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An evaluation of the REMEDY project with an emphasis on sustainability: A Safe Schools /Healthy Students federal grant

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An evaluation of the REMEDY project with an emphasis on sustainability: A Safe Schools /Healthy Students federal grant

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Content AN EVALUATION OF THE REMEDY PROJECT WITH AN EMPHASIS ON SUSTAINABILITY: A SAFE SCHOOLS/ HEALTHY STUDENTS FEDERAL GRANT by Lawrence F. Robins A Dissertation Presented to the FACULTY OF THE ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF EDUCATION May 2005 Copyright 2005 Lawrence F. Robins Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 3180494 INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. ® UMI UMI Microform 3180494 Copyright 2005 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. DEDICATION This work is dedicated to my family. My wife Vivian who gave up summer vacations, weekends on the golf course, and spent many lonely evenings while I worked. Her support and faith in my efforts have been invaluable. My sons, Alexander and Jonathan, for their continued support and encouragement. My brother Steve and my mother Fran, for their unflagging belief that I could finish and graduate on time. It is also dedicated to my grandparents, and in particular, Lillian Francis who taught me that nothing was impossible for the “Professor” if he set his mind to it. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This work could not have been completed without the help and support of our chair Dr. Hocevar. Thank you for all that you have done to steer the Redding Cohort through this process. The process could not have even begun without the vision and help of Dr. McLaughlin who brought the USC program to Redding and serves on our committee. Thanks, of course, to Dr. Cohn for being part of the committee and answering all of my questions. Thanks to Dr. Chidester for being our number one cheerleader and for preparing the cohort to write a dissertation. Final thanks to the cohort that started 3 years ago and has stuck together until the end. Without the support of the cohort, the journey would have been much more difficult and not half the fun. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION........................................................................................................ ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.................................................................................. iii LIST OF TABLES................................................................................................. vi LIST OF FIGURES............................................................................................... vii ABSTRACT............................................................................................................ viii Chapter Page 1. THE PROBLEM......................................................................................... 1 Problem Description............................................................................ 2 2. LITERATURE REVIEW........................................................................... 12 Family Involvement Literature.......................................................... 14 3. METHODOLOGY........................................... 27 4. RESULTS................................................................................................... 38 Statistical D ata.................................................................................... 38 REMEDY Goals/Objectives Evaluation D ata.................................. 51 Safe School Environment.................................................................... 51 Goal 1: To Improve Safety Features.......................................... 51 Alcohol, Drugs, and Violence Prevention......................................... 57 Goal 2.1: To Decrease Substance and Alcohol Abuse of Students and Families............................................................ 57 Goal 2.2: To Decrease Occurrences of Violence in Students’ Lives........................................................................ 58 School and Community Mental Health.............................................. 59 Goal 3.1: To Improve the Mental Health of Student................ 59 Goal 3.2: To Improve Mental Health of Families..................... 62 Psychosocial Support.......................................................................... 63 Goal 4.1: To Improve the Network of Services Available to High Risk Mothers............................................................. 63 Goal 4.2: To Improve the Network of Services Available to High Risk Families............................................................ 63 Goal 5.1: To Increase Students’ Academic Achievement 66 Goal 5.2: To Improve Teachers’ Skill in Working with All Students..................................................................... 67 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. V Chapter Page Goal 5.3: To Improve Parents’ Meaningful Involvements in Their Children’s Academic Achievement............................. 67 Safe School Policies............................................................................ 70 Goal 6: To Improve Safe School Policies.................................. 70 5. SUMMARY................................................................................................ 71 Discussion............................................................................................ 72 Recommendations............................................................................... 82 Conclusions.......................................................................................... 84 REFERENCES........................................................................................................ 85 APPENDICES........................................................................................................ 89 A. TEACHER QUESTIONNAIRE............................................................... 90 B. REMEDY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS................................. 92 C. PARENT QUESTIONS............................................................................. 95 D. MULTIPLE COMPARISONS DEPENDENT VARIABLE: ATTITUDE.......................................................................................... 97 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. / vi LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. REMEDY Grant Goals and Objectives.................................................... 4 2. REMEDY Evaluation Methods.................................................................. 30 3. The 14-Item Average Was Coded So That high Numbers Indicate a Positive School Attitude................................................................... 39 4. Descriptive: Attitude.................................................................................. 40 5. ANOVA: Attitude...................................................................................... 44 6. Delinquency................................................................................................. 44 7. Criminality................................................................................................... 44 8. Bullying........................................................................................................ 44 9. Analysis by School..................................................................................... 46 10. ANOVA: Attitude...................................................................................... 51 11. Three-Year Discipline Referrals by School.............................................. 53 12. Three-Year Drug/Alcohol Referrals by School......................................... 54 13. Teacher REMEDY Survey......................................................................... 56 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. v ii LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. REMEDY Grant Goal and Objectives...................................................... 39 2. REMEDY Evaluation Methods.................................................................. 40 3. Attitude: Turtle B ay.................................................................................. 41 4. Attitude: Sycamore.................................................................................... 41 5. Attitude: Manzanita................................................................................... 42 6. Attitude: Juniper......................................................................................... 42 7. Attitude: Cypress........................................................................................ 