Promoting attachment involves establishing meaningful connections with youth and their families through caring, support, and mutually-defined expectations.  It includes developing positive school climates, family and community engagement, and student-focused programs and activiites.

Fact Sheet & Tools

21 Ways to Engage Students in School - This article highlights the results of the NCSE contest on school engagement. Featured are practical strategies and activities. Best practices on implementation are also included.

Bibliography/Literature Review: Working with Asian and Pacific Islander Youth - A literature review of writings in regard to working with Asian and Pacific Islander Youth.

Bibliography/Literature Review: Working with Latino Youth - A literature review of writings in regard to working with Latino Youth.

Bibliography/Literature Review: Working with Multicultural Youth - A literature review of writings in regard to working with Multicultural Youth.

CASASTART - Fact Sheet - Extensive description of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University. Includes descriptions of: programs, proven results, intervention, benefits, target population, how it works, implementation essentials, target areas, program background, evaluation design, and outcomes.

CASASTART - Family Dinner - A detailed brochure describing National Family Day, which is always the fourth Monday in September. Discusses the importance of families eating dinner together, and other ways for family engagement in the lives of children.

Developing a Report Card for Triple A Schools - Outlines the development of a report card to rate school engagement. Features research on school engagement and provides a summary of indicators identified at a community forum held in Colorado in September 2006.

Family Wise Focus Group Executive Summary - Executive summary of the final report on 35 focus groups on family well-being that were conducted in 2002 by the Colorado Foundation for Families and Children. Charts and graphs outline themes that emerged from focus group responses. Also includes extensive demographic information.

Forming Truancy Coalitions: A Case Study of Jacksonville United Against Truancy - This is a brief guide on how to form a truancy coalition. Section headings are (1)Why form a truancy coalition; (2)Tips for forming a coalition; (3)Maintaining impetus; (4)The Jacksonville case; and (5)Further resources.

How Can A School Achieve High Levels of Parental and Community involvement? - Contains 11 keys to success compiled and written by the National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education (NCPIE). They are based on information from actual school programs.

How to Evaluate Your Truancy Reduction Program - This is a guide to evaluation. It's a "how to" document.

Joyce L. Epstein's Framework of Six Types of Parent Involvement - Contains extensive description of Joyce Epstein's Framework of six types of parental involvement, and features sample practices, challenges, redefinitions, and expected results.

Model Truancy Prevention Programs - Provides information on the five critical elements of effective prevention programs, along with nine examples of programs around the U.S.

Parental Involvement: Key To Student Achievement - Discusses the four common barriers associated with increasing involvement of parents and families in schools and community programs. Also discusses Joyce Epstein's Framework of six types of involvement.

Strengthening Parent Involvement: A Toolkit - This toolkit is the result of the committees that were formed in Colorado to assist districts and schools in the implementation of No Child Left Behind, including the parent involvement requirements of the law.

Web Based Professional Development - Chapter 1: 2006-07 Final Report for Columbine Elementary, Fort Morgan, Colorado - Final team report for the 2006-07 school year on the study of homeless and highly mobile youth.

Web Based Professional Development - Chapter 2: 2006-07 Final Report for Molholm Elementary, Lakewood, Colorado - Final team report for the 2006-07 school year on the study of homeless and highly mobile youth.

Web Based Professional Development - Chapter 3: 2006-07 Final Report for Stevens Elementary, Wheat Ridge, Colorado - Final team report for the 2006-07 school year on the study of homeless and highly mobile youth.

Web Based Professional Development - Chapter 4: 2006-07 Final Report for Edmonds Elementary, Forest Park, Georgia - Final team report for the 2006-07 school year on the study of homeless and highly mobile youth.

Web Based Professional Development - Chapter 5: 2006-07 Final Report for Ashley Park University Learning Center, Charlotte, North Carolina - Final team report for the 2006-07 school year on the study of homeless and highly mobile youth.

Web Based Professional Development - Chapter 6: Conway Middle School, Conway, North Carolina - Final team report for the 2006-07 school year on the study of homeless and highly mobile youth.

Web Based Professional Development - Chapter 7: 2006-07 Final Report for Hodge Road Elementary School, Knightdale, North Carolina - Final team report for the 2006-07 school year on the study of homeless and highly mobile youth

Web Based Professional Development - Chapter 8: 2006-07 Final Report for the Sumner School District, Sumner, Washington - Final team report for the 2006-07 school on the study of homeless and highly mobile youth.

