Teachers are short on time and long on responsibilities. Our Prevention Portal was designed with a specific belief: that we can reach more kids when educators have materials they can actually use. The easier we make it for them to incorporate trafficking prevention into their existing work, the more kids will benefit. And by making it free, we remove the cost barriers that often exist.
This spring, we got independent confirmation that we’re on the right track.
An Independent, State-Level Review
Our Prevention Portal resources recently went through a formal review conducted through Washington State’s Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). A panel of educators and curriculum specialists recruited from across the state evaluated both our high school and middle school materials against a rigorous set of criteria.
The results: 100% of reviewers agreed that both our high school and middle school materials are age and developmentally appropriate; inclusive, bias-free and culturally responsive; and engaging, current, and free of sensationalized imagery.
As a result, Everstrong’s Prevention Portal is now included in OSPI’s resource hub for teachers — making our materials directly findable by educators across the state.
“Everstrong has the expertise, background and knowledge of the public health approach to prevention education of sex trafficking. The exercises to engage youth are great.” — OSPI Instructional Materials Reviewer
What Reviewers Actually Said
Numbers tell one story. But what really hits home are the words reviewers used to describe the experience of working through the materials.
On the high school materials, one OSPI Reviewer wrote:
“Really great materials that are designed to be easily taught by educators, with or without experience with the topic.”
That “with or without experience” piece is key. Trafficking prevention education can seem like something only an expert can do, but we know that the best person to talk to kids is often an adult they already trust, like a teacher. Our materials are built to support educators picking it up for the first time, parents trying to have more confident conversations with their kids, and anyone else who wants to make a difference for youth.
Another detail reviewers singled out: the explicit attention to social-emotional learning principles that create safer classroom spaces. When young people feel safe, they’re more likely to approach a teacher to ask a question or share something that’s happening to them or to a friend. Our materials also include information to help teachers respond to disclosures from kids and ensure they get the support they need.
A critical message for modern youth is an understanding of how digital spaces function as sites of exploitation. We know taking phones away or forbidding social media apps isn’t effective. Young people need skills for how to navigate the digital world. Reviewers noted that our materials intentionally raise awareness about “the role of the internet, messaging apps, and social media — information that is often missing from trafficking curricula.”
And perhaps most importantly for schools thinking about whole-community engagement: reviewers called out the inclusion of parent materials as a sign of multi-pronged thinking that “encourages parents to become partners in prevention.”
Reviewers were also generous with suggestions for where we can go further. The most common theme: even with a sample learning pathways document, educators wanted clearer guidance on how to sequence the materials into a unit — especially for classrooms with limited time. We heard that, and we’re thrilled that teachers want more. We’re working on sample units that show how to use the resources whether a teacher has a single class period or would like a week-long plan. If you have feedback of your own, we’d love to hear it.
What This Means
Passing this independent review with unanimously positive feedback tells us two things: the work is rigorous, and it’s ready for classrooms that need it.
If you’re an educator, administrator, or school counselor looking for evidence-based sex trafficking prevention resources, the Everstrong Prevention Portal is available now. If you know someone in education who could use these tools, we’d ask you to pass them along.
Have questions about bringing Everstrong resources into your school or district? Contact us at joy@everstrong.org