43 8. Attitude: Bonny view................................................................................. 43 9. All Students: Bullying............................................................................... 47 10. Bullying: Sequoia....................................................................................... 47 11. Bullying: Turtle B ay................................................................................. 48 12. Bullying: Sycamore.................................................................................... 48 13. Bullying: Manzanita................................................................................... 49 14. Bullying: Juniper........................................................................................ 49 15. Bulling: Cypress......................................................................................... 50 16. Bullying: Bonnyview................................................................................ 50 17. Attitudes vs. Bullying: All Students........................................................ 76 18. Attitudes vs. Bullying: Sequoia............................................................... 77 19. Attitudes vs. Bullying: Turtle Bay.......................................................... 78 20. Attitudes vs. Bullying: Sycamore............................................................ 78 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Figure 21. Attitudes vs. Bullying: Manzanita........................................................... 22. Attitudes vs. Bullying: Juniper................................................................ 23. Attitudes vs. Bullying: Cypress............................................................... 24. Attitudes vs. Bullying: Bonnyview......................................................... Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ix ABSTRACT The REMEDY project is a 3-year project funded through the combined resources of the U. S. Department of Education, U. S. Department of Justice and the U. S. Department of Health and Social Services. The grant covers the Redding School District (RSD) and its three partner districts, Shasta Union Elementary (SUES), Igo-Ono-Platina School District (IOP) and French Gulch-Whiskeytown School District (FG). The overall purpose of REMEDY is to improve the quality of life for all students by providing the necessary skills and knowledge to avoid drugs and violence, and by giving them access to additional behavior and health services as needed to address barriers to learning. Supporting this purpose are 11 goals across six elements, each with one or more supporting measurable objective. With six major elements, 11 goals and 28 objectives, a variety of data collection methods were used in this evaluation. Using Clark and Estes (2002) and Bryson’s SWOT (1995) as guidelines, data were collected from a variety of sources including interviews, attendance logs (REMEDY Center N = 4,225), surveys (student survey N = 1927; teacher survey =119) and school records. After analyzing the data, seven recommendations were made to extend REMEDY services to the local community that REMEDY has successfully served. Our future society depends on the success of our school students, not just some of the students, but all of them. The REMEDY Family Center continues to support and work with Redding and its surrounding school districts poorest students. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 1 CHAPTER 1 THE PROBLEM There are many reasons for developing school, family, and community partnerships. They can improve school programs and school climate, provide family services and support, increase parents’ skills and leadership, connect families with others in the school and in the community and help teachers with their work. However, the main reason to create such partnerships is to help all youngsters succeed in school and in later life. (Epstein, 1995) There is a significant body of research that connects parent involvement and student achievement. Children who live in poverty are often denied that connection. Children of poverty are most apt to be highly mobile during their school years and show a failure to thrive in school. They have higher numbers of dropout rates, teen pregnancy and drug use that ensnare them in an endless cycle of poverty. The Redding Empowerment Model for the Education & Development of Youth (REMEDY) is a federal Safe Schools-Healthy Students grant obtained by the Redding School District and its partners to try to break this cycle. The REMEDY project is a 3-year project funded through the combined resources of the U. S. Department of Education, U. S. Department of Justice and the U. S. Department of Health and Social Services (USDOHH). The grant covers the Redding School District (RSD) and its three partner districts, Shasta Union Elementary (SUES), Igo- Ono-Platina School District (IOP) and French Gulch-Whiskeytown School District (FG). A large portion of the grant funded the REMEDY Family Center. The family center was designed to help children and parents in poverty connect with the school Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 2 system and the many community agencies that deal with poverty, homelessness, teen pregnancy and drug abuse. The REMEDY grant was originally funded for 3 years and was awarded $4.5 million. The grant is currently in what the federal government calls a “No-Cost Extension.” Succinctly that translates into whatever funds you have left from the original grant can be used as carry over funds to maintain the project another year. The problem faced by REMEDY is what functions funded by the original grant were determined to be successful and should be continued? The original grant was written with six major goals and 28 objectives. In this 4th year of the grant, a focus on success needs to be determined for future grant writing attempts. Problem Description Redding School District is located in Northern California, 220 miles northeast of San Francisco. Redding is a city of 81,000 inhabitants in Shasta County. Shasta County is considered a rural county with many identified problems. The problems cover homelessness and transiency, multigenerational poverty, drug dependence, spousal abuse, alcoholism, teen pregnancy, high school dropouts and lack of parenting skills to name a few. As a smaller rural county (population 175,500), resources to address these needs are scarce. The grant was aimed at children living in poverty and the associated problems brought on by multi generational poverty, lack of education, lack of resources and substance abuse. There are other stakeholders involved. The primary stakeholders are the children of the districts for which the grant was written. Secondary stakeholders are the parents Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 3 of the children who also receive services at the family center through the grant. The schools, and the district administration, for which we provide tutoring services are also secondary stakeholders. Tier three stakeholders are the various organizations; (e.g., Catholic Social Services, Shasta County Public Health, Redding Rescue Mission, House of Hope, etc.) that REMEDY interacts with. REMEDY provides services that fill a niche that other organizations cannot. The grant was written with six major elements and objectives. (Table 1) I am the current Director of the REMEDY Family Center. The center is located in downtown Redding along motel row where many of the students and parents live. The center provides many of the needs outlined in the six elements and also serves as a safe haven for the students and parents. The REMEDY Family Center is also the headquarters for the grant with the grant director having his office there. Information regarding the grant and its operation is gathered there. It is my plan to use this dissertation as an evaluation tool to look at the REMEDY grant and the services it provides. The grant has an outside evaluator built into it but that evaluation is only looking at how well the district has followed the guidelines in the original grant. It is my desire to look at the REMEDY grant with the idea of sustainability over time. Which parts of each element is making a difference in children’s lives? Which parts of the grant need to be kept in service by the partnership and which parts might best be handled by other agencies? Which services have the schools found to be beneficial in children’s lives? Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 4 Table 1. REMEDY Grant Goals and Objectives Goal Objective I. Safe School Environment Goal 1. To improve safety features II. Alcohol, Drugs, and Violence Prevention Goal 2.1 To reduce the onset of gateway drug use for 80% of the students who are at-risk for experimentation from 10- 15 years old. 1. To decrease crime events on campus. 2. To improve families understanding of school safety features and crime prevention. 