Pre‐parenting education for adolescents: Program evaluation model and knowledge outcomes

ABSTRACT Objective To evaluate the Parenting: It's a Life (PIAL) curriculum relation to changes in adolescents' knowledge of parenting‐related topics and to present a flexible program evaluation model suitable for school settings. Background Adolescents often have limited knowledge of key parenting topics—including coparenting, establishing paternity, financial responsibilities, and child support. These knowledge gaps may hinder future parenting success and represent important targets for preventive education. Method A quasi‐experimental evaluation was conducted with middle and high school students ( N = 1,687; 64.7% female) who completed pre‐ and postmodule assessments. The 10‐module curriculum was delivered in Iowa schools, with implementation fidelity monitored through checklists and external observations. Results Greater module attendance was associated with larger overall knowledge gains. Baseline knowledge was lowest for financial and legal parenting topics. Students demonstrated significant improvements in the Decisions and Goals module; Cost of Raising a Child; Establishing Paternity; and, among female participants only, Healthy Relationships. Conclusion The PIAL curriculum was associated with meaningful increases in knowledge across central parenting domains and was implemented with high fidelity across diverse school settings. Implications . Findings highlight the potential value of targeted life‐skills curricula in addressing gaps not typically covered in traditional education. Results also demonstrate the feasibility of an adaptive evaluation model for school‐based interventions.