Strengthening the Implementation and Evaluation of Healthy Marriage and Relationship Education Programs for Youth: Considerations from Four Recent Impact Studies

Healthy marriage and relationship education (HMRE) programs for youth provide young people with information on the social and emotional aspects of romantic relationships through structured, classroom-based curricula. Programs are typically offered as part of a school class, such as health or family and consumer sciences, or as a voluntary afterschool or community-based program. Prepared as part of the Strengthening Relationship Education and Marriage Services evaluation, this brief examines four recent studies of HMRE programs for youth and discusses possible ways to strengthen their implementation and evaluation. The brief also presents several practical considerations to inform future evaluations and increase the chances for programs to show evidence of favorable impacts on their intended outcomes.