School-Community Assessment

To build awareness and motivate action about alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) use, many schools and communities conduct annual surveys of student attitudes and behavior. Such surveys perform the valuable function of documenting ATOD perceptions and realities, and offering a statistical picture of ATOD trends over the years.

One of the drawbacks of such an approach, however, is the risk of affirming misperceptions about community ATOD norms. If drug use is extensive, for example, young people may assume incorrectly that "everybody is doing it." This sort of misperception often occurs because the emphasis in the media is on newsworthy problems rather than solutions--on ATOD use rather than nonuse. If significant community problems are described in a needs assessment, the assets available to address those needs are frequently given less emphasis.

During the past few years, an alternative approach with a more comprehensive focus has begun to take shape. McKnight and Kretzmann (1990) have designed a Neighborhood Assets Map (which shows community resources) to complement a Neighborhood Needs Map (which shows community deficiencies). The maps can be used to promote neighborhood-based projects that use local assets to solve local problems.

However such portraits of school and community life are designed, it is important to see the whole picture--the growing child in context, with something to offer as well as unfulfilled needs.

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