Evaluation of American Cancer Society elementary school public education programs.

A comprehensive evaluation of two American Cancer Society (ACS) curriculum programs, An Early Start to Good Health (grades K-3) and Health Network (grades four-six), was conducted to assess the impact of the materials on student health knowledge, attitude, and behavior and to determine procedures and practices employed by teachers in utilizing the materials. The materials were tested with 26 classroom teachers and 660 children in grades K-6, and the material utilization practices of an additional 356 teachers in 27 schools were examined. Findings from the evaluation suggest that the two programs are effective in promoting child health education, but questions were raised concerning the ACS requirements for teacher training and the Usage Report Card system of documentation.