Truancy Matters: Research, Policies and Practices Coalition for Juvenile Justice

Truancy Matters: Research, Policies and Practices

Coalition for Juvenile JusticeJune 9 – 12, 2007

Agenda

• Overview of Truancy

• Continuum of Support Framework

• Effective Family-Community-Court Approaches

• Case Study of Denver, Colorado

• Resources and Materials

National Center for School Engagement (NCSE)

• An initiative of the Colorado Foundation for Families and Children

• Launched in September 2003

• Promotes school success

Mission

To ensure school success for

at-risk youth and their families by improving

school engagement.

Strategies

• Identify and promote best practices that are evidence and research-based

• Collaborate with schools, families/communities, private/public agencies, courts and law enforcement

Strategies• Utilize approaches that are culturally

competent, family-centered, and strengths-based

• Implement methods to integrate the 3 A’s of School Engagement

ATTENDANCE

ACHIEVEMENTATTACHMENT

3 A’s of School Engagement• Attendance–Schools, families, courts,

and law enforcement use culturally-responsive, evidence-based strategies to improve student attendance.

• Includes reducing truancy, addressing barriers to attendance and high mobility.

ATTENDANCE

3 A’s of School Engagement• Attachment–Schools establish meaningful

connections with youth and their families through caring, support, and mutually-defined expectations.

• Includes after school programs, prevention and family support programs, parent/school collaborations, welcoming school environments...

ATTACHMENT

3 A’s of School Engagement• Achievement–Communities, schools, and

families assure that students have the tools and resources to complete courses and graduate from high school.

• Involves planning for success, closing the achievement gap...

• Educators seek to improve educational practices to promote school success for all children.

ACHIEVEMENT

Theory of Change

• School success is based on integration of attachment, attendance, and achievement.

• NCSE uses this Theory of Change to develop and implement strategies that ensure school success and school completion.

Overview of Truancy:Prevalence

NCES Common Core of Data

• School district and state level data

• Trend data (you can build your own table)

• Data available– 12th grade dropout rate– 12th graders received a diploma– 9th graders received a diploma

Site: www.nces.ed.gov

Truancy Statistics

• Currently no national definition

• No Child Left Behind (NCLB) requires state definition of truancy

• NCLB requires states collect truancy rates (not only attendance rates)

Truancy Data Sources

• National Juvenile Court Data Archive (OJJDP)

• Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBS)/CDC

• Health Behavior in School Age Children (WHO/SAMHSA)

• National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY/BLS)

Some Truancy Statistics

• Around 7% of students report they did not go to school on one or more of the past 30 days because they felt unsafe at school or on their way to/from school. (YRBS)

• Rate of 9-12 graders that report missing school due to safety concerns has grown 50% since 1993 (YRBS)

• A longitudinal study of youth ages 12-16 found that 38% reported being late to school without an excuse (NLSY).

Dropout/Graduation Statistics

• Use dropout statistics as a proxy for truancy

• Raging national debate on graduation/dropout rates

• Many limitations of data

• Varying definitions (event, status, promotion indices, etc.)

Dropout/Graduation Statistics

• Varying sources of data (U.S Census Bureau, Common Core of Data, longitudinal studies)

• Result in a range of national rates – 87% (NCES) class of 2001– 69% (Swanson, 2004) class of 2001– 72% (Greene, 2006) class of 2003

National Drop-Out RatesAccording to the Alliance for Excellent

Education (2006)• 1.2 Million students do not graduate with

their peers.• 70% of the nation’s students graduate

from high schools with a regular diploma. • Only 59% of African-American students

graduate.

Dropout Statistics

According to the Current Population Survey (Census Data)

• In 2001, 3.8 million young adults (about 11% of those age 16-24) were not in high school and had not completed high school or received a GED

• Youth in the lowest income families at greatest risk of dropout

Overview of Truancy:

Impacts and Contributing

Factors

Linking Absence

to Delinquency

Poor Outcomes: Lower Lifetime Earnings Adult Criminality Poor Outcomes for Offspring Family Dysfunction Unemployment

Effect of Truancy on DelinquencyOnset of Serious Assault Crimes

by Age 14

•Class Skipper 4.12 times as likely

•Minor Truant (1-3 days) 4.03

•Moderate Truant (4-9 days) 6.84

•Chronic Truant (> 9 days) 12.15Henry, Kimberly, and David Huizinga, “The Effect of Truancy on the

Onset of Drug use & Delinquency,” Paper presented at the National Criminal Justice Assoc. Meeting, Toronto, November 2005.

