The Oklahoma Marriage Initiative : an overview of the longest-running statewide marriage initiative in the U.S.

              The Oklahoma Marriage Initiative: An Overview of the Longest-Running Statewide Marriage Initiative in the U.S.: ASPE Research Brief
file:////maindc/users/gphillips/PDFs%2066/OMI/rb2.shtml[8/29/2012 10:58:39 AM]
HHS/ASPE. U. S. Department of Health and Human Services.
ASPE RESEARCH BRIEF(*)
The Oklahoma Marriage Initiative:
An Overview of the Longest-Running Statewide
Marriage Initiative in the U.S.
December 2006
This research brief is available on the Internet at:
http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/06/OMI/rb.shtml
In the late 1990s, Oklahoma undertook an innovative strategy to strengthen families by reducing its
divorce and nonmarital childbearing rates. With leadership and commitment from the highest levels, the
state set out to build public support and develop a sustainable multisector initiative through a public-private
collaboration. Since then, the Oklahoma Marriage Initiative (OMI) has focused on building
statewide capacity to deliver instruction in marriage and relationship skills — an approach that has
stimulated public awareness and dialogue about the effects of marriage and divorce.
Contents
Leadership, Vision, and Commitment in Support of a Clear Goal
Developing a Philosophy of Change
Selecting an Implementation Strategy for Facilitating Change
Building on Research
Building Statewide Capacity to Deliver Relationship Skills Education
Building Demand for Relationship Skills Education
Summary and Future Briefs
Recognizing the consequences of its high rates of divorce and nonmarital childbearing, the State of Oklahoma, through
its highest policy level — the Office of the Governor — made a major commitment in 1999 to create what is now
known as the Oklahoma Marriage Initiative (OMI). This pioneering effort came before the current national and local
activities to support healthy marriage that were stimulated by the federal administration’s 2001 announcement of a
Healthy Marriage Initiative — making the OMI the longest operating marriage initiative in the U.S.
Besides having the longest history, the OMI is also the country’s only statewide initiative. It aims to provide access to
marriage support services in every county of the state and to Oklahomans from all walks of life. Oklahoma reports that
an estimated 100,000 people have completed at least 12 hours of marriage education since October 2001. As this brief
describes, the OMI expects that its strategy will lead to specific behavior change at the individual level — for example,
by helping distressed married couples address their issues and avoid divorce, and by preparing engaged couples for
marriage. Just as importantly, the OMI expects that as these services become more and more widely available, known,
and used, changes in norms and attitudes about marriage will come about at the broad community level, restoring
support for the institution of marriage as a valued social good.
Leadership, Vision, and Commitment in Support of a Clear Goal