Kansas Testimony on TruancyOutline of Remarks
February 11, 2004Testimony presented to: Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee
Kansas House of RepresentativesTestimony presented by: Finessa Ferrell, Research Analyst
National Conference of State Legislatures
Youth At Risk: The Big Picture Until recently, when addressing youth at risk, state legislatures have often focused primarily on what happens after a child commits a crime. An increasing volume of research, however, is helping lawmakers learn more about preventing troubled, self-destructive or violent behavior before it happens, keeping kids in school and out of the juvenile justice system. Research shows that kids who feel safe, valued and connected to family, their school community and the community at large are much more likely to stay in school and much less likely to engage in disruptive, self-destructive, violent or criminal behavior. What does it mean to be "at-risk?" There is no easy formula to predict which kids will cut school, abuse substances, become disruptive and unruly, engage in criminal activity or act violently against themselves or others. What we do know, however, is that a number of behaviors tend to be "red flags" or factors of risk that are strongly associated with kids who find themselves in state custody. Kids who have these "risk factors" in their lives, particularly when there are more than one operating together, are far more likely to end up in the juvenile justice system than kids who do not. Risk Factors: Protective Factors and Strength-Based Approaches to Youth Just as some kids who have risk factors in their lives do not end up on a troubled path, many kids who do not have these factors of risk end up in trouble. Again, the research shows only so much predictive power. The bottom line is that some kids prove resilient and others do not. Why? Some kids have what for decades have been called "protective factors" and more recently called "assets." While the concept behind each differs, the general idea is that some circumstances buffer or protect kids, making it less likely that these children engage in risky behavior at all. The Importance of Feeling Connected The common denominator in all of this is connection. If you look closely, all the factors of risk, the circumstances that "protect" and the assets we hope kids have are all dependent on kids feeling that someone cares about them--that they have an emotional connection, a personal vested interest in others. The Importance of Individual Plans, Collaboration and Comprehensiveness In the past, many strategies for stopping destructive, troubled and violent behavior have relied on sanctions and consequences--deterrence strategies if you will. This has proven unsuccessful. Not all kids cut school, take drugs, experience depression, fight and harass others, join gangs or shoplift for the same reasons. The circumstances that surround each child can be vastly different. While research shows that it is likely that the circumstances appear on that list of risk factors I spoke about earlier, the specific circumstances to a particular individual is unique. Success in changing the behavior of that unique individual lies in a solution that addresses the problems of that child. Successful prevention and intervention is a tricky, complicated and multi-dimensional business. It calls for collaboration, comprehensiveness, and treatment components specific to individuals. Broad Strategies Rather than Narrow Programs - Mentoring
- Role models
- Creating a safe and nurturing school climate
- Smaller schools or academies within large schools
- Parental involvement
- Teacher training
- Peer mediation and conflict resolution
- Out-of-school time programs and activities
- Tutoring and academic assistance
- Individual and family counseling services
- School-based or community-based mental health services
- Information-sharing and team-based services
- Expanded school counseling
- Curricular components in elementary and middle school
- Service learning and/or community service
Truancy Intervention The word "intervention" is used very specifically and purposefully here. What has been described above is all truancy prevention in the sense that engaging kids in school makes them want to be there. The outcome: they don't cut class and don't drop out. But what do you do about kids who are already out of class as much as they're in class? Already on the brink of simply not returning at all? This population of already-truant students requires intervention to turn that behavior around. This is not to say that many of the broad strategies mentioned above are no longer appropriate--in fact many of them are critical to successful intervention. What is fair to say, however, is that intervention with these students who are habitually truant already rather than at-risk of becoming habitually truant is more challenging and must be strategically timed, comprehensive in scope and individual in focus. From 1989 to 1998 in the United States, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) Truancy Reduction Project reports an increase of 85 percent in petitioned truancy status offense cases handled by juvenile courts. Although states vary in the number of unexcused school absences that constitute habitual truancy, they share with schools the high stakes associated with effective truancy reduction. Chronic truancy has been linked to low test scores, poor academic achievement, academic failure, future economic dependency on the state, juvenile custody and increasing criminal activities into adulthood.