Web Based Professional Development - Chapter 9: 2006-07 Final Report for Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary School, Madison, Wisconsin - Final team report from the 2006-07 school year on the study of homeless and highly mobile youth.

Web Based Professional Development - Introduction, Summaries and Key Words for the 2006-07 Reports - Contains an introduction along with reports summaries and key words. The reports were from the nine teams paticipating in the action research to study homeless and highly mobile youth for the 2006-07 school year.

Web-Based Professional Development FAQ - Reponses to "frequently asked questions" about Web-Based Professional Development to study the effects of homelessness and high mobility in schools and communities.

Presentations

2004 Parental Involvement Workshop - This PowerPoint presentation was given at a parental involvement workshop held in March 2004 at the Colorado Accountability Conference.

2005 State Truancy Conference in Seattle - This is a PowerPoint Presentation from the 2005 State Truancy Conference which was held in Seattle, WA.

2006 NCSE Summit for Leaders in School Engagement - This presentation was given as part of the opening session of the Second Annual NCSE Summit for Leaders in School Engagement, held in Boulder, CO on September 18, 2006. It provides an overview of NCSE, summarizes lessons learned in school enegagement, and highlights the development of a student survey.

Count Me In For Learning! - A PowerPoint presentation illustrating the "Count Me In For Learning" public education campaign for school engagement.

Engaging Families in Bullying Prevention Efforts - August 9, 2007 - presentation made at The Colorado Trust's Bullying Prevention Initiative Conference. Includes: framework for family engagement, types and models and Colorado activities.

Family and Community Engagement in Creating Positive School Climates - This presentation was made at the Blueprints pre-conference on school engagement which was held on March 17, 2008 in Denver Colorado.

Lessons from Community Research about Homeless and Highly Mobile Students - Presentation at the 2006 Conference hosted by the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth on Web-based Professional Development (WBPD) to study the effects of homelessness and high mobility in schools. Includes summary of results of 29 participatory action research projects.

Parent Engagement and Truancy Reduction - Jacksonville, FLA - Presentation to principals and community leaders of Duval County Public Schools in Jacksonville, FLA. Highlights research on parent involvement and truancy. Provides a snapshot look at parent engagement and explores best practices and resources

Truancy Dropouts and Delinquency: Solutions for Policies, Practices and Partnerships - Power Point Presentation given by Dr. Ken Seeley at the Creative Options Summit held in Denver, CO on April 26, 2006.

Using a Typology for Truancy Prevention - A PowerPoint presentation that discusses overall steps to success with truancy prevention.

What Research Says About Family-School-Community Partnerships - Presentation to Colorado Adult Education Professional Association in February 2007. Includes a snapshot look at family engagement and community-school partnerships. Provides background information and outlines models for family engagement. Highlights research and gives examples of what’s occurring in Colorado.

Program Development

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's Model Programs Guide - This is a website that gives extensive information on model programs that prevent delinquency. Programs are evidence-based, and cover the entire continuum of youth services from prevention through sanctions to reentry.

Reports

2008 Adams County Student Survey County Level Report - Report for 2008 on the Adams County Safe School/Healthy Students Initiative, part of the Adams County Youth Initiative.

A Report on Gender and the Dropout Problem in Colorado Schools - A report on research concerning the differences in school dropout rates based on gender in Colorado schools.

Advancing the - Reports on research conducted by Johns Hopkins University and underscores the importance of preventing course failures, particularly in middle school and ninth grade.

Book Review - Dropouts in America - This is a review of the book: "Dropouts in America: Confronting the Graduation Rate Crises." The book is a collection of essays dealing with the topic of school dropouts.

Colorado Educators Study Homeless and Highly Mobile Students - A book documenting the work of Colorado Participatory Action Research teams (COPAR) during the 2003-2004 school year. Each chapter is written by school teams that participated in a yearlong professional development opportunity focused on homelessness and high mobility issues.

Colorado Educators Study Homeless and Highly Mobile Students - Introduction & Table of Contents - Table of Contents, Forward and Introduction for the final 2003-2004 report on the Web-Based Professional Development project studying homeless and highly mobile youth.

