# DP24-138 Implementing and Evaluating CDC's What Works in Schools Approach in Rural School Districts

> **NIH ALLCDC U01** · RESEARCH TRIANGLE INSTITUTE · 2024 · $499,952

## Abstract

PROJECT ABSTRACT/SUMMARY
The proposed research project, Implementing and Evaluating CDC’s What Works in Schools
Approach in Rural School Districts, aims to study and address rural communities’ cultural and
contextual barriers to making WWIS-aligned strategies more accessible and more feasible. The
goal is to advance health equity among underserved adolescents attending school in rural
settings. The RTI International team, in partnership with Child Trends, Inc., comprises
researchers and implementation scientists with experience in health education research and
evaluation, as well as deep expertise in working in rural schools. The project will use RTI’s
framework for equity-centered transformative research to collaboratively design and conduct
evaluation research with two rural local education agencies (LEAs) in North Carolina. This
partnership expands on a previous multiyear relationship between RTI, the LEAs, and their
single regional health department (AppHealthCare) to build capacity for school-based health
services. This study will answer evaluation questions about how WWIS-aligned strategies that
are selected by and implemented in rural schools can reduce disparities in health outcomes for
rural adolescents. The findings will support improved implementation and scale-up of WWIS-
aligned strategies in other LEAs serving rural youth.
Specific aims of this project are as follows: 1. Evaluate the effectiveness of strategies aligned
with CDC’s What Works in Schools (WWIS) approach in two local education agencies (LEAs)
serving rural youth, specifically regarding impact on health behavior and health disparities. 2.
Examine the barriers to and facilitators of implementing the WWIS approach in rural schools
using RTI’s equity-centered research framework and the Knowledge-to-Action Process
Framework. 3. Translate and disseminate findings from the evaluation to support scale-up of
WWIS strategies in other LEAs serving rural youth. RTI will partner closely with LEAs and key
stakeholders in their communities to adapt and implement the WWIS strategies and will employ
a mixed-methods implementation and outcome evaluation, complemented by a knowledge
translation and dissemination plan to encourage continuous learning and sharing throughout the
5-year project. As a result of this work, health outcomes among rural youth related to sexual,
behavioral, and mental health will improve.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11051969
- **Project number:** 1U01DP006890-01
- **Recipient organization:** RESEARCH TRIANGLE INSTITUTE
- **Principal Investigator:** Katy Michelle Suellentrop
- **Activity code:** U01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** ALLCDC
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $499,952
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-30 → 2029-09-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11051969

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11051969, DP24-138 Implementing and Evaluating CDC's What Works in Schools Approach in Rural School Districts (1U01DP006890-01). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/11051969. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*