Alternative Education for Truants
Alternative education programs have proliferated in recent years as states attempt to provide education to students at risk of education failure. Generally, the indicators for referral into an alternative education program include: poor grades, truancy, disruptive behavior, suspension, and pregnancy. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reports that we have little data about alternative schools and programs for at-risk students across all states, but we do know that roughly half of all districts who offer alternative educational settings refer students for the following reasons: - possession, distribution, or use of alcohol or drugs (52 percent)
- physical attacks or fights (52 percent)
- chronic truancy (51 percent);
- continual academic failure (50 percent);
- possession or use of a weapon other than a firearm (50 percent);
- disruptive verbal behavior (45 percent);
- possession or use of a firearm (44 percent);
- Teen pregnancy/parenthood and mental health needs(28 and 22 percent).
About one-third of districts with alternative education programs for at-risk students had at least one such school or program that did not have the capacity to enroll new students during the 1999-2000 school year. (For additional information, http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2002/2002004.pdf)
Truancy Outcomes
Beyond the schoolyard, truancy has been linked to chronic unemployment, dependence on governmental assistance and criminal behavior. Many potential factors have been identified as potential causes of truancy including an unstable home life, poverty, substance abuse, teen parenthood, a lack of interest in school, and the perception by young people that their parents, communities and schools do not care about their academic progress.
While there may be some debate as to what causes habitual truancy, the pressure is on policymakers to embrace positive solutions to this growing problem. In 2003, states passed nearly 40 laws that addressed student attendance in some way. During the same period, states enacted at least a dozen laws to encourage greater parental involvement in education. In light of the pressure on schools to make adequate yearly progress (AYP) under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), states are likely to assume more definitive roles in keeping their students in school.
Frequently Asked Questions by Legislators Working on Truancy Policy - How does the law in our state currently define truancy?
- If the definition of truancy requires a complete day, can a student get away with skipping out on part of the school day and avoid being considered "truant"?
- At what point do the local courts become involved with the cases of habitual truants?
- Is the current procedure for preventing truancy or intervening in truant behavior effective?
- What is the scope of the habitual truancy problem in our state?
- What is the state legislature's role in mandating interagency cooperation to more effectively combat the truancy problem?
- How can we establish effective consequences for students and parents that effectively deal with truancy and its associated risk factors?
Successful Programs in a Glance: According to the OJJDP Truancy Reduction Project, the following components are essential to reducing truancy: The Colorado Foundation for Families and Children (CFFC) Reports that a successful truancy reduction program must be supported and nurtured by the system with collaboration and education. According to CFFC, a truancy collaborative should include the following: - Involvement of agencies dealing with some aspect of truancy control and prevention, such as education, law enforcement and social services.
- Use of formal agreements among involved agencies.
- Cross Training of agency members.
- Cooperative information sharing among involved agencies.
"Last Chance" Diversion Programs for Truants ADDENDUM: Selected Risk Factors Specific to Kansas
Percentage of teens who are high school dropouts (ages 16-19)
a. KS 1990: 6 percent
b. US 1990: 10 percent
c. KS 2000: 8 percent
d. US 2000: 9 percent
Percent of teens not attending school and not working (ages 16-19)
a. KS 1990: 7 percent
b. US 1990: 10 percent
c. KS 2000: 6 percent
d. US 2000: 8 percent
Teen birth rate (births per 1,000 females ages 15-17)
a. KS: 1990: 30 percent
b. US: 1990: 37 percent
c. KS: 2000: 23 percent
d. US: 2000: 27 percent
Percent of families with children headed by a single parent
a. KS: 1990: 21 percent
b. US: 1990: 24 percent
c. KS: 2000: 27 percent
d. US: 2000: 28 percent
Source: Kids Count 2003 Data Book Online, Casey Foundation
(http://www.aecf.org/kidscount/databook/)
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