Supportive School Discipline Webinar Series: Addressing Truancy-- Innovative Approaches to Systemically Increasing Attendance and Reducing Chronic Truancy
February 27, 4:00-5:30 pm ET
DESCRIPTION: After years of study, the research is clear: (1) The impact of truancy on students, schools, communities and society is profound and (2) It is critical to take a multi-faceted approach to prevent and reduce truancy. This webinar will feature positive and collaborative approaches to addressing truancy. Specifically, it will showcase characteristics of effective truancy prevention and intervention programs that have encouraged students to attend school consistently and take increased ownership in their education.
Presenters for this webinar include:
- Cecelia Leong, Associate Director of Attendance Works—She will begin the Webinar by discussing data collection, attendance research and how schools and the community, especially the court, can become effective allies in preventing and addressing truancy.
- Justice Bobbe Bridge, former Washington Supreme Court Justice and CEO of the Center for Children and Youth Justice, and Leila Curtis of the King County’s Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and Models for Change Truancy Project Coordinator—They will share a model truancy reduction program that led to systemic truancy reform in King County and the State of Washington.
- Larry Bush, Principal of Spokane Valley High School, and Martin Kolodrub, Truancy Specialist Spokane County Office of Juvenile Justice—They will describe Spokane County’s Community Truancy Boards which address truant behaviors among students across all grade levels in local school districts.
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Kathryn Meyer, Staff Attorney for the Center for Children’s Advocacy—She will present on recent status offender reform laws passed in Connecticut and provide first-hand accounts of Connecticut’s efforts to address truant behavior while serving as an education attorney and advocate.
OBJECTIVES: Particiants will be able to...
- Describe the negative impact of truancy on a community, school and youth.
- Identify new, innovative and effective models that address truancy in a proactive and positive manner based on the experience of others.
- Consider alternatives to current truancy prevention and intervention practices.
AUDIENCE: This Webinar is appropriate for school district superintendents and allied staff, community- and residential facility-based school administrators and support staff, school climate teams, student support personnel and teachers, school resource and security officers, probation/parole officers, law enforcement, judges and court administrators, and family members, youth, and community stakeholders.
REGISTRATION: There is no registration fee. To register for this Webinar, please complete and submit the online registration form at http://safesupportiveschools.ed.gov/register.php?eid=1685. You will receive a confirmation email shortly after you submit your registration from ncssle@air.org or ssdcop@air.org. Please add these emails to your safe-senders list to ensure delivery to your e-mail inbox.
Background
In July 2011, Attorney General Eric Holder and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced the creation of the Supportive School Discipline Initiative. The collaboration is aimed at targeting school disciplinary policies and practices that push youth out of school and many times into the justice system, also known as the school-to-prison pipeline. Research has consistently demonstrated the negative impact of punitive and exclusionary school discipline practices but has also highlighted successful, supportive alternatives.
To increase awareness and understanding of the issue and provide practical examples of school discipline practices that maintain school and classroom safety while ensuring academic engagement and success for all students, we are pleased to announce the Supportive School Discipline (SSD) Webinar Series.
Webinars in the series are open to anyone interested in dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline and will explore numerous topics, including current school discipline philosophies, policies, and practices, and emerging alternatives; addressing truancy and absenteeism; professional development across all stakeholders; the promise of trauma-informed practices; the role of school resource officers (SROs) in supportive school discipline; and the importance of youth, family, and community engagement.
If you have any questions regarding this event, please e-mail ssdcop@air.org.