3. To improve school staffs’ understanding of school safety features and crime prevention. 4. To improve students’ understanding of school safety features and crime prevention. 1. To decrease substance and alcohol abuse for students and families. 2. To involve parents o f all students found with drugs in determining the consequences for their behaviors. Goal 2.2 To decrease occurrences of violence in students’ lives. III. School and Community Mental Health Goal 3.1 To improve the mental health of students. Goal 3.2 To improve the mental health of families IV. Psychosocial Support Goal 4.1 To improve the network of services available to high risk mothers Goal 4.2 To improve the network of services available to high-risk families. 1. To ensure that 80% of all students currently identified by discipline referrals and suspensions receive necessary services from the Collaborative Coalition. 2. To involve the parents o f all students with violent behavior in determining the consequences for the behaviors. 1. To enhance the abilities of educational staff to identify and assist students with mental health problems. 2. To ensure that 80% of students who need mental health services receive appropriate care. 1. To enhance the ability of service providers to identify with mental health problems. 2. To ensure that 80% of families who need mental health services receive appropriate services. 1. To improve the knowledge of at-risk mothers about services available to them, as measured by surveys and evaluation forms. 2. To increase the number and kinds of services available to at-risk mothers. 1. To improve the knowledge of at-risk families about services available to them, as measured by surveys and evaluation forms. 2. To increase the number and kinds of services available to at-risk families. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 5 Table 1 (continued). Goal Objective V. Educational Reform Goal 5.1 To increase students’ academic achievement 1. All students will meet high standards in reading achievement, as measured by scoring 55 NCEs on the SAT-9, or alternative measures of readiness. 2. All students will meet high standards in language arts % All students will meet high standards in English/Language Arts achievement, as measured by 50% of students scoring at least “proficient” on the California Standards Test (CST) Scores. 3. All students will meet high standards in math achievement, as measured by scoring 55 NCEs on the SAT-9, or alternative measures of readiness. 4. All students will meet high standards in math achievement, as measured by 50% of students scoring as least “proficient” on the California Standards Test (CST) Scores. Goal 5.2 To improve teachers’ skills in working with all students. 1. Eighty percent (80%) o f teachers will participate in at least 25 workshops focused on students needs. 2. Seventy-five percent (75%) of teachers will increase their usage of techniques that meet the needs of all students, as measured by classroom observations. Goal 5.3 To improve parents’ meaningful involvement in their children’s academic achievement. 1. Throughout each school year, families will communicate at least once each month about students’ progress. 2. At least once each quarter, sessions on awareness and knowledge of REMEDY will be offered to families. 3. Throughout each project year, families will participate in at least eight (out of 10) adult education classes that increase their skills in assisting students in the classroom, as measured by alternative assessments. 4. All students will behave in a positive, productive manner, as measured by a decrease in discipline referrals. VI. Safe School Policies Goal 6 To improve safe school policies 1. All schools will review their safe school policies The issue of sustainability is timely as the grant is in its final year of funding. The director is looking into other funding sources and more partnerships but not all Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 6 the elements originally funded can be maintained. Focusing on what works will help guide REMEDY into the future and continue to provide necessary services to students in the partnership. The first year of the project, was focused on what the district had determined as their most at risk schools-Juniper Academy, Cypress Elementary School and Sequoia Middle School (all three are RSD schools). The secondary focus at the time of planning was to target one-third of the remaining schools for services and any school, which specifically asked for help. When the grant was awarded, it became evident that limiting services would be very difficult and it was decided that all schools in the partnership would begin to receive services immediately. The three outlying districts in the partnership are one-school districts with the exception of Igo- Ono. Platina is a one-room school in the Igo-Ono school district but is geograph ically removed to the far end of the county. Redding School District consists of seven schools, one community day school, and one charter school. The other RSD schools that became eligible for services are Bonny View Elementary, Manzanita Elementary, Sycamore Elementary, Turtle Bay Elementary and Redding Community Day School. The first benefit from REMEDY was the purchase of the Second Step program for all classrooms. The Second Step Program is a program to reduce youth violence and is used in all the partnership schools. A succinct overview is presented below. Second Step is a comprehensive violence prevention program designed for preschool to high school aged children. It was developed and piloted within the Seattle Unified School District in the state of Washington. It is Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 7 currently being adopted by school districts across the nation to prevent youth violence. Second Step is a research-based program and it has earned the exemplary rating from the U. S. Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools. Second Step teaches students how to effectively manage their emotions and demonstrate self-control. Research indicates that children who leam and use these skills do better in school academically. By learning these skills at a young age, children will be equipped with the emotional skills to manage conflicts effectively as they age. The Second Step curriculum is organized by grade level and divided into three parts: empathy training, problem solving/ self-control and anger management. Teaching materials consist of easy to use, step-by-step lessons, photos and videotapes. Second Step parent education materials are also available at every grade level. (RRSCA, 2004) The Second Step program ties into the research of Dr. Ruby Payne, who will be mentioned further along in this chapter. The second year of the program saw a continued growth of designated programs at all sites. There was also a staffing change at the REMEDY Family Center with a new center administrator and a new Redding Police Department (RPD) officer assigned. With the change in staffing, the emphasis on getting the house and program up and running shifted to more school safety issues and more out reach to students referred through the School Attendance Review Board (SARB). The second year of the program also saw the growth of the Kid’s Club recreation programs, the expansion of the Family Literacy Program and a tremendous growth in one-on-one tutoring after school. The REMEDY grant was funded to improve students’ quality of life by helping them avoid the pitfalls of drugs, alcohol and violence. It was also funded to help provide additional mental health services to address their barriers to learning. