Family Ties: The Link Between Engaging Families and Improving Education for Delinquent Students Gary Rutkin, US Depart

2. Is This the Education System We Want for Our Youth?

4. The Challenge of Education in Correctional Environments

5. Parent Perceptions Matter Even after controlling for diverse variables (e.g., the educational and employment levels of both parents, child�s grade, gender, and race), the strongest predictor of parent involvement was the parent�s perceptions of teacher outreach. Parent involvement was highest when parents perceived their child�s teacher as: Valuing their contribution to their child�s education; Trying to keep them informed about their child�s strengths and weaknesses; and Providing them with specific suggestions to help their child. Patrikakou, E. N., & Weissberg, R. P. (2000). Parents� perceptions of teacher outreach and parent involvement in children�s education. Journal of Prevention & Intervention in the Community, 20(1/2),103�119.

6. What Is Family Involvement? The term �parental involvement� means the participation of parents in regular, two-way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities, including ensuring� That parents play an integral role in assisting their child�s learning; That parents are encouraged to be actively involved in their child�s education at school; That parents are full partners in their child�s education and are included, as appropriate, in decisionmaking and on advisory committees to assist in the education of their child. No Child Left Behind, Sec. 1902, Definitions

7. What Youth Say About Involving Their Families �My mom and I agreed on everything, and that was one of the biggest factors in getting through my treatment.� �Family support is a strong issue, and they have to be involved in the treatment.� �There should be some information for the parents to encourage them to want to be involved.� �If the child gives up, the parent or support needs to want it for them. It�s sad to see the parent give up.� Blamed and Ashamed: The Treatment Experiences of Youth With Co-Occurring Substance Abuse and Mental Health Disorders and Their Families. Federation of Families for Children�s Mental Health

8. Families Expect Programs to Be Therapeutic Families Want Their Children to Have A high-quality education, not simply one that pushes all students toward a GED regardless of their abilities and goals; Staff and teachers who are qualified and experienced; Vocational education assessments and training; Creative but rigorous alternative learning strategies; Social skills training that carry over into the community; Qualified professional mental health services; and Staff who treat students and their families with dignity and respect.

9. Who Has Responsibility for Family Involvement? Families, administrators, school staff, students, and, in many cases, the courts. What is the educational administrator�s role? Administrators are usually responsible for implementing policies that make the facility accessible to and hospitable for families. Educational leaders should ensure that students have access to their families and that families have access to their children. What should families do? Get involved. Don�t wait to be asked. Offer to help the school.

10. Logic Model for Family-Driven and Youth-Guided Care

11. Why Be Concerned with Conditions for Learning and Family Involvement? Neglected, delinquent, and at-risk students are particularly susceptible to: Low level of teacher support; Negative peer relationships; Chaotic and reactive environments; Poor instructional and behavioral practices; and Family-school conflict or disconnect. Family efficacy and trust are related to positive outcomes. Families: Are forever; Often know students� strengths and needs; May have other critical information; and Are necessary to successful transitions.

12. Making the Paradigm Shift to Family-Driven and Youth-Driven Practice

13. How Do We Make Practice Family-Driven? A change in vocabulary is not enough to transform practice. Communities, agencies, providers, and families need training, technical assistance, and ongoing support to make the paradigm shift. State and national policies must encourage, support, and sustain: The conditions that are necessary for it to happen; and The capacities that must exist for it to happen. A systemic approach to improving conditions and capacities

15. Example of Conditions and Capacities to Support Family Involvement Conditions Accurate information is available in formats families can use. Families are given copies of data and reports with clear explanations. Professionals use commonly understood language without being condescending. Professionals support data-based decisions made by families. Capacities Families know how to �read� data and reports and are able to use information to make choices that best meet their needs. Families know how to ask for information and explanations. Professionals know how to access and allocate funds to implement data-based decisions made by families.

16. This guide is the first of several guides that will focus on involving families as students move in and out of institutional placements, with emphasis on varying issues and strategies based on different perspectives for all involved. Available at: http://www.neglected-delinquent.org/nd/resources/spotlight/spotlight200611a.asp Overview of the Administrator�s Guide

17. What Families Say Helps Them Get Involved A safe, welcoming, culturally comfortable and supportive environment; Trust building and communication mechanisms; Outreach strategies and family support services; Sharing all information with everyone; and Resources to support family involvement, such as funds for transportation, child care, and training events. See the Guide for specific suggestions (pages 11�13). Consulting with families of students being served will help an institution�s leaders choose strategies best suited to their specific families and that can work in their setting.

