National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention

Truancy Prevention Brief and Resource Page
The National Center has created a brief truancy prevention publication that synthesizes the relevant research. The Prevention Brief highlights the extent of truancy in schools, the consequences and causes of truancy, and the cost benefits of reducing truancy. It also examines ineffective traditional approaches to reducing truancy and provides examples of effective strategies such as attendance policies, early intervention programs, alternatives to adjudication, court-based reduction programs, and alternative education programs. To read more, please visit http://www.promoteprevent.org/publications/center_briefs/Truancy_
Prevention_Brief.pdf.
In addition, a companion Resource Page (http://www.promoteprevent.org/resources/resource_pages/program
_functions/truancy_prevention.htm) was created for further information. See the Research Note below for the cost-benefit analysis of truancy reduction and the In the News section for an additional resource from OJJDP (http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/publications/truancy_toolkit.html).

Evidence-Based Intervention Fact Sheet: Project SUCCESS
The National Center has published a new EBI Fact Sheet, designed to assist you in selecting, implementing, and sustaining the most effective evidence-based interventions (EBIs). This document illustrates Project SUCCESS (Schools Using Coordinated Community Efforts to Strengthen Students), an alternative school-based intervention designed to prevent and reduce substance abuse among high-risk adolescents. Learn more about Project SUCCESS at http://www.promoteprevent.org/publications/evidence_based/Project_
SUCCESS_EBI_factsheet.pdf or view all our EBI Fact Sheets at http://www.promoteprevent.org/publications/evidence_based/.

Participate in the Upcoming National Center Teleconferences
The National Center will hold two teleconferences in April:

Notes Available from the February Teleconferences
The National Center will be posting notes from the following February teleconferences: (1) Follow-up Second Step Teleconference http://learn.aero.und.edu/pages.asp?PageID=92892 and (2) Reconnecting Youth Teleconference (http://learn.aero.und.edu/pages.asp?PageID=97591).

Reconnecting Youth: Implementation Tips
The National Center has posted a summary of key implementation tips identified in a peer-to-peer discussion teleconference. Schools often face the challenge of keeping RY classes at an effective and manageable size while providing the program to all students who could benefit from it. Schools have addressed this issue through a number of strategies that are described in this document. To read more, please visit http://www.promoteprevent.org/documents/2007_docs/
Reconnecting_youth_tips.pdf

For a more extensive set of notes on this teleconference, visit http://learn.aero.und.edu/pages.asp?PageID=97591.
For a fact sheet on Reconnecting Youth, see http://www.promoteprevent.org/documents/2007_docs/Reconnecting_
youth_tips.pdf

This section summarizes key findings from a current research study in the field of education, mental health, violence prevention, or youth substance abuse prevention. Research Notes are linked to the full report when available online.

Cost-Benefits of Truancy Reduction
A study by the National Center for School Engagement (NCSE) found that Colorado truancy reduction programs actually save tax money. The study used a RAND Corporation estimate that the average high school dropout costs $200,000 more in public expenditures than does the average high school graduate. This figure includes the costs of social and criminal justice programs as well as a loss in tax revenue (dropouts earn less than high school graduates). Based on how much each program spent serving an individual truant, the NCSE estimated that three Colorado truancy court programs would “break even” (that is, save the public as much money as each program spent) if they helped 1 of 293, 1 of 504, or 1 of 739 truants stay in school and graduate. (The rates vary because each program spends a different amount of money per truant.) Three case management truancy reduction programs had “break-even” rates of 1 of 115, 1 of 337, and 1 of 383 truants served. Each of the six programs had a much higher success rate than was needed to break even—success rates of about 30 percent for the court programs and over 40 percent for the case management programs. Thus, each of these programs not only paid for themselves but also represented a substantial additional savings of public money.

This analysis was drawn from Saving Money Saving Youth: The Financial Impact of Keeping Kids in School (Third Edition), by Joanna Zorn Heilbrunn and Ken Seeley (Denver, Colorado: National Center for School Engagement/Colorado Foundation for Families and Children), available online at http://www.schoolengagement.org/TruancypreventionRegistry/Admin/
Resources/Resources/23.pdf.

