Hello!  My name is Nicole Schiesler, and I serve as the Manager of Research and Evaluation.  I joined CDFGC in August of 2010 and come with 12 years of experience in prevention.  I am a Certified Health Education Specialist and an Ohio Certified Prevention Specialist II.  I live in Maineville with my husband and two young boys.  

As the Manager of Research and Evaluation, I am responsible for the planning and execution of evaluation strategies to ensure data-driven decision making for effective prevention in alignment with the strategic plan and goals of the Coalition.  I manage the Greater Cincinnati Evaluation Center including serving as the evaluator for local member coalitions.  I work with CDFGC staff to meet the needs of their assisgned work plans as it aligns with evaluation needs.  

Along with Dr. Keith King (CDFGC evaluator) and Mary Haag (CDFGC  President and Executive Director), I manage the biannual Student Drug Use Survey conducted through PRIDE.  2011 is a non survey year for CDFGC, but the Research Committee is currently editing and preparing the survey for 2012.  We recently asked two school personnel to reflect on the benefits of school participation in the survey.  Dr. Robert Farrell, Superintendent of Milford Exempted Village School District, said, "The benefit of the drug survey is that we can see the trend of drug use over time for Milford, and compare it to other local and national trends.  We also hope that it reflects the impact of local initiatives directed at preventing drug use."   Kerry Hill, Executive Director of Operations/Pupil Personnel for Campbell County Schools, said, "The PRIDE Survey provides important information to assess, evaluate, and plan efforts aimed at reducing substance abuse."  

CDFGC thanks those schools who participate in our Student Drug Use Survey.  If you have not had student participation in the past, but you find yourself asking "Why should my school participate?",  please review the below reasons or contact me at nschiesler@drugfreecincinnati.org or 513-751-8000 X18 for more details.

Below are some of the reasons school systems use the CDFGC Student Drug Use Survey:

• Schools can utilize their results to submit for additional funding for their school.
• Schools can partner with local community coalitions and county boards to share results with key stakeholders.  Drug use data can drive decision making for policy and programming. 
• The survey asks questions surrounding the four core measures of drug abuse - incidence of prevalence, age of onset, perception of health risk, and perception of social disapproval of drug use and violence by youth in schools and communities.
• All student information is anonymous.
• As your school takes the survey from year to year, PRIDE data allows for multi-year comparisons.
• The data collected from your school belongs to you.  Each participating school receives a report which includes 120+ pages of tables, charts, and reports as well as an electronic copy.
• The PRIDE questionnaire has been tested for reliability and validity.
• With school time being an important consideration, the survey is designed to take only 40-50 minutes to administer.
• CDFGC provides technical assistance to understand the results, deep dive analysis of the data, and presentations of the findings upon request.