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 8 As mentioned before, the grant is divided into six goals with 28 objectives spread across those elements. Much of this work is done at the REMEDY Family Center located in one of the more impoverished areas of downtown Redding. Placing the center there was planned for easy access to the clientele the grant is designed to serve. Most of the services are provided at the house and through a partnership with a local cab company, transportation to and from the house is not an issue. The house offers a full kitchen facility for cooking and taking food back to the motels, a free washer and dryer, nutrition classes and parenting classes. An average of 150 contacts a week is considered the maximum the house can handle. In the second year of the grant, the house has averaged over 150 contacts and has reached 225 contacts during the holiday seasons. The house is open from 9:00 in the morning to 6:30 at night, Monday-Friday. The house remains open during most of the school holidays, providing services to those families that have no place to go. The house administrator and RPD officer make numerous home visits to the motels, low-end apartments and trailer parks to check on clientele and make sure the children are in school. The two make an average of 5 to 10 contacts each week outside the house. This year, the tutoring has expanded to the school sites with one of the tutors starting the day at 7:00 at an elementary site and then moving over to the middle school. He arrives at the house at 11:00 and works with more students after school. The other tutors come from Simpson College and are aspiring teachers. Through a partnership with the Parkview Neighborhood Project, the house receives 5 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. to 10 tutors each semester. They work with students on a one-to-one basis once a week and receive college credit for their hours. Much of the direction of the programs at the center is based on the work of Dr. Ruby Payne and her work in multi-generational poverty. The clientele that use the REMEDY services are in many cases, multi-generational poverty. They did not finish school and their job prospects are not only minimal, but their willingness to work is almost nonexistent. Children of poverty are the fastest growing subgroup in American schools at this time and Shasta County is no exception. Dr. Payne offers 12-key points about poverty that although not explicit in the grant are integral to how the REMEDY center is operated. 1. Poverty is relative. 2. Poverty occurs in all races and in all countries. 3. Economic class is a continuous line, not a clear-cut distinction. 4. Generational poverty and situational poverty are different. 5. This work is based on patterns. All patterns have exceptions. 6. An individual brings with him/her the hidden rules of the class in which he/she was raised. 7. Schools and businesses operate from middle-class norms and use the hidden rules of middle class. 8. For our students to be successful, we must understand their hidden rules and teach them the rules that will make them successful at school and at work. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 10 9. We can neither excuse students nor scold them for not knowing; as educators we must teach them and provide support, insistence, and expectations. 10. To move from poverty to middle class or middle class to wealth, an individual must give up relationships for achievement (at least for some period of time). 11. Two things that help one move out of poverty are education and relationships. 12. Four reasons one leaves poverty are: It is too painful to stay, a vision or goal, a key relationship or a special talent or skill (Payne, 2001, pp. 10-11). Many of the original writers of the grant went to Galveston, Texas to be trained by Dr. Payne in December 2001. The REMEDY center has operated on the assumption that in particular number 11, “Two things that help one move out of poverty are education and relationships” are integral to our operation. REMEDY provides the instructional crutches to help our clientele succeed in school and over time will build the relationships needed to sustain those students through their school years. The high school district is a separate district and not explicitly covered by the grant. They were a partner in writing the grant and have received limited services. Students who have stayed with REMEDY through 8th grade will continue to receive support and services through high school. It is our belief that to break the cycle of poverty and the accompanying drug and alcohol abuse, REMEDY needs to provide Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 11 long-term support. It is this issue that also drives the sustainability evaluation of the program. Most of the REMEDY Family Center children have problems with anger management and problem solving. Building on the Second Step lessons presented in the classrooms, REMEDY can help improve the chances of these children to break the cycle of poverty. It will take time and is built one relationship at a time. This also fits Dr. Payne’s rule number eleven about building relationships. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 12 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW This review of the literature will concentrate on the areas of poverty and family/school interaction and involvement. There is a considerable body of research done over the last 30 years that has demonstrated that student achievement is influenced by family involvement. These findings have remained consistent even though the face of the family has changed significantly over that time and schools “operate in very different times than those of a decade or two ago” (Drake, 2000, p. 34). Schools have paid lip service to the need for parent involvement but students in poverty are often left out of the process. Parent involvement has reached a “new level of acceptance” as a way to improve schools b u t, “acceptance does not always translate into implementation, commitment, or creativity” (Drake, 2000, p. 34). “Our society has simply become too complex for support entities to continue to function individually” (Buttery, 1999, p. 113). There must be new levels of cooperation/ collaboration between schools, families and communities to improve the learning of all students. The REMEDY Family Center is one of the bridges between families mired in long-term poverty and the school system. It also functions as a gateway to many of its partner agencies. The majority of the original planning and efforts of the REMEDY Family Center were based on the work of Dr. Ruby K. Payne. Her book, A Framework for Understanding Poverty was the original operating manual for the program. While not specifically detailing a program similar to REMEDY, Dr. Payne’s work gives us Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 13 insight into poverty and with insight comes understanding. With a better under standing of poverty, those of us who do not have a background in poverty, can offer assistance and help to our clients. Chapters in Dr. Payne’s book cover (a) The Role of Language, (b) Hidden Rules Among Classes, (c) Characteristics of Generational Poverty, and (d) Instruction and Improving Achievement and Creating Relationships (Payne, 2001, p. 5). The chapters on Language and Creating Relationships were and are of particular help in REMEDY’S day-to-day operation. Stephen R. Covey’s (1990) book, The 7 Habits o f Highly Effective People has also been a mainstay of our operating philosophy. One of Mr. Covey’s 7 Habits is Be Proactive. From the beginning, the REMEDY Family Center has been active in going out into the community and bringing the services to the community. Another habit, Begin with the End in Mind, has also been a beacon for our operation. In looking at assessment tools, Measuring Violence-Related Attitudes, Beliefs, and Behaviors Among Youths: A Compendium o f Assessment Tools (USDOHH, 1998) has been a resource in creating assessment tools and questionnaires for use in evaluating the program. Helping to provide safer school environments is goal number one of the six major goals. How do we know if we have made any progress or achieved our goal? This book provides assessment tools that I have used to measure our progress. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 14 Family Involvement Literature In Susanne Carter’s work, The Impact o f Parent/Family Involvement on Student Outcomes: An Annotated Bibliography o f Research from the Past Decade, she identifies 12 key findings. 1. Parent/family involvement has a significant positive impact on student outcomes throughout the elementary, middle school, and secondary years. 2. While in general parent/family involvement improves student outcomes, variations have been found according to students’ family cultures, ethnicity, and/or socioeconomic backgrounds. 3. Parent/family involvement at home has more significant impact on children than parent/family involvement in school activities. 4. The nature of the parent/family involvement that is most beneficial to children changes as they reach adolescence. 5. Parent/family involvement in early childhood programs helps children succeed in their transition to kindergarten and elementary school. 6. Parent/family assistance with homework can be beneficial; however, parents may need guidance and assistance in order to work effectively with their children. 7. The ways in which Hispanic parents/families are involved in their children’s education may be different from those of traditional American families but are nonetheless valuable and should be both respected and considered when planning parent/family involvement programs. 8. Promising outcomes have been documented in both mathematics and literacy when children’s parents/families are involved in the educational process. 9. The most promising opportunity for student achievement occurs when families, schools, and community organizations work together. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 15 10. To be effective, school programs must be individualized to fit the needs of the students, parents, and community. 