Promoting School Completion of Urban Secondary Youth with Emotional or Behavioral Disabilities

Abstract

An experimental research design was used to examine the effectiveness of a targeted, long-term intervention to promote school completion and reduce dropout among urban high school students with emotional or behavioral disabilities. African American (67%) males (82%) composed a large portion of the sample. This intervention study was a replication of an empirically supported model referred to as check & connect. Study participants included 144 ninth graders, randomly assigned to the treatment or control group. The majority of youth were followed for 4 years, with a subsample followed for 5 years. Program outcomes included lower rates of dropout and mobility, higher rates of persistent attendance and enrollment status in school, and more comprehensive transition plans.

Reading and School Completion: Critical Connections and Matthew Effects

“…There is evidence of the efficacy of Check & Connect to reduce truancy, actively engage students and families at school and with learning, and promote school completion. Various studies have consistently yielded positive results: Students who received Check & Connect were more likely to be enrolled in school; to be on track to graduate within 5 years; to access relevant educational services (e.g., alternative programs); to participate in their individualized education program transition planning; to show reduced rates of truancy, out-of-school suspensions, dropout, and course failures; and to show overall increased rates of attendance, persistent attendance, and 5-year school completion (Sinclair, Christenson, Hurley, & Evelo, 1998;Sinclair, Christenson, & Thurlow, 2005;www.ici.umn.edu/checkandconnect).…”

Dépistage du décrochage scolaire à l’aide d’informations administratives ou auto-rapportées.

“…Les résultats de ces études, utilisant un devis randomisé avec groupe contrôle, démontrent que les jeunes ayant participé au programme décrochent moins de l'école l'année suivante et réussissent plus de crédits scolaires (Sinclair, Christenson, Elevo et Hurley, 1998). Par contre, les résultats n'ont pas démontré de différence significative entre les deux groupes en ce qui concerne le nombre de jeunes ayant terminé leur secondaire, quatre ans après la fin du programme (Sinclair, Christenson et Thurlow, 2005). Dans le cadre de ces études, les jeunes étaient choisis par le personnel scolaire, qui devait proposer des candidats en fonction de leurs difficultés d'apprentissage, de gestion d'émotions et/ou de comportement.…”

“…Dans le cadre de ces études, les jeunes étaient choisis par le personnel scolaire, qui devait proposer des candidats en fonction de leurs difficultés d'apprentissage, de gestion d'émotions et/ou de comportement. La majorité des jeunes ainsi choisis étaient d'origine afro-américaine, de sexe masculin et bénéficiaient de programme de repas à prix réduits, attribué aux élèves de familles à faible revenu (Sinclair et al, 1998;Sinclair et al, 2005). Bien que le programme ait démontré une certaine efficacité auprès de ceux qui ont été choisis, il n'est pas clair que tous les jeunes des écoles participantes qui auraient pu bénéficier du programme ont effectivement été inclus.…”

Evidence-Based Secondary Transition Practices for Enhancing School Completion

“…First, Sinclair et al (2005) provided case management services to families of students in the check and connect program, including transportation to meetings and home visits to develop relationships with family members in an effort to remain connected and engaged with the student. Services were provided by a monitor who held a caseload of approximately 25 to 30 students.…”

“…Results from Sinclair et al (2005) also included program structures that supported flexible programming to allow individualized interventions (e.g., monitoring meetings of minutes or hours) based on students needs, a longitudinal approach to planning, and program evaluation components to continuously examine student performance data and outcomes of interventions related to transition components of students' IEPs. Further, allocating resources to fund monitors year-round, have flexibility to provide transportation and community-based services, and provide professional development on problem-solving interventions and community resources were also identified.…”