C&A is a certified minority business enterprise with expertise in education, health and human services, survey and marketing research, needs assessment, international development, and legislative advocacy.

Featured News: C&A Focusing on Needs Assessment

Trends in Washington and at the state level suggest careful needs assessment is a priority for successful programs.

C&A is helping Hardee County, Florida, identify challenges concerning alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use among the young, as well as indicators of health and violence. The study will uncover important information so the areas of greatest need will be addressed, according to Fely Curva, Ph.D.

“Making informed recommendations about future program directions,” Dr. Curva said, “requires an accurate picture of the current social climate in the schools and in the county at large.”

Public school districts in three of Florida’s 67 counties are currently in this process, but all will soon follow. Complete PDF Report

Florida Academy of Family Physicians Joins Curva Clients

C&A welcomed the Florida Academy of Family Physicians (FAFP) as a client in 2004. FAFP is the only organization in Florida that solely represents the family physician, and strives to advance the specialty of family medicine. Grant writing will be among the areas in which Curva will assist the organization.

C&A Discovers Alcohol Use Among Younger Kids on the Rise

Two program evaluations from C&A exposed an alarming increase in alcohol use among middle and junior high school students in two Florida counties. The Safe and Drug-Free Schools Life Skills Training is a “proven program,” approved by the Florida Department of Education to teach prevention and drug refusal skills. Although 6th grade children in Wakulla and Suwannee counties increased their knowledge of risks of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs, their behavior showed an increase in use of alcohol, and in one county, chewing and smokeless tobacco.

“We want the schools to focus in and rechannel their energies on those issues,” Dr. Curva said. “We need to make sure resources are targeted effectively.” Complete PDF Report

Artful Citizenship Set to End in June

A pilot program wraps up this year, after being tested in elementary schools with large numbers of students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds who are at risk for academic failure. Artful Citizenship was developed by The Wolfsonian Museum at Florida International University (FIU) with Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Visual Understanding in Education, faculty members from the FIU College of Education, a team of independent education researchers, and evaluators from C&A. The program teaches visual literacy as a means to impact character and social development, and improve academic performance.

Year Two site visits with children in grades 3 and 4 showed the use of evidential reasoning – the ability to support statements with facts – as well as collaboration among students and good citizenship skills. The program was also effective with Limited English Proficient students, and produced the highest gains when teachers closely followed the curriculum. C&A evaluators identified strategies for “best practice” design and implementation.
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Complete PDF Report