LEWISTON – They’ve talked. They’ve listened. They’ve examined and researched. They’ve differentiated what is good, bad and ugly.

For the last year, the Coaching Maine Youth to Success initiative has put the magnifying glass on athletics. They’ve discovered what works and what doesn’t. They’ve labored to find common ground on what can make the sports climate better.

Now, they say, it is your turn.

“We’re just asking everyone to go home and start a conversation,” said J. Duke Albanese, co-director of the University of Maine’s Sport and Coaching Education initiative and former Maine Commissioner of Education. “Start a conversation about your sports programs in the high school and in the middle school in your community. See if this can be helpful, and where does that take you?”

When the report “Sports Done Right: A call to action on behalf of Maine’s student athletes” is released Thursday, Jan. 6, at the Augusta Civic Center, the hope is that reform in local sports programs follows.

The initiative was created last year through a congressional allocation for the purpose of defining how sports should be done properly.

“A lot of people told us at the beginning, You do it and it might sound good and everything, but how are you going to penetrate some of these things that are pretty tough, and that direction that we see in some of our communities?'” said Albanese. “I think we can do it, and I think to most people in their hearts know that sports are good for kids, but we’ve got to do something that will stop some of what they’re saying are the bad sides of sports.”

The report will have seven recommendations. In addition to listing core practices and principles, it will highlight what should be considered out of bounds. The expectation is that communities will latch on to this report and start their own examination of the issues .

“It sort of answers the question What should we be doing?'” said Robert Cobb, Maine’s dean of the College of Education and Human Development. “That’s the kind of question we’ve been getting repeatedly.”

With the report ready for release, the attention has turned to its implementation. There are various compacts for administrators, athletes, coaches and parents to sign. Some schools have already inquired about having banners to announce their alliance.

Albanese says some communities may be ready to jump at the recommendations and sign on while others will need guidance. The Maine Center for Sport and Coaching Education, with new director Karen Brown, will work hand-in-hand with communities to get the conversation going.

“We’ve had some tell us that we need something like this,” said Albanese. “They will probably be on the fast track to the school board.

“Our hope is that every community in Maine engages in this conversation.”

Albanese says the process starts with the school superintendents. Stewards will be chosen to get the ball rolling in their communities. The report suggests that athletic administrators, principals or coaches could serve that purpose.

Pilot programs will be established to serve as models. Cobb says he’s estimated having between seven and 10 pilots, depending on what the budget allows. They’re not only looking at finding a variety of schools from all over the state but may also have entire regions or conferences sign on together. A call will go out at the unveiling in January for interested communities.

“We hadn’t asked, and they’ve already offered,” said Albanese. “We felt that there was so much interest that we thought we should go out and say We’re going to do this, and if you’re interested, add your name to the list.'”

The final number of pilot programs will be determined after the rollout.

“In some cases, there will be communities that will be self-starters,” said Cobb. “They won’t need any piloting, and they won’t need any coddling.”

Albanese and Brown will work with the interested stewards while members of the select panel will assist various communities.

“We have a cadre of individuals who are willing to go into the communities locally and talk about the report and their experiences with it and answer questions,” said Cobb. “That’s one of the pieces that will make it stick. We have people that are very conversant with the issues and our proposed solutions and will serve as a resource. That way communities and school systems will feel supported.”

The report won’t just serve high schools and middle schools. The hope is to get recreational programs and YMCA programs involved, as well. The Maine Principals’ Association will be a partner. U.S. Sen. Susan Collins and Gov. John Baldacci have already endorsed the report. The Institute for Global Ethics is actively involved.

There’s hope that new policies and standards will be developed and implemented by school boards. Schools will now have something concrete to point to when setting their own practices.

“There’s room for some good policy that can maybe set the stage for what the philosophy really is,” said Albanese. “If we had the policy in the school districts, maybe it would guide us better when we have these issues come up every year.”

The thought of using these practices as part of the accreditation process has been raised. Though signing on to “Sports Done Right” doesn’t require a review process now, the hope is that it could play a key role in the future. Albanese sees it as a piece of the evolving reform of high schools in the nation, of which Maine has been at the forefront.

“If we can get this and influence the standards that schools go through for their own accreditation, we think that has great utility,” said Albanese. “We want to connect ourselves to the notion of accreditation. We want to connect ourselves to this improving of high schools all over the country.”