Gulfton Truancy Reduction Demonstration Project, Houston, TX

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Evaluation of the Gulfton Truancy Reduction Demonstration Project Table Of Contents Executive Summary I Acknowledgments 1 Chapter One: Introduction 2 Gulfton Truancy Reduction Demonstration Project – Houston, TX 2 Methodology 5 Chapter Two: Knock and Talk Data 6 Examining the Long and Short Term Effects of Police Visits: Analysis of Variance 12 Grades 13 Conclusions: Police Visits 13 Chapter Three: Case Management 15 School Attendance 15 Grades 16 School Engagement Surveys 17 Conclusions: Case Management and Outcomes 22 Chapter Four: Houston Cost Benefit Analysis 23 Chapter Five: Conclusions and Recommendations 27 Appendices 29 Appendix A: Student Engagement Survey 30 Appendix B: Tables of Differences between Comparison Groups and Treatment Group on Student Engagement 37 Appendix C: Tables of Pre-Post Differences in Comparison Groups 52 Evaluation of the Gulfton Truancy Reduction Demonstration Project I
EVALUATION OF THE GULFTON TRUANCY REDUCTION DEMONSTRATION PROJECT 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report details the evaluation outcomes of two components of the Gulfton Truancy Reduction Demonstration Project: police visits to the homes of truant students and case management for truants. The goals of this portion of the evaluation were to 1) assess the effectiveness of these two components in reducing absences and improving grades, 2) assess the effectiveness of case management in improving school engagement, 3) to a lesser extent examine the relationship between grades and attendance in general, and 4) compare the costs and benefits of case management 2 . The majority of data for this report came from 2004-2005 school year records, student and parent surveys, and police records. The Gulfton area, and specifically the target high school, Lee, is primarily Hispanic. More than 70% of Gulfton students have limited English proficiency, compared with 27.6% in Houston Independent School District and 13.4% statewide. A large part of the community is made up of Mexican immigrants. In addition, Gulfton’s median family income of $18,733 is nearly 30% below the city’s median. In the 97-98 school year, 75% of Gulfton students were eligible for free/reduced lunch. Two main components of the truancy reduction effort in Houston were examined. The first, the practice of police visiting a truant students’ home, was found to be effective in improving attendance, especially within the two weeks immediately following the visit. Long term effectiveness was not established, although it is possible that for some students this practice has a long term effect. Students who received these visits typically missed school for a variety of reasons. For instance, 40% percent of students reported being new to the school, and thus may 1 This report was supported by Grant No. 2005-JPFX-0059 awarded by the Office of Jevenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. 2 A cost-benefit of police home visits was also planned; however, given the short-term effects of police visits it would be unfeasible to perform this analysis. Evaluation of the Gulfton Truancy Reduction Demonstration Project II
Page 1: RE-ENGAGING YOUTH IN SCHOOL EVALUAT
Page 5 and 6: Acknowledgements Special thanks to
Page 7 and 8: Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Pr
Page 9 and 10: Table 1: Lee and Milby High School
Page 11 and 12: eferred to various other options, l
Page 13 and 14: straight line shows that there is a
Page 15 and 16: mean absences 0.50 Observed Linear
Page 17 and 18: Grades Given that grades are likely
Page 19 and 20: CHAPTER THREE: CASE MANAGEMENT Scho
Page 21 and 22: failed to effect achievement. Never
Page 23 and 24: test increased. It is difficult to
Page 25 and 26: It is commonly believed however, th
Page 27 and 28: attendance at some level, given tha
Page 29 and 30: 2) Moderate: Success is defined as
Page 31 and 32: CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOM
Page 33 and 34: Appendices Evaluation of the Gulfto
Page 35 and 36: National Center for School Engageme
Page 37 and 38: 22. How much do you agree with each
Page 39 and 40: 26. During the past 12 months, how
Page 41 and 42: Appendix B: Tables of Differences b
Page 43 and 44: Most of my teachers understand me.*
Page 45 and 46: I feel excited by the work in schoo
Page 47 and 48: I try my best at school. I skip (cu
Page 49 and 50: School is a waste of time. I follow
Page 51 and 52: LEE H.S. (TREATMENT GROUP) AND MILB
Page 53 and 54:
LEE H.S. (TREATMENT GROUP) AND MILB
Page 55 and 56:
During the last 3 months, how often
Page 57 and 58:
LEE H.S. (COMPARISON GROUP) - PRE-
show all

Gulfton Truancy Reduction Demonstration Project, Houston, TX

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?