Effect of Truancy on Delinquency Onset of Serious Property Crimes

by Age 14

• Class Skipper 4.69 times as likely• Minor Truant (1-3 Days) 5.17 • Moderate Truant (4-9Days) 11.46• Chronic Truant (> 9 Days) 21.53

Dr. Kimberly Henry, American Society of Criminology, Nov 2005

Truancy and Drug Use

Onset of Marijuana Use

•Class Skipper 4.11 times as likely

•Minor Truant (1-3 days) 7.17

•Moderate Truant (4-9 days) 12.37

•Chronic Truant (> 9 days) 16.08

Source: Henry and Huizinga, 2005

Crime and Dropouts

• 75% of America’s state prison inmates did not complete high school

• A 10% increase in male graduation rate would reduce murder and assault rates by about 20%

• Dropouts are more than 8 times as likely to be in jail or prison than high school graduates.

Source: Alliance for Excellent Education

Common Challenges for Truants found in the OJJDP National Study on Truancy

2 8 3

1 1 8

2 4 2

1 3 0 1 2 2

3 4 1

0

5 0

1 0 0

1 5 0

2 0 0

2 5 0

3 0 0

3 5 0

Family Stressors (283), Mobility (118), Emotional Stability (242), Family Relationship (130), Peer Relationship (122), Academic Problems (341)

What Happens to Truant Youth?

• Educational failure, poor achievement

• Poor employability, work stability

• Delinquency and adult criminality

• Unstable personal relationships

• Poverty

• Dependence on public assistance

What Happens to Their Families?

• Unsupervised children get into trouble

• Parents are called away from work to the school or truancy court

• Family conflict due to school absences and lack of academic achievement

Impact of Truancy

There are Systemic Effects– School disruption– School test scores suffer– Operating revenue decreases– Juvenile courts flooded– Daytime crime escalates– Later criminal behavior

Factors Impacting Truancy

Risk Factors Protective Factors

Substance abuse Lack of parental involvement in school or homework Chronic health problems

Activities such as sports, clubs and volunteer work, Sense of purpose in life Positive attitudes toward police officers 

Factors Impacting Truancy

Risk Factors Protective Factors Fear of harm in schools or neighborhood victimization Abuse in the home Low academic achievement

High self esteem Positive school attitudes School attachment 

• Parents unaware of problem

• Domestic violence/abuse, neglect

• Drug and alcohol abuse

• Substance abuse

• Lack of awareness of the law

• Education not valued

Family Influences

Typical Characteristics for Families of Chronic Truants• Poverty

• Working students

• Single parent homes

• High mobility rates

• Parents holding multiple jobs

• Families not engaged with school

What are the costs of truancy?

• Short term costs– School and court expenditures– Cost of sentencing options (detention)– Juvenile crime associated with truancy

• Long term costs– Adult crime later on– Lower income tax revenues– Increased social service expenditures

Court: Results of Colorado StudyAdams Denver Pueblo

Number of truancy filings '00-'01 217 980 79Total court cost $90 K $286 K $55 KPer truant cost $413 $292 $694 Potential savings (30% success)

$ 13.5 million

$63 million

$5 million

Breakeven success rate 1/ 504 1/ 739 1/ 302

Or one grad every… 2.3 years.75

years 3.8 years

TRP: ResultsAdams Denver Pueblo

Number of youths served '00-'01 90 84 423

Total program cost $49 K $54 K $768 KPer truant cost $544 $640 $1,815

Potential savings$7.8

million$7.5

million$38.8

million

Breakeven success rate 1/383 1/337 1/115Or one grad every…

4.2 years 4 years

3 months

Truancy Reduction Saves Public Funds

Estimated Per Capita Savings in Public Spending and Income Taxes For Each Truant Student Who Completes High School

Adams County, CO - $208,371

Denver, CO - $215,649

Pueblo, CO - $209,550

National Costs of Dropouts• Increasing the graduation rate and college

matriculation rate of male students by 5% could lead to a combined savings and revenue of $8 Billion per year.

• 75% of America’s state prison inmates did not complete high school.

• A 10% increase in male graduation rate would reduce murder and assault rates by about 20%.

