Check and Connect

1) Category:
Specific program

2) Issues Behind the Program:

Only 70% of American students graduate from secondary school. Dropping out is not a sudden event. Check and Connect (CC) was conceived to develop, apply and evaluate intervention aimed at reducing the number of students with problems who drop out of school.

3) Objectives:
To resolve the problem of students dropping out of school through collaboration between home, school, community and youths To equip students with the skills necessary to take control of their own behavior To support schools so that they can create partnerships with families and the community

4) Environment:
Primary and secondary schools Families

5) Target Group:
Students from 6 to 16 years old who are at risk of failing school Parents

6) Key Words:
Check and Connect, coeuraction, school-family-community partnership, specific program, educational success, school dropout, student engagement, intervention, mentor, learning support, preventive measures

7) Program Description:
CC is a comprehensive intervention program that aims specifically to increase youth involvement and engagement with school and learning. A major part of this approach is its focus on promoting positive results (student competence, educational success, graduating) rather than preventing negative results (e.g. dropout prevention).

This factsheet was taken from the following website: http://rire.ctreq.qc.ca/.

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CC functions via four components: o o o o a mentor who makes sure that education remains meaningful to the student; "check" component: systematic data recording (absences, lateness, failed courses, etc.); "connect" component: individualized and timely extracurricular activities, help with homework); intervention (mentoring,

increased school and home communication component in order to support school interventions. Relationship Building: Mutual trust and open communication, nurtured through a long-term commitment focused on students' educational success Problem-Solving: Designed to promote the acquisition of skills for resolving conflicts constructively and looking for solutions rather than a source of blame Individualized and Timely Intervention: Support tailored to individual student needs that enhances the influence of school, family and community resources on the students level of engagement with school Affiliation with School and Learning: Facilitating students' access to and active participation in school-related activities and events Persistence Plus: An ongoing source of academic motivation and an ongoing relationship with students and their family mean that the message that "education is important for their future" is consistent and reinforced Routine Monitoring of Alterable Indicators: Systemically checking for warning signs of withdrawal (attendance, academic performance, behavior) that can be easily quantified and altered through intervention Long-Term Commitment: Committing to students and families for at least two years, including the ability to follow highly mobile youth from school to school and program to program

Seven features of CC: o o o

o o

8) Steps:
The steps are fully described and explained in the manual: Check and Connect: A Comprehensive Student Engagement Intervention Manual, by S. L. Christenson, M. L. Thurlow, M. F. Sinclair, C. A. Lehr, C. M. Kaibel, A. L. Reschly, A. Mavis, and A. Pohl. (The manual can be ordered at: Publications Office, Institute on Community Integration, University of Minnesota, 150 Pillsbury Dr SE, Room 109, Minneapolis, MN 55455, at 1612-624-4512, or at icipub@umn.edu).

9) Activities/Actions:
Students are referred to the program if they show signs of chronic problems with showing up to class (absences, lateness) or if there is a recognized risk factor for absenteeism and dropping out. Check component (routine monitoring of alterable indicators): o o Monthly student follow-up with the help of a worksheet Indicators: number of absences, lates, suspensions or expulsions, number of times a behavior has needed to be cited, number of classes failed, total credits

This factsheet was taken from the following website: http://rire.ctreq.qc.ca/.

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Connect component (two types of individualized interventions): o o Basic interventions: Preventive measures to ensure a supportive school environment Increased frequency and individualized interventions (e.g. house calls to ensure that the student comes to school, homework assistance for students and parents) To resolve problems, mentors employ a five-step cognitive behavioral method (1- Stop and think about the problem. 2- What are the options? 3- Select one. 4Do it. 5- Did the solution work?). Examples of intensive primary interventions: home visits to ensure that the student attends school; regularly helping the student to apply organizational skills; working with the parents and the student to develop homework strategies Intensive interventions for students at high risk for dropping out:

Increased school and home communication component: o o o This component is an integral part of this approach. Several strategies are employed in order to achieve a goal, including frequent house calls, and meetings in a neutral environment or at the school. Efforts are made to bring parents and school closer together (especially at the primary school level) and to work with parents as partners in order to increase the involvement of parents in their childrens education.

10) Resources Required:

Human resources: o o o Mentors (teachers, volunteers, community professionals, social workers, etc.) and coordinators Parents Budget to buy the manual, run the program and carry out training

Financial resources: Ideally (recommended but not required), two days of training (in Minnesota) to learn how to apply the approach

11) Roles of the Participants:

The mentor: o o o o o promotes regular school participation and makes sure that education remains a salient issue for students, parents and teachers; works with the young person and his/her family in an effort to overcome the barriers that have kept him/her estranged from school and learning; uses individualized actions to help the students develop learning habits and successful engagement; has frequent conversations with students (twice a month for secondary school students and once a week for primary school students); in short, the mentor keeps a close eye on students (grades, absences, behavior, etc.) and communicates often with the student, with his/her parents and with teacher(s).

This factsheet was taken from the following website: http://rire.ctreq.qc.ca/.

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The parents: o participate in meetings and in school monitoring.

12) Scientific Basis or Validity:

Longitudinal studies since 1992 have evaluated components of the approach: http://ici.umn.edu/checkandconnect/impact/default.html. Examples of the studies results include the following: o In 1995, 68% of secondary school juniors involved in Check and Connect were on the path to graduation, compared with only 29% of the control group. (1992-1995: pilot study) After a group of 94 students had spent 2 years in the CC program (47 experimental, 47 control), the percentage of students in CC who were present in class at least 95% of the time jumped from 11% to 34%. (1996-2002: School Success Truancy Intervention) A study of 70 young people with behavioral and emotional problems (experimental) and 79 without (control group) found that after 4 years in the CC program, 54% of the students in the experimental group were enrolled in school programs or had finished secondary school, compared with only 24% of students in the control group. (1996-2001: Persistence Plus) A study of 363 students from preschool to secondary school with or without disabilities, as well as their parents. After 2 years in the CC program, the number of students present at school at least 95% of the time jumped from 17% to 40%. Furthermore, the number of students who were on time went from 42% to 86%. (1997-2001: Elementary Referral Truancy Prevention Pilot)

CC has met the evidence standards of the What Works Clearinghouse for Staying and Progressing in School, a central and trusted source of scientific evidence for what works in education: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/. CC was developed using a U.S. Department of Education grant.

13) Program Material:

Check and Connect manual: Check and Connect: A Comprehensive Student Engagement Intervention Manual, by S. L. Christenson, M. L. Thurlow, M. F. Sinclair, C. A. Lehr, C. M. Kaibel, A. L. Reschly, A. Mavis, and A. Pohl. Websites: o o http://ici.umn.edu/checkandconnect/ http://ici.umn.edu/checkandconnect/C&CWebcast.pdf

14) Additional Information:

Socioeconomic status does not influence whether or not a student is admitted into the program. The information contained in this factsheet http://ici.umn.edu/checkandconnect/default.html. was taken from:

This factsheet was taken from the following website: http://rire.ctreq.qc.ca/.

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15) Contacts:
Ann Mavis Institute of Community Integration University of Minnesota 150 Pillsbury Drive SE, 6 Pattee Hall Minneapolis MN 55455 Tel.: (612) 624-1489 or 1-866-434-0010 Email: checkandconnect@umn.edu Sandra L. Christenson (Professor of Educational Leadership) Department of Educational Psychology University of Minnesota 75 East River Road, 350 Elliott Hall Minneapolis, MN 55455 Tel.: (612) 624-0037 Email: chris002@umn.edu

This factsheet was taken from the following website: http://rire.ctreq.qc.ca/.

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