议的研究也与卫生局局长关于心理健康的报告（USDHHS， 2001年）的建议一致。具体来说，该报告建议“定制服务以满足所有美国人的需求，包括种族和少数民族”。普遍计划（即，平等地应用于学校的所有儿童）是特别需要的，因为它们可以应用于学校的每个教室，并且可以影响个人和系统层面的变化（实施起来更具成本效益）。这项研究的结果将促进我们对如何通过学校课程成功解决黑人青年行为健康差异的理解。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): There are 10 million Black children under the age of 18 in the United States. These children face serious academic and behavioral health disparities compared with their White counterparts (Breland-Noble, 2004; USDHHS, 2001). Culturally-relevant programs are needed to decrease behavioral health disparities among Black youth (Carter, 1996; Tillman & Shirley, 2002). Specifically, research suggests that acceptance of Black students and integration into the school community are key environmental factors that promote positive functioning across domains (e.g., Grieg 2003; Carter et al., 1997; Smith et al., 1999). Interventions that celebrate Black cultural heritage, promote acceptance of diversity, and educate students about similarities among cultures can effectively engender an integrated, accepting school environment, thereby fostering behavioral health benefits (Coard, Wallace, Stevenson, & Miller, 2004; Roscigno, 1998). The proposed innovative product, LifeStories for Kids: Black Cultural Heritage Series (LS-BCH), is a school- based curriculum for upper elementary children focusing on Black heritage and culture featuring professional Black storytellers. The complete story library will include both traditional (e.g., stories from the Underground Railroad) and experiential (e.g., acculturation) stories in order to increase self-esteem and school engagement among Black students, as well as promote an integrative, positive overall school climate. Phase I of this project will address two specific aims: (1) Development of a curriculum prototype i.e., Professional Manual (administrative guidelines, lesson scripts, activities), DVD featuring a Black professional storyteller, parent handouts, and web resources, and (2) Feasibility testing of the prototype product (i.e., detailed product evaluation by school professionals involved in curriculum adoption and focus groups with students in grades 3-5 and their parents). During Phase II, the prototype will be revised and expanded based on Phase I findings to include four additional Black storytellers and all accompanying lesson scripts and materials. A randomized treatment-control research study examining changes in children's academic, social-emotional, and behavioral functioning at school, as well as the overall school climate, will also be completed in Phase II. The efforts of the Phase I and Phase II projects will result in an evidence-based, universal, cultural heritage school-based curriculum for children in grades 3-5, LifeStories for Kids: Black Cultural Heritage Series (LS-BCH), which uses the engaging and powerful educational format of storytelling to share stories of Black cultural heritage that, along with accompanying lessons and materials, promote cultural acceptance and integration of Black students into the school community. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Data consistently point to an achievement gap between Blacks and Whites across the nation. Culturally- relevant curricula that speak to key environmental and social factors associated with acceptance and integration into the school community are needed in order to effectively address the disparities faced by Black youth. There is a pressing need for culturally-relevant programs that foster cultural acceptance and integration into the school community. LS-BCH addresses this need and is consistent with Healthy People 2010: Understanding and Improving Health, which emphasizes "a design, implementation, and evaluation process that accounts for special issues for select population groups (ethnic and racial)" (USDHHS, 2000). LS-BCH represents a culturally relevant product to address increasing demographic diversity and the need for culturally competent interventions to help eliminate ethnic and racial behavioral health disparities. The proposed research is also consistent with recommendations by the Surgeon General's Report on Mental Health (USDHHS, 2001). Specifically, the report recommends "tailoring services to meet the needs of all Americans,including racial and ethnic minorities". Universal programs (i.e., applied equally with all children in a school) are particularly needed because they can be applied to every classroom within schools and can affect change at both the individual and systems levels (more cost-effective to implement). Findings from this research will advance our understanding of how to successfully address the behavioral health disparities of Black youth through school-based curricula.