Connections: Relationships and Marriage is a high school marriage education curriculum designed to teach students how to develop healthy relationships and marriages. This study evaluated the effectiveness of this curriculum with 410 high school students who were in Connections or a control group. Although the effects were relatively small, findings suggest that the curriculum increases knowledge of relationship concepts, decreases violence in dating relationships, decreases risk factors for adolescent pregnancy, and positively impacts attitudes related to future successful marriage. Implications for further development of the curriculum and other implications for practitioners are discussed.

Connections: Relationships and Marriage (Connections) is a high school marriage education curriculum designed to teach students how to develop healthy relationships and marriages. This study evaluated the effectiveness of this curriculum over 4-years postintervention with a matched set of 72 high school students who were in either the Connections group or a control group. Findings suggest that although most of the immediate impacts of the curriculum fade within 4 years after the curriculum, the Connections group shows an increase in self-esteem, a decrease in dating and relationship violence, and an increase in family cohesion over 4 years. Implications for further development of such curricula are discussed as well as implications for practitioners.

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Traditionally, intervention programs addressing serious social ranging from crime to family violence, have focused on the individual or on community as the intervention target. Although evidence exists linking many of t significant social ills to marital distress, the marital dyad is seldom the focus interventions. After reviewing the literature surrounding the negative effects marital distress on children, adults, families and communities, the authors explr the need for aiming more interventions at the marital dyad. Estabtished and approaches to marriage education are presented along with a review of supporti studies. The authors emphasize the need for primary prevention focused at couple level highlighting a variety of new high school marriage education curri Finally, recommendations for agencies, practitioners, policy makers and are suggested.The news recenfly seems replete with reports of crime, drugs, gangs, sl problems, abuse, family violence, suicide and poverty. At both the national and levels, these social symptoms have been, and continue to be problematic. Traditi thinking and interventions seem to only scratch the surface. A new approach is needed that more accurately and effectively addresses the cornrnon 1006 ofthese social Family Science Review, 73(l-Z), July 2000 ills. current mind-sets must change in two realms. First, we must consider, from an ecological perspective, what level of analysis is most appropriate to tar. get in intervention efforts. Second, we must consider the typical versus preferred timing of interventions.