18. Factors to Consider in Working with Families Geography, transportation, financial resources, time Family members� Skills and knowledge Experiences with education or other systems History Culture and language Characteristics of the institution Security Staffing Court restrictions Look in the Guide for a list of opportunities to involve families (pages 7�8).

19. Take Advantage of Family Visits to Engage Them in School Activities Give tours of the school on visiting day. Open a family resource center in the school where: Families can pick up information relevant to their child�s education and transition to a community school; and Teachers can explain the curriculum and what students have been working on. Display samples of student work in the visiting area. Give each student a packet of their recent work, and coach them to review it with their family on visiting day. Look in the Guide for strategies that administrators say are working in their facilities (see page 14).

20. Suggestions for Smooth Transition to Home Include the student�s family in transition planning from the start. Help the family gather necessary information. Help them foster relationships with their community school education program BEFORE the student makes the transition.

21. Relationships Require Commitment and Work Establishing communication with a student�s family may require some creative effort and persistence. Don�t assume that the family is not interested just because you don�t get a response right away. Use more than one strategy to reach out to each family, such as: Sending a message in the mail; Making a phone call; and Trying to meet them in person the next time they visit their child at the facility. Look in the Guide for a list of specific questions to ask families about communication (page17).

22. Involving Families in Evaluation to Determine If Outcomes Are Improving Give families and youth a significant role in designing the questions and methods of getting feedback that is meaningful, culturally appropriate, and family friendly. Hire and train families and youth to collect the data, to make follow-up calls when surveys are not returned, conduct phone interviews, and moderate focus groups. Ask families to support objective data by adding their personal testimonies when it is time to report on the program�s or institution�s impact.

23. Engaging Families for Program Improvement and System Change Identify governance boards, planning councils, advisory groups, and working committees where family input would be desirable. Recruit, train, and support families who serve in this capacity. Seek family input when developing any plans to improve family involvement in an institution or program. Demonstrate genuine respect for family members, warmly welcome their collaboration, and generously provide support to make the partnership work. Look in the Guide for a list of strategies that work (page 10).

24. Three Leverage Points for Transformation

25. Universal Strategies for All Families(1st Tier) Create a welcoming environment Solicit family input Provide an orientation Establish ongoing communication Sponsor social activities

26. Selective Strategies to Boost Some Families(2nd Tier) Connect families with each other Offer families education and training Take advantage of family visits to their child Recruit family members to serve on advisory groups

27. Intensive Strategies for Hard to Reach Families (3rd Tier) Tailor approaches to each family Repair relationships between each student and family Hire Family Liaisons to work with families 1:1

29. Why Is NDTAC Important? Poor outcomes for youth who are N & D Lack of services and supports for youth who are N & D Challenges to monitoring N & D program outcomes Challenges to continuous improvement in N & D programs

30. NDTAC's Mission The overarching mission of NDTAC is to improve educational programming for youth who are neglected and delinquent. Legislation requires NDTAC to: Develop a uniform evaluation model for State Education Agency (SEA) Title I, Part D Provide technical assistance (TA) to states to increase their capacity for data collection and their ability to use those data to improve educational programming for N/D youth Serve as a facilitator between different organizations, agencies, and interest groups that work with youth in facilities for neglected and delinquent youth

31. Title I, Part D: Goals and Funding The goals of Title I, Part D, programs are to: Improve educational services for these children so they have the opportunity to meet challenging state academic content and achievement standards Provide them with services to transition successfully from institutionalization to further schooling or employment Prevent at-risk youth from dropping out of school Provide dropouts and children and youth returning from correctional facilities with a support system to ensure their continued education

32. Title I, Part D: Requirements State agencies and districts that receive the funds are required to: Meet the educational needs of neglected, delinquent, and at-risk children and youth, and assist in the transition of these students from correctional facilities to locally operated programs Ensure that these students have the same opportunities to achieve as if they were in local schools in the state Evaluate the program and disaggregate data on participation by gender, race, ethnicity, and age, not less than once every 3 years

33. Technical Assistance (TA) Individual TA provided to Title I, Part D, State Coordinators Direct TA N & D Communities Annual Conference Publicly available resources Products NDTAC Others Webinars Listserv

34. Direct TA An NDTAC staff member has been assigned to each state to function as a point person for one-on-one TA. Liz Williams: Alabama, District of Columbia, Florida, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee Anju Sidana: Arkansas, Connecticut, Kansas, Mississippi, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin Nick Read: Arizona, California, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Texas Leslie Brock: Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Nevada, North Dakota, and South Dakota DeAngela Milligan: Delaware, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, and Vermont Patrick Kelly: Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming

35. N & D Communities N & D Communities provide an opportunity for Title I, Part D, program coordinators to work in small groups to discuss issues they are experiencing.

