Mount%20Vernon%20Chronic%20Truancy%20Reduction%20Initiative

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Mount VernonChronic Truancy Reduction Initiative

• How an Inner-City School DistrictCut Absenteeism
  by 19.8 in Two Years -With No Additional Grant
  Funding

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Mount VernonChronic Truancy Reduction Initiative

• Sponsored by
• The City of Mount Vernon
• Mount Vernon City School District
• Westchester County Department of Social Services

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Chronic Truancy Hurts Communities

• Chronic Truancy is linked to
• Educational Failure
• Increased Juvenile Crime
• Other Risky Teen Behaviors
• Child Abuse
• Increased Adult Crime
• Long-Term Poverty

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The Bottom Line

• If you care about
• Helping at-risk kids
• Reducing crime
• Making sure schools succeed
• Protecting kids from child abuse
• Alleviating poverty or
• Strengthening our community

We share a common stake in addressing chronic
truancy.
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How Can We Address Chronic Truancy?

• PROBLEM Dwindling resources
• SOLUTION Better use of existing resources
• Maximize use of under-utilized resources
• Target limited resources to highest-need youth

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How Can We Address Chronic Truancy?

• Enforce the law on mandatory school attendance
• Use Child Protective Services educational
  neglect reporting process to
• trigger an investigation and assessment of the
  family situation,
• followed when necessary by support services
  and/or court intervention

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Overview of New Mount Vernon Educational Neglect
Reporting Process

1. Report all students with 20 unexcused absences
2. Report them sooner (as they occur)
3. Document the educational impacts
4. Provide follow-up data when needed for CPS and
   Family Court
5. Target community-based support services to
   chronic truants, especially (but not exclusively)
   those referred by CPS

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What Weve Accomplished

• Clear Lines of Responsibility
• Clear Definition of Local Expectations
• Improved Tracking
• Data-Driven Accountability
• Staff Training and Support
• Increased Utilization of CPS
• Mobilization of Community Partners
• District-Wide Decrease in Absenteeism

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Clear Lines of Responsibility

• PROBLEM When everyone is responsible, no one is
  responsible.
• SOLUTION Clear lines of responsibility.
• Each school has a Truancy Liaison to track data,
  encourage attendance, and file CPS reports
• Principals have ultimate responsibility for
  managing the process in their school

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Clear Definition of Local Expectations

• How Many Absences Are Too Many?
• Safety Net Ensure CPS Reporting at 20 Unexcused
  Absences
• Protocols for Early Intervention
• Supplemental Reporting Form
• Monthly Monitoring Data Review

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Improved Tracking
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Data-Driven Accountability

• Truancy Liaisons meet monthly to review their
  data how many students with 20 unexcused and
  how many unreported
• Liaisons (and Principals) compete for best
  results
• Schools must account for every student

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Staff Training and Support

• Monthly Progress Review and Problem Solving
  Session with all Truancy Liaisons,
  Administration, CPS Service Providers
• Truancy Liaisons Trained to Directly Access
  Attendance Data
• Refresher Training in Legal Requirements for CPS
  Mandated Reporters

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Increased Utilization of CPS
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Mobilization of Community Partners

• Student Advocacy
• Family Services of Westchester
• Student Assistance Services
• Family Ties
• Community Networks
• Mount Vernon Communities That Care
• Faith Communities

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Reduced Absenteeism
2009-2010
2008-2009
Change
2010-2011
5.56
Elementary School
- 12.70
5.43
6.22
12.74
Middle School
8.88
- 37.04
8.02
High School
- 19.52
16.36
16.61
20.33
Total District
- 19.8
8.89
9.15
11.09
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Karl Bertrand, L.M.S.W., President Program Design
and Development, LLC 47 Wayside Drive White
Plains, NY 10607 [phone] KBertrand_at_progra
mdesign.com www.programdesign.com