11. Effective programs assist parents in learning how to create a home environment that fosters learning and how to provide support and encouragement for their children’s success. 12. Teachers must be trained to promote effective parent/family involvement in children’s education. (Carter, 2002, pp. 5-7) A study by Kessler-Sklar and Baker (2000); School District Parent Involve ment Policies and Programs in 2000, looked at the policies and programs of 200 districts. They noted that most districts have policies geared to communicate with parents about their children’s progress and provide parents with opportunities to assist in various ways. They make seven recommendations for districts: 1. Adopt district-level policies to promote parent involvement. 2. Evaluate policies for effectiveness, especially in reaching diverse families. 3. Examine opportunities for parents to be informed about and become involved in decision-making. 4. Evaluate school-home communications. 5. Inform parents about ways to ‘enrich the home learning environment and increase opportunities for learning at home.’ 6. Evaluate the need to train teachers to work with families. 7. Research current model parent involvement practices and programs (Kessler-Sklar, 2000, pp. 116-117). Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 16 In a report from the National Council of Jewish Women (N.C.O.J.); Parents as School Partners: Research Report they note, “Few parent involvement programs have been rigorously evaluated,” and “Most parent involvement programs aim to change parents’ behavior” (NCOJ, 1996, p. 17). The latter finding has enormous implications for parents living in poverty. The report identified 10 major themes, which once again will influence the work at the REMEDY Family Center and in working with the school district. The themes are: 1. There is widespread consensus among parents, educators, practitioners, policy makers, and researchers that parent involvement is critical to children’s school success. 2. While parents and schools share a common mission of educating children, they do not share the same vision of how to accomplish this goal. This results in inherent tensions in the roles and responsibilities of parents and teachers. 3. Parent involvement theory and exemplary parent involvement programs recognize the value of creating meaningful partnerships among homes and schools in order to enhance parent involvement. These partnerships recognize and value the unique contribution of both homes and schools to the education of children. 4. More open dialogue is needed between homes and schools, especially interactions that are positive and not problem-focused. Both parents and teachers want more opportunities to talk about their experience of parent involvement and how it can be enhanced. 5. Professional and in-service training for teachers on how to work with families is not yet widely available. 6. Parent involvement requires effort on the part of teachers and parents who do not have regularly scheduled time in their daily routines for parent involvement. 7. There are many institutional and personal barriers to effective home- school partnerships. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 17 8. There are few opportunities for personal and individualized contact between parents and teachers. 9. Most model parent involvement programs require parents to conform to school practice rather than training educators to accommodate to the cultures of the families or to incorporate the views of the parents. 10. Less is known about the effectiveness of specific types of parent involvement for enhancing children’s school achievement than has commonly been assumed. (NCOJ, 1996, pp. 18-19) An unexpected connection was made when reviewing the work of Martinez and Velazquez in their paper, Involving Migrant Families in Education. They noted that “Children of migrant farm workers, more than their less mobile peers, face a number of risk factors for school failure, including mobility, poverty, and lack of access to school facilities” (Martinez, 2000, p. 3). Children that attend the REMEDY Family Center face many of the same factors. Martinez and Velazquez go on to suggest that family intervention programs be based on an understanding, appreciation and respect for the dynamics, values and beliefs of these families. This has been found to be very true of our work at the REMEDY Family Center. Miedel and Reynolds (1999, pp. 384-385) conducted research investigating if there was a relationship between parents’ involvement in an early intervention program and innercity children. In their paper, Parent Involvement in Early Intervention for Disadvantage Children: Does It Matter?, they found that parents that showed higher participation in schools resulted in higher reading achievement, lower rates of grade and retention and fewer years in special education until the age of 14. This research struck a nerve with us at REMEDY because so many of our Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 18 clients have special education individual education plans (IEP) and appear to have no chance of being dismissed by the time they reach high school. Given their already late start, the chances of finishing regular high school while in special education are minimal. Hara and Burke (1998, pp. 11-13), in their work, Parent Involvement: The Key to Improved Student Achievement; indicate that “ . . . significant student achievement gains were made in reading” for students involved in a parent/family involvement program. The REMEDY Family Center has an early childhood literacy program in place to teach parents how to read to their children and discuss what they have read, and also to become involved with their child’s school. In a work by Mapp (1997), Making Family-School Connections Work with “economically distressed circumstance,” at Patrick O’Heam Elementary School in Boston, two themes emerged. I have also found these themes to be integral to any success our REMEDY cliental have in dealing with the schools. The themes are: 1. Members of the “O’Heam community” (including everyone from the principal to custodians) connect with parents through activities and programs that are welcoming and that help families build a tmsting relationship with the school and feel that they are a part of the school community. 2. Staff members work to “honor” families by validating any level of involvement or contributions they make (Mapp, 1997, p. 38). Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 19 The work points out those parents feel “empowered” because the staff respects their opinions and takes their concerns seriously. This ties directly to the atmosphere that is created at the REMEDY Family Center. In a study by the National Study for Education Statistics (NCFE, 1998) entitled, Parent Involvement in Children’ s Education: Efforts by Public Elementary Schools the study finds that, “Parental response to these school efforts varied depending upon the activity and school characteristics. In general, schools with higher concentration of poverty and minority enrollment reported less parent involvement than schools with lower poverty and minority populations” (p. 4). I have found that to be very typical of the REMEDY Family Center clientele and the center has worked with the schools to help alleviate this problem. In a Journal of Research and Development in Education article, Shaver and Walls (1998) conducted a study that showed “ . . . that parent involvement, regard less of the student’s gender or socioeconomic status, was a significant factor influencing students’ academic success in reading and mathematics. The younger children and those from higher socioeconomic households made the greatest improvement. The author recommends that schools for at-risk children offer a variety of strategies to involve families” (Shaver & Walls, 1998, p. 97). This advice has been taken to heart by the REMEDY Family Center and is once again, part of our core activities. In a small study of parent training involving first grade students reading below grade level, Faires, Nicols and Rickelman (2000) found that students whose Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 20 parents received the training, “ . . . indicated significant gains made by students in the experimental group” (p. 213). The Family Literacy component of the Center’s programs were aimed at helping parents be involved in their primary children’s education and instruction. While not following the Faires et al. (2000) techniques, the family center is seeing some positive results from the instruction. A study done by Espinosa (1995) on Hispanic families showed a remark-able comparison between family values of Hispanic families and long-term poverty families. The study showed that: Although Hispanic subgroups differ in terms of communication styles and