Formative evaluation results from the Mariner Project: a coordinated school health pilot program.

This study determined the extent to which a coordinated school health program (CSHP) infrastructure was in place and functioning adequately within a two- to three-year developmental period in South Carolina. The Mariner Project's eight-component model was implemented in three middle schools and their four feeder elementary schools in three communities. Evaluation criteria for the Mariner Project reflect rigorous, minimum adequacy performance standards, and were based on national standards for school health practice and research and objective judgments of project performance. Eleven critical performance elements were developed, and a modified indexing procedure was utilized for project evaluation efforts. Results suggest that a combination of four critical performance elements, 1) Administrative Support/Buy-In, 2)Coordination of the Eight-Component Personnel School-Based Health Promotion Team, 3) Program Champion/Liaison/Facilitator, and 4) Staff Wellness Coordinator, served as the foundation for adequate or less-than-adequate performance for each school among the remaining critical elements, and subsequently for the overall Mariner Project.