Focusing on the Boys: The Longer-Term Impacts of Wise Guys in Davenport, Iowa
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Focusing on the Boys: The Longer-Term Impacts of Wise Guys in Davenport, Iowa

OPRE Report 2019-97
Published: Sep 30, 2019
Publisher: Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Human Services Family Support Youth Development
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Associated Project

Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP)

Time frame: 2011–2020

Prepared for:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families

Authors

Reginald D. Covington

Robert Wood

Brian Goesling

Key Findings
  • As a supplement to the regular school curriculum, Wise Guys did not reduce boys’ likelihood of sexual initiation; at the end of the two-year follow-up, these rates were low for both the group who participated in Wise Guys and the control group.
  • The longer-term impact findings did show, however, that Wise Guys led to a sustained increase in students’ knowledge of contraception and sexually transmitted infections after two years, increased their support of condom use, and strengthened boys’ motivation to avoid getting someone pregnant.
  • Wise Guys did not change boys’ intentions to have sex, nor did it change their relationship attitudes, goal-setting ability, or communication skills after two years.

This report presents evidence on the longer-term impacts of the Wise Guys Male Responsibility Curriculum in middle schools in and near the city of Davenport, Iowa.

This is the last in a series of reports on the implementation and impacts of Wise Guys in Davenport middle schools. It presents evidence on the program’s longer-term impacts after two years. It also provides information on program costs and documents the study methods.

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