socialization practices, as a whole, members of this culture have strong family ties, family loyalty, and a collective orientation supporting community life. Hispanics indicate a preference for warm, personalized styles of interaction, a relaxed sense of time, and an informal atmosphere for communication—preferences that may present a ‘culture clash’ with the style of many American teachers. Recommended strategies for involving Hispanic parents include: a “personal touch,” with face-to-face communi cation rather than written communication, even when translated into Spanish; nonjudgmental communication that supports parents for their strengths, rather than not judging their “perceived failings”; perseverance in maintain ing involvement; bilingual support for both written and oral communication; strong leadership and administrative support, including flexible policies, a welcoming environment, and a collegial atmosphere; staff development focused on Hispanic culture to foster understanding; and community outreach, including family literacy programs, vocational training, English as a second language programs, health services, and other community-based social services, (pp. 43-44) Considering the culture that I have observed in long-term poverty, the similarities are amazing. The relaxed sense of time, strong family loyalty and the informal style of communication are strong characteristics of families in poverty. The schools traditional mode of communication with parents is written notes, Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 21 bulletins etc. Families in poverty rely on a strong oral tradition, which parallels Hispanic families that are not fluent in English. Espinosa’s recommended strategies for involving Hispanic parents would work equally well for parents living in poverty. In an article in the ERIC Digest in 1998, C.W. Nord found that fathers can be a positive force in their children’s education. Single parent homes, usually a mother only, are very prevalent in poverty families and families with multiple, rotating “father” figures are very common. The author points out that “ .. . should encourage fathers to become more involved and also encourage schools to welcome the involvement of fathers” (Nord, 1998, p. 4). The REMEDY Family Center has worked to hold events and classes that would fit into working father’s schedules and encourages them to attend. One of the services provided by the REMEDY Family Center is tutoring and help with homework. In an article in Educational Psychologist, K.V. Hover- Dempsey and others point out that parent involvement in homework depends on “when they believe they have a role to play, believe their involvement will make a difference, and perceive that their children and teachers want their involvement.” (Hoover-Dempsey, Battaito, Walker, Reed, DeJon, & Jones, 2001, p. 208). When parents do not believe that their involvement will make a difference, REMEDY has stepped in to help. We have attempted to make homework time also family time. The literature also appears to suggest that “parents’ involvement activities influence student outcomes through modeling, reinforcement, and instructions” (Hoover- Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 22 Dempsey et al., 2001, p. 209). How students perceive their place in school and in a family affect their achievement. In a study done by Marchant, Sharon, and Rothlisberg (2001), for Psychology in the Schools, they looked at the relationship of 230 5th and 6th grade students and their perceptions of both their family and school environment. The authors conclude: Apparently it is the values conveyed to students by their most significant relationships (parental values, teacher caring, and peer support) that become internalized, more so than the behavioral characteristics of parents (parenting style and parental involvement) and teachers (teacher control). Additionally, school responsiveness significantly predicted students’ motivations but not their academic competence. It makes sense that students’ perceptions of a positive school environment would enhance their motivations to achieve, but it is the more personal messages delivered by individual relationships with parents and teachers that enhance students’ sense of being academically capable, (p. 516) The positive values the authors refer to are not values inherent in children of poverty. The work of Dr. Payne (2001) and Dr. Beegle concurs, points to a set of values aimed at day-to-day survival, not school success. In Schools and Families: Creating Essential connections for Learning, Christenson and Sheridan (2001) found the following conclusions: 1. Definitions for parent involvement have broadened-4 family’ has replaced “parent” because of the significant adults in the lives of children, and options for involvement have moved beyond the “big three” (volunteer, homework helper, and fund-raiser); 2. We know that home environmental influences are positive correlates of students’ academic achievement and school performance; 3. The distinction between family status and family process variables is critical; what parents do to support learning has a greater impact that who families are; Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 23 4. The specific actions families take to facilitate their children’s educational success, referred to as the ‘curriculum of the home’ chart a course for intervention (as cited by Walberg, 1984); 5. The power of out-of-school time, which includes community and peer influences for school learning, is also important; 6. Programs that improve student performance are comprehensive, well- planned, and provide options for family involvement that allow schools to be responsive to family diversity; and 7. The degree of match between home and school contexts is a contributing factor for students’ school success, (pp. 219-220) The study concludes that “families are essential, not just desirable” (Christenson & Sheridan, 2001) for student success. Programs such as those working at the Family Center are designed to help build and support families mired in long-term poverty. The study recommends an approach that, “focuses on the relationship, recognizes that collaboration is an attitude and not just an activity, creates a vehicle to co-construct the bigger picture about children’s school performance and development, shares information and resources, and establishes meaningful co-roles for the partners” (Christenson & Sheridan, 2001, p. 219). Another review that looks at positive traits that influence student achieve ment is Family, School and Community Influences on Children’s Learnings The authors found that “ . . . students performed well when the following six factors were in place in three locations—at home, in school, and within the community: 1. Standards and expectations 2. Structure 3. Opportunity to learn 4. Support Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 24 5. Climate/relationships 6. Modeling (Christenson & Christenson, 1998, p. 187) Once again, the Family Center has worked to provide those six factors for our cliental. In another study by Epstein (1997) and coworkers they conclude the following: 1. Partnerships tend to decline across the grades unless schools and teachers work to develop and implement appropriate practices of partnership at each grade level. 2. Affluent communities currently have more positive family involve ment, on average, unless schools and teachers in economically distressed communities work to build positive partnerships with their students’ families. 3. Schools in more economically depressed communities make more contacts with families about the problems and difficulties their children are having unless they work at developing balanced programs that include contacts about positive accomplishments of students. 4. Single parents, parents who are employed outside the home, parents who live far from the school, and fathers are less involved, on average, at the school building unless the school organizes oppor tunities for families to volunteer at various times and in various places to support the school and their children. 5. Just about all families care about their children, want them to succeed, and are eager to obtain better information from schools and communities so as to remain good partners in their children’s education. 6. Just about all teachers and administrators would like to involve families, but many do not know how to go about building positive and productive programs and are consequently fearful about trying. As a result, educators get stuck in a ‘rhetoric rut,’ expressing support for partnerships without taking any action. