Children, Youth and Environments 15(1), 2005 Response to Review of Understanding Ecological Programming: Merging Theory, Research and Practice Susan S. Jakes Craig C. Brookins North Carolina State University Citation: Jakes, Susan S. and Craig C. Brookins. “Response to Review of Understanding Ecological Programming: Merging Theory, Research and Practice.” Children, Youth and Environments 15(1), 2005. One of the goals of Understanding Ecological Programming: Merging Theory, Research and Practice was to advance the dialogue on ecological programming in an effort to improve social program design. The review by Children, Youth and Environments advances that dialogue, and we thank you. We agree that a conclusion article would have brought additional clarity to this complex subject, but such an article was outside of the bounds of Journal of Prevention and Intervention in the Community’s format for which this book was produced. We had one non-empirical opportunity to frame the discussion and selected the provision of introductory remarks to give the literature and history. With an opportunity to present conclusions, we would have explored the definitions of ecological programming represented in the four articles and examined where this led in terms of a comprehensive definition of ecological programming. The Jakes article does this to some degree, but its necessary placement before the Perkins and Borden article does not allow it to serve as conclusive. The primary area of concern with the CYE review was the misunderstanding of the methodology in the Jakes research. Indeed, it would be circular for the same group to rate a set of programs on the Ecological Programming Scale (EPS) and then rate them on their degree of adherence to an ecological model. In fact, there were two distinct sets of program raters in this study. All the programs were rated on the EPS by Jakes and a colleague. Multiple raters were used to measure, as well as reduce, potential rater bias. Inter-rater reliability scores for this rating are given in the article. Six more programs were then created to increase variability. Next, all 50 programs were divided into eight overlapping groups and sent to experts in the field of community-based programming to be rated on their degree of adherence to an ecological model. This distinctive rating group design, therefore, does increase the understanding of the 389 scale’s predictive value as you suggest. Specifying the first raters’ identities might have helped clarify this. We are strong advocates of locally-driven programs that seek to make sustainable improvements in community functioning and the quality of individual’s lives. The Annie E. Casey 2003 report Family Support and Community Development: Forging a Practical Nexus to Strengthen Families and Communities reiterates the need for an integrated family and community development approach to strengthening families. It presents several key recommendations and is available at http://ww w.aecf.org/publications/data/delaware_report_final.pdf. In addition, Family Relations is currently developing a special issue on the family and the community. We think the movement toward ecological intervention will persist as what works in social program design is further explored. There remain issues of two-to-six year political cycles that will rarely favor prevention before intervention in funding and the difficulty of evaluating programs in these areas. As well, the push toward monetizing program effects makes it difficult to determine which practices within systems, over time, create lasting effects. Capturing and monetizing that work is not possible within the capabilities of the field at present. Susan Scherffius Jakes, Ph.D., is an Extension Specialist serving as the Community Editor of the National Extension website, the Children, Youth, and Families Education and Research Network for the North Carolina State University. Her research focuses on program design and evaluation of community-based educational programs and evaluation of community development. The goal of this work is to partner with local level change agents in seeking to infuse their prevention programs with concepts from the ecological model. Dr. Jakes has authored and co-authored articles and web publications on issues related to community development, program design and evaluation, and dissemination. Her formal training is in Community Psychology with an emphasis in evaluation and systems change. Craig C. Brookins, Ph.D., is Associate Professor...