Source: Alliance for Excellent Education

Effective Interventions:Continuum of

Support Framework

A Continuum of Support

• Incentives

• Prevention

• Early intervention

• Intensive intervention

• Deep-end consequences

A Continuum of Support

SchoolBusiness

G ovt

Com m unityAw areness

SchoolBusiness

G ovt

ParentEducation

SchoolCom m unity

Business

StudentI ncentives

School

EarlyI dentification

SchoolFam ily

Com m unity

I m m ediate,M eaningfulR esponse

CourtD iversion

CBOs

Treatm entR em ediation

H ouse ArrestCurfew

Detention

Sanctions

I m proving School Attendance

State/County/Municipal Policies

• File CHINS/PINS• File D&N• Withhold TANF• Daytime curfew• Subpoena school records

• School revenue based on average daily enrollment

• Include school truancy rates in report card

• Claim revenues for students with truancy petition

Court Sanctioning Policies

• Fine parents & students

• Arrest parents• Contempt citations• Suspend driver’s license• Detention • Community service

• Court-ordered family or individual therapy

• Court-ordered tutoring or health services

• Waive fines with improved attendance

Community ContributionsSet community standards that value

going to school (involve retired persons)Work with businesses to promote school

attendance Improve transportation access Increase awareness of the problem and

the solutionsConnect schools with law enforcement

and youth services

Best PracticesTruancy Programs must be locally designed based on the needs of the community and

starting with best practices

Effective Family-Community-Court Approaches

Principles of Effective Programs

• Include special attention to health and special education needs

• Data driven decision-making• Community and Business involvement• Focus on school transition years• Include public awareness campaigns• Meaningful parent/family involvement planning

together toward solutions with school & agencies

Community-Based Programs

• Community assessment center to help families access services (health, mental health, tutoring, mentoring etc.)

• Community workers such as probation officers or social works act as liaisons between youth, school and JJ

• Case management services

Community-Based Programs

• Walking school bus

• After school programs (recreation & educational)

• Home visitation

• Clothing and school supply drives

• School Attendance Awareness Campaigns

Count Me In For Learning!Public Education Campaign for School Engagement

School Year Activity Cycle

Count Me in ForLearning

I Count

I’m Learning

I’ve LearnedAug-Sept

Oct-Nov

Jan-Feb

May-June

Count Me In For

Learning!

Public Education Campaign for School Engagement

Law Enforcement

• Partnering with Schools – Collaborate• Community Truancy Centers used to drop

off truants can be more convenient than expecting officers to take students back to school

• Home Visits – Knock and Talks are immediately effective but only result in long term results if the school follows up with the returning children promptly.

Use of Detention

• Effective as a deterrent to parents of elementary truants – use as a last ditch effort only but make sure the public is aware of the possibility.

• Unintended consequences – Truants can acquire bad habits and are exposed to criminal behavior

• Ineffective at addressing the reasons why students are truant

• Most expensive intervention in dealing with truancy

Alternatives to Detention• Requiring students to tour detention and college

facilities• Requiring students to prepare a budget based on

the minimum wage to help them focus on their futures

• Ordering schools to modify schedules to meet health or work needs, or inform students about alternative learning programs

• Ordering truants to join school clubs or participate in community activities to encourage community or school engagement

Alternatives to Detention, cont.

• Ordering parents to attend school with their children, or have weekly meetings with school staff

• Addressing mental health and substance abuse

• Deterring students with the threat of restricted driving privileges, ankle monitoring, or probation

Jacksonville, FLA

• 22 Target schools, 180 Truancy Quasi-Judicial Hearings annually

• Varying degrees of case management for youth served

• Compliance with mandated attendance meetings tracked at target schools

• Program focuses on working with parents of elementary school children

Court-Based Best Practices• Work with the whole family, not just the

youth• Judges can be effective partners or

leaders• Court-based truancy efforts are best

targeted at truants who are not also delinquent

• Judges work collaboratively with schools, superintendents, law enforcement and community services

Court-Based Best Practices

• Use incentives for improved attendance

• Celebrate improvement• Follow-up with truants should be

regular and prompt

Alternatives to Court

• Youth Court

• Mediation

• Court sponsored quasi-judicial proceedings in schools and court houses

• Diversion

• Truancy workshops

• Knock and talks

Local ActionWhere do we start?

