Schools are a natural environment for prevention programmes as an infrastructure exists for reaching large numbers of children during their formative years. This volume evaluates the effectiveness of school-based programmes designed to prevent social problems among young people. The author focuses on prevention of behavioural, social and academic problems, and emphasizes the role of education in substance abuse prevention and health.

Durlak argues that the school is a unique social and organizational structure that must be understood before innovations in prevention are introduced. With this in mind, he traces the development of theory and practice, identifies exemplary prevention efforts and documents the continued growth of knowledge in the field.