Evaluation of the Truancy Court Program in Baltimore City

Evaluation of the Truancy Court Program in Baltimore City

Administrative Office of the Courts State Justice Institute grant number SJI-08-N-086

December 2011

Acknowledgements This report was prepared by the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) in collaboration with faculty and staff at the Institute for Governmental Service and Research (IGSR) at the University of Maryland, College Park. The authors of the report are Tara Rice, M.D., M.P.P., Jayme Delano, M.S.W., Sarah Schirmer, M.P.A., and Jeanne Bilanin, Ph.D. Dr. C. David Crumpton of AOC and Dr. Jeanne Bilanin of IGSR directed all research activities. Dr. Jamie L. Walter of AOC served as project manager. The researchers would like to convey their appreciation to the University of Baltimore, Center for Families, Children, and the Courts; the Baltimore City Public School System, Division of Research, Evaluation and Assessment and Office of Student Attendance; the Truancy Court Program teams at each school; and the parents, guardians, and students who agreed to be interviewed for this study. Questions may be directed to Diane Pawlowicz, Executive director, Court Research and Development, Administrative Office of the Courts at 410-260-1725. This research was funded in part by the AOC and through State Justice Institute grant number SJI-08-N-086.

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Table of Contents

Acknowledgements......................................................................................................................... ii Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... iii Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................ 1

Process Assessment..................................................................................................................... 2 Outcomes assessment .................................................................................................................. 5 Introduction..................................................................................................................................... 8 TCP Evaluation Overview .......................................................................................................... 9 Methodology ................................................................................................................................. 11 Process Evaluation .................................................................................................................... 11 Outcome Evaluation .................................................................................................................. 13 Problem Statement ........................................................................................................................ 14 Definition of Truancy................................................................................................................ 14 School Absences in Maryland and Baltimore City ................................................................... 15 Causes and Correlates of Truancy............................................................................................. 16 Consequences of Truancy ......................................................................................................... 17 Promising Programmatic Elements ........................................................................................... 18 Contextual Analysis ...................................................................................................................... 24 Baltimore City Public School Truancy Policy .......................................................................... 28 Truancy Interventions in Baltimore City .................................................................................. 30 ABA Truancy Project................................................................................................................ 30 B-TAC ....................................................................................................................................... 31 CFCC Truancy Court Program ................................................................................................. 32 B-SMART ................................................................................................................................. 32 DJS Spotlight on Schools and the Baltimore Truancy Collaborative ....................................... 33 Open Society Institute - Baltimore and the Student Attendance Workgroup (SAWG)............ 33 Program Overview ........................................................................................................................ 34 Truancy Court Program Planning ............................................................................................. 34 Organizational Perspective........................................................................................................ 37 Process Evaluation Results ........................................................................................................... 38

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Truancy Intervention at the Schools Prior to TCP .................................................................... 38 Planning for TCP....................................................................................................................... 41 Source Organizations within TCP............................................................................................. 41

Role of CFCC in TCP............................................................................................................ 42 Role of the Court System in TCP .......................................................................................... 42 Role of the School System in TCP ........................................................................................ 43 Roles of Individual Schools in TCP ...................................................................................... 43 TCP Procedures......................................................................................................................... 44 Procedural Overview: School Selection to Student Graduation............................................ 44 The TCP Process ................................................................................................................... 44

Principal Workshops and application process ................................................................... 44 Non- school-based team member recruitment (CFCC team members)............................. 46 School-based team member recruitment (BCPSS team members).................................... 46 TCP team composition: school-based members ................................................................ 47 Roles and Responsibilities of TCP Team Members.................................................................. 50 TCP School-Based Team Members ...................................................................................... 50 Duties of the Individual School-Based Team Members........................................................ 51 Non-School Based Team Members ....................................................................................... 52 TCP Training............................................................................................................................. 53 Student Recruitment .................................................................................................................. 56 Selection of Potential Participants ......................................................................................... 56 Role of Family History in the Selection of Participants ........................................................ 56 Communication with and Recruitment of Potential Participants .......................................... 57 The Role of Home Visits in the TCP Process ....................................................................... 58 Program Information Given to Respondents ......................................................................... 59 Participant Awareness of Truancy Prior to TCP Involvement .............................................. 61 Awareness of Programs Voluntary Nature........................................................................... 61 Record Keeping and Tracking for TCP Non-Participants..................................................... 62 Profile of Participants during Academic Year 2008-2009 ........................................................ 63 Demographic Characteristics................................................................................................. 64 Attendance and Academic History ........................................................................................ 67

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Suspension History ................................................................................................................ 70 DJS Involvement ................................................................................................................... 71 TCP Operations ......................................................................................................................... 72 TCP Session Logistics ........................................................................................................... 72

Session size ........................................................................................................................ 72 Session space ..................................................................................................................... 73 Team member preparation for weekly sessions................................................................. 73 Post-session wrap-up and activities between sessions....................................................... 74 Confidentiality Procedures in TCP........................................................................................ 75 Parent/Guardian Participation during TCP Sessions ............................................................. 77 TCP team solicitation of input from participants............................................................... 79 Parent/guardian and student comfort level and understanding .......................................... 79 Incentives and Sanctions ....................................................................................................... 81 TCP Mentor Program ............................................................................................................ 83 School-Community Collaboration and Coordination............................................................ 86 TCP Participants Experiences with Service Providers......................................................... 88 Reasons for absences among participant respondents ....................................................... 88 Service effectiveness as rated by participants.................................................................... 89 Activities Sponsored by TCP ................................................................................................ 90 Graduation ............................................................................................................................. 91 Graduation criteria ............................................................................................................. 91 Post-graduation monitoring, follow-up, and re-entry to TCP............................................ 91 Graduation results .............................................................................................................. 91 Factors affecting graduation from TCP ............................................................................. 95 Participant Satisfaction with TCP.......................................................................................... 97 Outcome Evaluation Results......................................................................................................... 99 Participant and Comparison Group Characteristics .................................................................. 99 Attendance Outcomes ............................................................................................................. 101 Academic Outcomes ............................................................................................................... 102 Behavioral Outcomes .............................................................................................................. 103 Summary of Outcomes............................................................................................................ 105

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