Colorado Educators Study Homeless and Highly Mobile Students - Part 1: Access to Educational Services - Part 1 of the final 2003-2004 report on the Web-Based Professional Development project studying homeless and highly mobile youth.

Colorado Educators Study Homeless and Highly Mobile Students - Part 2: Welcoming School Culture - Part 2 of the final 2003-2004 report on the Web-Based Professional Development project studying homeless and highly mobile youth.

Colorado Educators Study Homeless and Highly Mobile Students - Part 3: Flexible Instructional Strategies - Part 3 of the final 2003-2004 report on the Web-Based Professional Development project studying homeless and highly mobile youth.

Colorado Educators Study Homeless and Highly Mobile Students - Part 4: Chapters 8, 9 10 and 11 - Part 4 of the final 2003-2004 report on the Web-Based Professional Development project studying homeless and highly mobile youth. Focus is on Access to Educational Services, Welcoming School Culture and Flexible Instructional Strategies

Final Evaluation Report: Gulfton Truancy Reduction Demonstration Project, Houston, TX - This is the final quantitative report for the Houston Demonstration Truancy Program funded by OJJDP.

Gender Differences Among Truant Youth - Discusses data and observations from the field on gender differences in truant youth. Includes a recommendations section with gender-specific practices for helping youth improve attendance and attachment to school. Written in July 2005.

Highlighting One City's Struggle with Truancy and Drop Out: A Synopsis of a Weeklong - This document gives a synopsis of a series of articles in the "Rocky Mountain News". Contains links to the articles and other relevant web sites.

Investigating Peer Victimization in Schools - A set of quantitative and qualitative studies of the connections among peer victimization, school engagement, truancy, school achievement, and other outcomes.

Jacksonville Florida Case Study: Evidence of Effectiveness in Reducing Truancy - This is an evaluation of the effectiveness of the OJJDP funded truancy reduction program in Jacksonville, Florida. We evaluated cost and outcome effectiveness of several program components.

Merrill Middle School: School Engagement and Staff Attendance Efforts for School Year 2005 - 2006 - This article reflects a snapshot of a Denver based middle school in terms of the three A's and staff attendance efforts.

Peer Victimization in Schools: (Executive Summary) - Executive Summary of Peer Victimization in Schools: A set of Quantitative and Qualitative Studies

Peer Victimization in Schools: A set of Qualitative and Quantitative Studies - This report provides great detail on how these recommendations and conclusions were reached. The literature review is timely and extensive to help program designers and researchers alike. The quantitative study using Structural Equation Modeling provides evidence among the key factors that point to the power of engagement for victims of bullying, and the lack of causative relationships between bullying and truancy. The qualitative studies look at different perspectives on the problem to help explain some of the “whys” behind the quantitative data and the findings reported in the literature.

Quantifying School Engagement: Research Report - This research report examines the validity and reliability of the NCSE School Engagement Survey.

Re-Engaging Youth in School: Evaluation of the Truancy Demonstration Project - This document contains data from the seven Office Of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Truancy Reduction sites as captured by the NCSE TRAIN database. Aggregate and site specific results are provided.

School Dropouts in Rural Colorado - A study of rural school dropouts in Colorado.

The Truancy and Gang Connection: Reflections from the Mayor's Anti Gang Office in Houston, TX - This paper is based on the experiences of the author working in the Gulfton neighborhood in Houston, TX. The challenges and solutions in working with gang members are discussed.

What Counts: Measuring Indicators of Family Well-being - This study identifies 16 primary indicators of family well-being, one of which is parental involvement in children's education. Includes a review of 36 reports and research studies on families.

What Research Says About Family-School-Community Partnerships - This document offers a review of relevant research on Family-School-Community partnerships based on Epstein's model of "Six Types of Involvement." The Colorado Dept. of Education Prevention Initiatives utilizes this model to help schools take a comprehensive approach to meaningful parent and community involvement. Also featured are examples of activities and approaches implemented in Colorado's school to increase parental involvement and community partnerships.

Working with Highly Mobile, Immigrant Students in Houston, TX - This article is based on the experience of the author working in the Gulfton neighborhood in Houston, Texas. The challenges of fighting truancy along with the demographics of the neighborhood are discussed.