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 25 7. Just about all students at all levels—elementary, middle, and high school—want their families to be more knowledgeable partners about schooling and are willing to take active roles in assisting communi cations between home and school. However, students need much better information and guidance than most now receive about how their schools view partnerships and about how they can conduct important exchanges with their families about school activities, homework, and school decisions. (Epstein, Croates, Salinas, Sanders, & Simon, 1997, p. 287) Items 1, 3, 5 and 6 have a strong tie to students and parents living in poverty. As the authors have concluded, relations can be built between the schools and students of poverty but they must be worked at. “Although good programs may look different at each site, there are common characteristics among successful programs across grade levels including: .... a recognition of the overlapping spheres of influence on student development; attention to various types of involvement that promote a variety of opportunities for schools, families, and communities to work together; and an Action Team for School, Family and Community Partnerships to coordinate each school’s work and progress. (Carter, 2002, p. 29) J. D. Finn wrote an article in Educational Leadership that found the following: Research has not found a consistent relationship between parental involvement in school (attending school programs, volunteering, visiting classrooms) and student achievement. Research also shows that children of “disengaged” parents (parents who are authoritarian, fail to provide guidance and structure, and do not provide emotional support) are the least successful in school settings. Finally, studies reviewed by the author indicate that schools can encourage parent involvement, both at home and at school, with outreach efforts. (Finn, 1998, p. 23) Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 26 Once again, the Family Center’s emphasis on building relationships between schools and families of poverty appear to be supported by research. In A New Generation o f Evidence: The Family is Critical to Student Achieve ment (Henderson, 1994), the review of 66 studies and reports found: “When schools work together with families to support learning, children tend to succeed not just in school, but throughout life.” They also identified six major themes relating to families and student achievement. They are: 1. Families make ‘critical contributions’ to student achievement, from early childhood through high school. Programs and policies to improve student outcomes are more effective if they include families. 2. Parent involvement at both home and at school contributes to both student achievement and retention in school. 3. Parent involvement contributes to the overall performance of all children in schools, not just the children of those parents who are active. 4. Four roles played by parents contribute to children’s learning: parents as teachers, supporters, advocates, and decision-makers. 5. There is a correlation between the extent of parent involvement and the degree of student achievement. The form of involvement is less important than the amount of variety. 6. The best results for student achievement occur when families, schools, and community organizations work together. Part of the outreach and staff development provided by the REMEDY Project has been to work with staff and school sites in how to deal with students from poverty and parents who do not respond to traditional school outreach programs. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 27 CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY In the quest for new funding, matching the original dollar amount is not feasible at this time. The current grant cannot be renewed and no large funding source has been discovered after three months of looking. There are smaller grants available from a variety of funding sources. The problem for REMEDY as stated above is what parts of the six goals and 28 objectives were successful and should be continued? The proposed analysis would be to evaluate the objectives using both SWOT techniques and frameworks described by Clark and Estes (2002). Some of the objectives described in the original grant were determined to be one-time expenses and can be eliminated from future funding considerations. Some of the objectives fall outside the immediate control of the REMEDY Family Center staff and capabilities. Partnerships are being developed with other agencies to continue the work in those areas. The objectives that are considered the core functions of the REMEDY Family Center are the areas of interest for future funding. Tying the research on family involvement in their children’s education, Dr. Ruby Payne’s work on children of poverty and the resources developed in the past three years by the REMEDY Family Center will be the basis for the analysis and the target for future grant writing. In general, the evaluation of the REMEDY grant will be guided by the Program Evaluation Standards 2n d Edition (Sanders, 1994) overall guidelines. Within this section, in developing the problem analysis, a case can be made for using Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 28 the Clark/Estes model and Bryson’s (1995) SWOT technique to give an overview of the analysis in regards to sustainability. The Clark and Estes model will fit where there is hard data to examine. Bryson’s SWOT model will help in examining areas of the grant where data may be lacking or fuzzy. To review, the REMEDY grant consists of six elements written up as goals. The six elements are: 1. Safe schools 2. Alcohol, drugs, violence 3. Mental health 4. Psychosocial needs 5. Educational reform 6. Safe school policies Each of these elements has multiple objectives under them. In looking at the issue of sustainability, it will be necessary to evaluate each goal and the objectives under each one. There will be delimitation regarding some of the objectives. The reality of writing a grant of this magnitude necessitates including everything but the kitchen sink to get funded. Some of the objectives that were included have either been beyond the scope of the current staff or impractical to measure. Those items deemed unworkable will be so noted and not included in the evaluation for sustainability. Using the Clark and Estes (2002) model, some of the elements can be viewed as to where REMEDY is now and where it desires to be. Bryson’s SWOT (1995) Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 29 technique is being used in strategic planning and in public and nonprofit settings. It has applicable meaning to this evaluation also. Table 2 lays out the six major elements and their accompanying objectives. It also contains a comment regarding the planned assessment tool and/or method. The teacher survey consisted of 18 questions with responses built on a 3- point scale (Aware, Not Aware, Not Sure). The survey was posted on-line August 12th. The dates for teachers to complete the survey were August 23rd to August 27th. The 18 questions were: 1. I am aware of the REMEDY Project. I am aware of the services offered by REMEDY. I have taken advantage of the services offered by REMEDY. I have had students in my class take advantage of services at 2. 3. 4. REMEDY injury. 5. The effects of vandalism on campus are quickly repaired. 6. The school buildings are free of hazards that might cause accidental 7. The school has adequate resources to help students in emergencies. 8. Students and staff have a sincere concern about each other. 9. The rules and expectations are clear and well known to everyone at school. 10. The consequences of violating school rules are fair and known to all and are applied consistently. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced w ith permission o f th e copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Table 2. REMEDY Evaluation Methods Goal Objective Method Using I. Safe School Environment Goal 1. To Improve Safety Features 1. To decrease crime events on campus. Clark/Estes 2. To improve families understanding o f school SWOT safety features and crime prevention. 3. To improve school staffs’ understanding of SWOT school safety features and crime prevention. 4. To improve students’ understanding of school SWOT safety features and crime prevention. School Crime Reports Redding Police Department Reports Student Surveys Teacher Survey Student/Parent survey sent home in opening day packets Opening teacher on-line survey given on August 20th -25tb New lockdown hardware at all schools School safety plans Review of school safety plans Student survey sent out in opening packet II. Alcohol, Drugs, and Violence Prevention Goal 2.1 To reduce the onset of gateway drug use for 80% of the students who are at-risk for experimentation from 10-15 years old. 1. To decrease substance and students and families. alcohol abuse for 2. To involve parents of all students found with drugs in determining the consequences for their behaviors. Clark/Estes Hard data is available from disciplinary referrals, SARB Board, Healthy Kids Survey and Carnegie Survey SWOT Review of SARB logs Review o f student/parent drug class offered in partnership with Columbia School District Goal 2.2 To decrease occurrences of violence in students’ lives. 