Truancy Prevention / Toolkit for Creating Your Own Truancy Reduction Program
This toolkit published by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) is available at no cost in PDF format for communities, administrators, teachers, and parents to help them reduce truancy in their schools and community. The toolkit gives an overview of truancy with facts on the extent of the problem, consequences, contributing factors, and the legal and economic implications. There are also truancy programs descriptions, including best practices and model programs, to reduce truancy. The toolkit provides resources on getting the entire community involved, as well as quick and easy references on managing truancy cases such as advice from the field, tips for improving attendance, alternatives to juvenile detention for courts, and challenges with tracking attendance. To access the entire toolkit, please visit
http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/publications/truancy_toolkit.html.

Culturally Competent Children’s Mental Health Services
Culturally and linguistically diverse children and families are a growing segment of the U.S. population that are currently underserved in the mental health system. Serious emotional disturbance (SED) prevalence for all children in the United States is estimated to be over 9percent; over 17 percent of these children experience unmet needs, with Latinos and African Americans representing the largest percentage of these kids. This monograph presents a description and analysis of the research literature related to child and family mental health among African Americans, Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders, Latinos, and Native Americans, including characteristics of the population and direct services that relate to cultural competence. This review further suggests processes for operationalizing cultural competence. To read the full monograph: Making Children’s Mental Health Services Successful, please visit http://rtckids.fmhi.usf.edu/rtcpubs/Culturalcompetence/services/
CultCompServices.pdf.

Finding Evidence-Based Practices: Changes to the SAMHSA Database
SAMHSA has launched a new version of their National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP) Web site. NREPP is a searchable database with up-to-date information on the scientific basis and practicality of interventions to be used by community organizations and state and local officials. The new site allows users to conduct custom searches based upon desired outcomes, target populations, and service settings. It also includes details on each intervention, such as a descriptive summary, the types of outcomes achieved, the implementation costs, and complete contact information for the intervention developer. The site provides two independent expert ratings for each intervention, assessing the quality of research supporting specific outcomes, and the availability of implementation and training materials to support adoption of the intervention. NREPP will initially offer information on 25 interventions and is expected to add 5 to 10 interventions each month. To look at a detailed description of the changes, please visit http://www.nrepp.samhsa.gov/pdfs/press-release-2007-03-01.pdf,
and to access the NREPP Database, please visit http://www.nrepp.samhsa.gov/index.html.

National Youth Violence Prevention Week: April 3-7, 2007
The goal of the National Association of Students Against Violence Everywhere (S A V E) and GuidanceChannel.com campaign is to raise awareness and to educate students, teachers, school administrators, counselors, school resource officers, school staff, parents, and the public on effective ways to prevent or reduce youth violence. The campaign strives to unite communities in their efforts to address youth violence. During the week-long national education initiative, various activities will demonstrate the positive role young people can have in making their schools and communities safer. For more information, please visit the Web site at
http://www.violencepreventionweek.org/index.html?menu=about.

The Grant Opportunities page is updated regularly with new announcements of available public and private grant competitions. Here is just one of the listings you'll find:

Title: Advanced Placement-Incentive Program
Funder: Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE)
Description: Awards support activities to increase the participation of low-income students in both pre-AP and AP courses and tests. Allowable activities include: (1) professional development for teachers; (2) curriculum development; (3) the purchase of books and supplies; and (4) other activities directly related to expanding access to and participation in AP courses and tests for low-income students.
Award: $600,000 (40)
Eligibility: Local Education Agencies (LEAs), Nonprofit Organizations, State Education Agencies (SEAs), national nonprofit education organizations with expertise in advanced placement (AP) services may apply.
Application Notice: April 9, 2007
Deadline: May 24, 2007
For more information: http://www.ed.gov/programs/apincent/index.html
Note: Forecasted grant: Please check Web site for official announcement.

We regularly add to a detailed listing of conferences and events occurring within the National Center and across the nation. For example,

Date: June 10-13, 2007
Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Title: 16th National Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development
Sponsor: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
Description: The National Institute is designed to deepen understanding of the expanding early childhood knowledge base, develop skills that improve professional preparation and practice, and sharpen abilities to use effective, active learning approaches for adults.
Web site: http://www.naeyc.org/conferences/