GUIDELINES FOR EVALUATING TRUANCY REDUCTION PROGRAMSBY TED WESLEY AND PATRICIA CLOUD DUTTWEILERTruancy Prevention in Action NDPC truancy Eval 2-06.indd 1 2/8/06 2:49:24 PMCopyright 2005 National Dropout Prevention Center/NetworkCollege of Health, Education, and Human DevelopmentClemson University209 Martin Street, Clemson, SC 29631-1555864-656-2599email [email protected] This project was supported by Award Number 2003JSFX0084 awarded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office Of Justice Programs. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice.Learn more about issues related to truancy prevention from all four monographs in this series.TRUANCY PREVENTION IN ACTION SERIESLegal and Economic Implications of TruancyBest Practices and Model Truancy ProgramsPlanning, Collaboration, and Implementation Strategies for Truancy ProgramsGuidelines for Evaluating Truancy ProgramsNDPC truancy Eval 2-06.indd 2 2/8/06 2:49:25 PMTABLE OF CONTENTSAcknowledgments ......................................................... 1Executive Summary ........................................................ 3Introduction .................................................................... 6 Why Evaluate? ............................................................... 9The Evaluation Process: Program Evaluation Logic and Development Phases ................................................ 11 Phase I: Identification of program components, elements, procedures, and activities to be evaluated .................................................................. 12Phase II: Generation of evaluation questions .......... 15Phase III: Selection of evaluation design and procedures for data collection and analyses ............ 18Phase IV: Instrumentation .......................................21Phase V: Data collection, analysis, summarization, and interpretation .................................................... 23Phase VI: Preparation of the evaluation report ....... 26Conclusion .................................................................... 30References ..................................................................... 31Tools .............................................................................32Logic Model for the Evaluation of Results-Based Truancy Reduction Programs: Example and Worksheets ......................................... 33Creating an Effective Truancy Reduction Program Design and Evaluation: Guidelines and Worksheets ..................................... 36Developing an Action and Evaluation Plan for a Truancy Reduction Program: Guidelines and Worksheets ..................................... 42About the Authors ....................................................... 47 NDPC truancy Eval 2-06.indd 3 2/8/06 2:49:25 PMNDPC truancy Eval 2-06.indd 4 2/8/06 2:49:25 PMTRUANCY PREVENTION IN ACTION1ACKNOWLEDGMENTSThis booklet, one of four in a series addressing vari-ous aspects of truancy, was published by the National Dropout Prevention Center at Clemson University with support from the South Carolina Department of Education’s Office of Safe Schools and Youth Services Center for Truancy and Dropout Prevention. Special thanks for the support and guidance provided by State Superintendent of Education Inez M. Tenenbaum and by Cleo Richardson, Deputy Superintendent, Division of District and Community Services, South Carolina Department of Education.Members of the Truancy and Dropout Prevention Committee, coordinated by the Center for Truancy and Dropout Prevention, provided feedback during the development of the four publica-tions. Special thanks to those members, Michael Bell, Mable Canty, and Jeff Tipton who assisted with this volume. A special note of thanks is directed to two major organiza-tions that have been leaders in researching and reporting about the children and truancy issues for more than a decade. They have contributed to discussions about the knowledge base regarding the truancy issue and these publications. Their senior staff co-authored two of these truancy publications. The organi-zations are:The National Center for School Engagement (NCSE) strives to build a network of key stakeholders who share the belief that improving school attendance and school attachment promotes achievement and school success. NCSE was established as a result of a decade of educational research about youth out of the educational mainstream conducted by the Colorado Foundation for Families and Children. NCSE promotes collaboration among courts, schools and law enforcement to solve problems at the community level. Additional information is available on their Web site found at www.schoolengagement.org.The Colorado Foundation for Families and Children (CFFC), in collaboration with NCSE, is dedicated to improving the effectiveness of people, programs and organizations to achieve positive results for our most vulnerable families. CFFC works closely with partners to increase the effectiveness and sustain-ability of those working directly with families, children, youth, and communities. CFFC services include training and technical assistance, research and evaluation, strategic ventures, and infor-NDPC truancy Eval 2-06.indd 1 2/8/06 2:49:25 PMGUIDELINES FOR EVALUATING TRUANCY REDUCTION PROGRAMS2mation resources. The CFFC website may be found at www.coloradofoundation.org.Additional staff of the National Dropout Prevention Center contributed to the development of the publications. Specifi-cally, we thank Dr. Mary Reimer and Dr. Terry Cash for their assistance in shaping the content of this monograph and Marty Duckenfield for assisting in the editing and developing the overall structure of the series of publications related to truancy issues. A special note of appreciation is extended to Peg Chrestman and her excellent proofing skills with each of the publications. Finally, we would like to acknowledge the creative work of Rachel Mumford of Rachel Mumford Graphic Design, Clemson, South Carolina, for her excellent work in the format-ting and design of the four publications.NDPC truancy Eval 2-06.indd 2 2/8/06 2:49:26 PMTRUANCY PREVENTION IN ACTION3EXECUTIVE SUMMARYINTRODUCTIONThis monograph is intended as a guide to support self- evaluation of truancy reduction