BACKGROUND Asthma is a leading chronic childhood disease in the United States and a major contributor to school absenteeism. Evidence suggests that multicomponent, school-based asthma interventions are a strategic way to address asthma among school-aged children. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) encourages the thirty-six health departments (34 states, DC, and Puerto Rico) in the National Asthma Control Program (NACP) to implement multicomponent, school-based asthma interventions on a larger scale. METHODS To better understand best practices and replicability of state-coordinated interventions in schools, an NACP evaluation team conducted an evaluability assessment of promising interventions run by state asthma programs in Louisiana, Indiana, and Utah. RESULTS The team found that state asthma programs play a critical role in implementing school-based asthma interventions due to their ability to 1) use statewide surveillance data to identify asthma trends and address disparities; 2) facilitate connections between schools, school systems, and school-related community stakeholders; 3) form state-level connections; 4) translate policies to action; 5) provide resources and public health practice information to schools and school systems; 6) monitor and evaluate implementation. CONCLUSIONS This article provides an overview of the evaluability assessment findings and illustrates these roles using examples from the three participating states.

Asthma is among the most common chronic childhood diseases, affecting 6.8 million children nationwide. The highest rates of morbidity and mortality associated with the disease occur among those living in the inner city. Because asthma is a complex disease affected by physiological, social, environmental, and behavioral factors, interventions to reduce its morbidity burden need to address multiple determinants of health. In response to this need, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention developed a multisite cooperative agreement for the Controlling Asthma in American Cities Project (CAAC), with the primary goal of developing innovative, effective community-based interventions. All CAAC sites found a need for family and home asthma services (FHAS) and developed multicomponent (e.g., asthma self-management, social services, coordinated care) and multitrigger environmental interventions. This paper presents a synthesis of key program variables and process indicators for six CAAC FHAS interventions for consideration by communities, coalitions, or programs planning to implement similar activities.