• Create both incentives and graduated sanctions

• Involve students and parents in planning programs to improve attendance and engagement

• Take baselines and track progress

CREATIVE OPTIONSDenver, Colorado

The Denver Data

• Collected data from Denver Public Schools (DPS) to assess prevalence of truancy

• Work sponsored by National Truancy Prevention Association

• Assessment gives a better indication than attendance rates or drop out statistics

Denver Public School

Attendance Plan

SARB MediationFamily Group Conferencing

Truancy Court

Petition

Truancy Court

DHS Case Mangm’t

Mayor’s Office Safe Cities Case Mangm’t

Punitive Sanctions

Contempt of Court

Trial

JUDICIARY CITY DHS DPS

Exploratory Methods• Interviews with key stakeholders (school,

court, human services, city, community)

• Focus groups with students and parents

• Secondary data collection and analysis from DPS, DDHS, Judicial and law enforcement

• Collection of relevant policies

DPS Average Unexcused Absences by Grade

Percent of DPS Chronic Truants by Grade

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Grade

Pe

rce

nt 02-03

03-04

04-05

Percent of Chronic Truants and Their Exit Status

• Approximately 60 % of students who left DPS for juvenile incarceration or detention were chronically truant.

• Approximately 60% of students who were expelled from DPS were chronically truant.

• Approximately 16 % of students who attended more than one school in a school year are chronically truant.

Percent of Chronic Truants Who Drop Out

• Approximately 20% of students who left to be home schooled were chronically truant.

• Approximately 13% of student whose exit code was “mutual consent (under the age 16)”, “runaway or other causes”, or “no trace of enrollment in another school” were chronically truant.

• Approximately 50 % of students whose exit code was “dropout” were chronically truant.

Quotes from Focus Groups“Because the last time he left school he brought a friend and that friend, another day, came to my house to rob us with three other children.”

~Parent

“Basically, I can’t say what I do when I am not in school.”

~ Student

968

1634

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

During school hours (M-F, 7:30AM-3:00 PM)

Out of school hours (M-F, 3:00PM - 10:30 PM)

# o

f C

rim

es

Source: National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS).

Incidents of Crime by Youth (10-17)DPS School Year ‘04-’05

Resources and Materials

Visit NCSE’s Truancy Website

www.schoolengagement.org

[email protected]

303-837-8466Contacts:

Judy Martinez, Director, x105

Dr. Krystina Finlay, Senior Research Analyst, x104

On the Website: Resources!• Evaluation Reports• Sample TRAIN Reports• Links to Helpful Websites• Publications on Best Practices• “How-to” guides• Fact Sheets• Policy Papers• Cost-Benefit Analyses

Research Report

“Innovations in Truancy Prevention Practice: An Inventory of Selected Collaborations

from around the United States”Sponsored by the National Truancy

Prevention Association

Available on Research and Publications Page of www.schoolengagement.org

Evaluate Your Truancy Reduction Efforts

The Truancy Reduction Application Interface, or TRAIN, is a secure, web-based database that allows program staff to track the progress of youth receiving school attendance services.

TRAIN includes information on students' school attachment, achievement, and attendance, their demographics, mental and physical health, family and peer relationships, and detailed service history.

TRAINTRAIN incorporates information from quarterly updates to give a comprehensive picture of one student over time, or a group of students selected according to user specifications.  With a click of the mouse, the data can be organized into user-defined data tables. Standardized charts and graphs can be created based on up-to-date information.

The system, managed and maintained by NCSE staff, is available for an initial training fee and an annual administration fee.

On the Website: ACCESS to TRAIN

YOUR GUEST LOGON: [email protected]

Password: backtoschool

Contact Sharlene Chiapetti at [email protected] or

call Sharlene at 303-837-8466 ext.108

On the Website:Truancy Program Registry

• Co-developed with the National Truancy Prevention Association• Searchable database of Truancy Programs with contact information and evaluation results• Add your own truancy program to be part of OJJDP’s catalogue of national truancy interventions

On the NCSE Website:Truancy Listserv

Subscribe to this discussion list and talk with others in the fields of Juvenile Justice, Education, and Human Services about issues regarding out-of-school youth. 

Talk with others who have had similar successes and challenges in implementing truancy reduction efforts.  Ask questions and share effective strategies!

AND: Sign up for the NCSE e-newsletter

Contact Information

Judith Martinez, MURP - Director

Krystina A. Finlay, Ph.D. - Senior Research Analyst

National Center for School Engagement

303 E. 17th Ave. Ste. 400

Denver, CO 80203

303-837-8466, ext. 105 (Judy) & 104 (Krystina)

[email protected]