NCJ Number
49227
Date Published
1975
Length
101 pages
Annotation
THE EFFECTS OF A COURT PROGRAM OF TUTORING AND FAMILY HELP AND COUNSELING ARE MEASURED IN THIS QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY.
Abstract
THE COMMUNITY COURT SERVICES PROJECT, DESIGNED TO PREVENT DELINQUENCY, WAS OPERATED DURING THE 1972-73 SCHOOL YEAR IN TWO SCHOOLS IN THE BERKELEY SCHOOL DISTRICT OF ST. LOUIS COUNTY. COMPLEMENTARY AND SUPPLEMENTARY TUTORING WAS PROVIDED, AND FAMILIES OF THE CHILDREN INVOLVED IN THE PROJECT WERE PROVIDED NEEDED SERVICES. THE PROGRAM HAD BEEN OPERATING 1 YEAR PRIOR TO THIS STUDY. IN ORDER TO MEASURE THE ATTENDANCE, ACADEMIC, AND DEPORTMENT EFFECTS OF THE PROJECT, AN EXPERIMENTAL AND A CONTROL GROUP OF CHILDREN IN GRADES ONE THROUGH SIX WERE SELECTED FROM THE TWO SCHOOLS. THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP CONSISTED OF 54 CHILDREN SELECTED BY THE JUVENILE COURT WORKERS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PROJECT. THE CONTROL GROUP WAS COMPOSED OF 54 CHILDREN SELECTED FROM PUPIL ATTENDANCE RECORDS. THE MAJOR BASIS FOR SELECTION OF PUPILS FOR THE STUDY WAS THAT THEY HAD BEEN TRUANT AT LEAST 12 SCHOOL DAYS DURING THE 1971-72 SCHOOL YEAR. THE SUBJECTS IN THE EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL GROUPS WERE MEASURED IN THE AREAS OF ATTENDANCE, ACHIEVEMENT (READING, LANGUAGE, MATHEMATICS), AND CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR PRIOR TO, AND AFTER THE EXPOSURE OF THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP TO THE JUVENILE COURT PROGRAM. IT WAS FOUND THAT WHILE ATTENDANCE IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP WHEN COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP, THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE NOTED IN ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND SCHOOL DEPORTMENT. IMPLICATIONS OF THE STUDY FOR FUTURE RESEARCH ARE DISCUSSED, AND CERTAIN RECOMMENDATIONS ARE OFFERED. DATA FROM THE STUDY ARE INCLUDED IN THE APPENDIXES, AND A BIBLIOGRAPHY IS ALSO PROVIDED. (RCB)