36. Annual Conference Designed specifically for Title I, Part D, State Coordinators, our hands-on meeting provided information and interactive activities related to data collection, federal reporting, and program improvement. Proceedings are available at http://www.neglected-delinquent.org/nd/events/2007sep/default.asp

37. NDTAC Products Formats: Web-based and printable resources Webinars (live and archived) Topics: Assessment Data systems Family and parental involvement Learning Monitoring and compliance Neglected youth Reporting and counts Special education State plans and collaboration Teacher quality and professional development Transition, re-entry, and aftercare

38. NDTAC Products Formats: Web-based and printable resources Webinars (live and archived) Topics: Assessment Data systems Family and parental involvement Learning Monitoring and compliance Neglected youth Reporting and counts Special education State plans and collaboration Teacher quality and professional development Transition, re-entry, and aftercare

39. Assessment Assessments are great tools to monitor and evaluate student progress, guide instruction, and assess program effectiveness. Resources: A Brief Guide for Selecting and Using Pre-Post Assessments The Assessment Toolkit: Measuring Student Academic Performance Webinars: Pre-Post Assessments (April 2006) Academic Assessments: How Do N or D Programs Evaluate and Implement the Options? (September 2005)

40. Family and Parental Involvement Research indicates parental involvement is associated with: Improved academic achievement Enhanced educational experiences Resources: Working with Families of Children in the Juvenile Justice and Corrections System: A Guide for Education Program Leaders, Principals, and Building Administrators Companion Guide for Families (Coming Soon!) NDTAC Issue Brief: Family Involvement Webinar: Family Involvement for Youth in the Juvenile Justice System (November 2006)

41. Student Learning Students who are neglected and delinquent present a unique challenge to the educational system. Resources: NDTAC Issue Brief: Reading Literacy Innovative Practice: READ 180 NDTAC Issue Brief: The Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Model PBIS in Juvenile Justice The Adolescent Literacy Toolkit (Working Title) (Coming Soon!) Webinars: Conditions for Learning: Promoting Social, Emotional and Academic Growth in N and D Programs (August 2007) The Importance of Reading Literacy (June 2006) Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (January 2006) Literacy and Transition Curricula, Part II (May 2005) Educating N or D Teachers and Students: Curricula and Literacy (April 2005)

42. Special Education It is estimated that 30%�50%of incarcerated juveniles have a learning disability�at least four times the proportion of the public school population. Resources: IDEA and the Juvenile Justice System: A Fact Sheet Self-Study Toolkit: Comprehensive Assessment Module IEP Resource Guide Presentations: Prevalence of Youth with Disabilities in the Justice System: A National Survey Applying Special Education and Other Disability Rights on Behalf of Children in the Delinquency System Highly Qualified Teachers Under No Child Left Behind: Implications for Secondary Special Education

43. Teacher Quality and Professional Development The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) mandates all teachers in core academic areas, regardless of grade level, be highly qualified by the end of the 2005�2006 school year. Resources: Self-Study Toolkit: Highly Qualified Teachers HOUSSE NCLB Toolkit for Teachers Professional Development for Educators of Youth in Confinement Webinars: Sharing Professional Development Strategies: How States Are Providing Training and Support to Part D Subgrantees (May 2007) Teacher Quality and Accreditation (June 2005)

44. Transition, Re-entry, and Aftercare Improving the rates of successful transition/re-entry for students who are neglected or delinquent is a fundamental part of Title I, Part D. Aftercare is a means of extending support to a student after a transition. Resources: Transition To and From Facilities: Records Transfer and Maintenance Self-Study Toolkit: Records Transfer and Maintenance Webinar: Transitions 

45. Questions?

46. For More Information� See our Web site www.neglected-delinquent.org Subscribe to our newsletter http://www.neglected-delinquent.org/nd/ newsletters/archives.asp Contact us directly Mindee O�Cummings mocummings@air.org 202-403-5254