School-Based Truancy Programs as Interventions for Reducing Absenteeism and Increasing Positive School and Social Behavior: Evaluation of the "Stop Truancy Outreach Program" in Rhode Island, Progress Report

• NCJ Number: 225006
• Author(s): Fayneese Miller Ph.D.
• Date Published: July 2005
• Length: 205 pages
• Sale Source: Brown University
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This report presents the findings and methodology of the evaluation of the effectiveness of Rhode Island’s Stop Truancy Outreach Program, which is an extension of the Rhode Island Family Truancy Court in offering youth and their families under court jurisdiction a 4-week program in which both youth and their parents develop effective ways to help youth plan and pursue future career plans.

Abstract

After program participation, students generally improve in school attendance, behavior, and academic performance. Further, the longer students participated in the program, the more likely they were to feel that it improved their academic performance, helped them to have a positive view of the court magistrates and the decisions of the court, strengthened their relationships with their parents, increased their hopefulness about their futures, and changed their behaviors for the better. Further, parents whose children had been involved in the program longer were more likely to report an impact of the program on their children’s academic performance and an improvement in their relationship with their child. The evaluation recommends that the program develop a standard court-appearance schedule and protocol across all courts, in order to decrease the waiting time for parents and discourage excessive amounts of time away from class for students due to time involved with the court. Another recommendation is that courts should devise a grade-reporting procedure that each magistrate must use. Finally, the court should determine the effectiveness of mental health counseling in improving school attendance, academic behavior, and overall well-being. The evaluation collected data from 300 student court files that pertained to school attendance, academic performance, social behavior, and other developmental factors. Students and parents were surveyed on their attitudes toward and effects of the program. 162 figures, 19 references, and appended evaluation instruments