1. To ensure that 80% o f all students currently identified by discipline referrals and suspensions receive necessary services form the Collaborative Coalition. Clark/Estes SARB Logs SARB Contracts SASI Discipline Records 2. To involve the parents o f all students with violent behavior in determining the consequences for the behaviors. Clark/Estes Juvenile Accountability Board referral tracking information and SARB Board data Home visits by Redding Police Department and REMEDY Staff u > O Reproduced w ith permission o f th e copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Table 2. REMEDY Evaluation Methods Goal Objective Method Using 1 . Safe School Environment Goal 1. To Improve Safety Features 1. To decrease crime events on campus. 2. To improve families understanding of school safety features and crime prevention. 3. To improve school staffs’ understanding of school safety features and crime prevention. 4. To improve students’ understanding of school safety features and crime prevention. Clark/Estes School Crime Reports Redding Police Department Reports Student Surveys Teacher Survey SWOT Student/Parent survey sent home in opening day packets SWOT Opening teacher on-line survey given on August 23rd -27f ll New lockdown hardware at all schools School safety plans SWOT Review of school safety plans Student survey sent out in opening packet II. Alcohol, Drugs, and Violence Prevention Goal 2.1 To reduce the onset of gateway drag use for 80% of the students who are at-risk for experimentation from 10-15 years old. Goal 2.2 To decrease occurrences of violence in students’ lives. 1. To decrease substance and alcohol abuse for students and families. 2. To involve parents of all students found with drugs in determining the consequences for their behaviors. 1. To ensure that 80% of all students currently identified by discipline referrals and suspensions receive necessary services form the Collaborative Coalition. Clark/Estes Hard data is available from disciplinary referrals, SARB Board, Healthy Kids Survey and Carnegie Survey SWOT Review of SARB logs Review of student/parent drag class offered in partnership with Columbia School District Clark/Estes SARB Logs SARB Contracts SASI Discipline Records To involve the parents of all students with violent behavior in determining the consequences for the behaviors. Clark/Estes Juvenile Accountability Board referral tracking information and SARB Board data Home visits by Redding Police Department and REMEDY Staff Reproduced w ith permission o f th e copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Table 2 (continued). Goal Objective Method Using V. Educational Reform Goal 5.1 To increase students’ academic achievement 1. All students will meet high standards in reading achievement, as measured by scoring 55 NCEs on the SAT-9, or alternative measures of readiness. 2. All students will meet high standards in language arts achievement, as measured by scoring 55 NCEs on the SAT-9, or alternative measures of readiness. 1/2 All students will meet high standards in English/Language Arts achievement, as measured by 50% of students scoring as least “proficient” on the California Standards Test (CST) Scores. 3. All students will meet high standards in math achievement, as measured by scoring 55 NCEs on the SAT-9, or alternative measures of readiness. 4. All students will meet high standards in math achievement, as measured by 50% o f students scoring as least “proficient” on the California Standards Test (CST) Scores. Clark/Estes Students who have consistently attended The REMEDY Family Center for homework help and tutoring will have their SASI records and State test scores analyzed for progress before attending the Family Center and after Clark/Estes Students who have consistently attended The REMEDY Family Center for homework help and tutoring will have their SASI records and State test scores analyzed for progress before attending the Family Center and after Clark/Estes Students who have consistently attended The REMEDY Family Center for homework help and tutoring will have their SASI records and State test scores analyzed for progress before attending the Family Center and after Clark/Estes Students who have consistently attended The REMEDY Family Center for homework help and tutoring will have their SASI records and State test scores analyzed for progress before attending the Family Center and after Clark/Estes Students who have consistently attended The REMEDY Family Center for homework help and tutoring will have their SASI records and State test scores analyzed for progress before attending the Family Center and after Goal 5.2 To improve teachers’ skills in working with all students. Eighty percent (80%) of teachers will participate in at least 25 workshops focused on students needs. Clark/Estes Attendance logs of the PDC will be reviewed for teacher workshops offered 2. Seventy-five percent (75%) o f teachers will increase their usage of techniques that meet the needs of all students, as measured by classroom observations. SWOT Limited data is available to this reviewer. This could also become a delimitation on the study to t o Reproduced w ith permission o f th e copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Table 2 (continued). Goal Objective Method Using Goal 5.3 To improve parents’ meaningful involvement I their children’s academic achievement. 1. Throughout each school year, families will communicate at least once each month about students’ progress. SWOT REMEDY Family Center parents will be asked how often they communicate with the school about their child’s progress A simple Yes/No question will be emailed to all RSD staff asking if they have initiated a monthly communication with all students 2. At least once each quarter, sessions on awareness and knowledge of REMEDY will be offered to families. Clark/Estes REMEDY Activity Logs RPD and Family Center Administrator home visits Information sent home on the back of the school menus 3. Throughout each project year, families will participate in at lease eight (out of 10) adult education classes that increase their skills in assisting students in the classroom, as measured by alternative assessments. Clark/Estes & SWOT Most of this objective was covered by the REMEDY Family Center’s Family Literacy Course and the Parents’ In Control Course. The attendance logs and lesson plans for those classes will be analyzed. 4. All students will behave in a positive, productive manner, as measured by a decrease in discipline referrals. Clark/Estes SASI records will be reviewed for students who have regularly attended the Family Center VI. Safe School Policies Goal 6. To improve safe school 1. All schools will review their safe school policies. Clark/Estes All safe school plans were re-written last year and I policies chaired a group from the county office of education, sheriffs department and Redding Police Department that worked on safe school plans with every school, charter school, private school and day care center in the Shasta County. 34 11. The rewards used at the school are appropriate and meaningful. 12. Positive behavior is acknowledged frequently. Students and staff feel appreciated. 13. The school is well maintained and a pleasant place in which to spend time. 14. Law enforcement personnel are involved in campus activities in non enforcement roles. 15. In this school, almost everyone can be trusted, and students and staff feel physically and psychologically safe. 16. There is a tone of high moral standards, positive messages, and high expectations of everyone at this school. 17. Disciplinary practices focus on the causes of problems and provide problem-solving procedures, rather than just punitive reactions. 18. The community uses the school during non-school hours. A student survey was developed and sent out to all students. It is weighted heavily towards school safety issues. The deadline to return the surveys was Thursday, September 2. The student survey consisted of 14 questions rated on a 4- point scale: 1 = Strongly Disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Agree; 4 = Strongly Agree and 15 True-False questions. The student survey (Appendix B) was sent to all students and 1,927 were returned. The parent interview questions have been developed and refined. The parent interviews took place in September and an anecdotal record has been prepared. I Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 35 was able to interview five parents who have been long-term attendees of the REMEDY Family Center. Our selection criteria for the interviews are parents who have a history of using the services at the Family Center and most importantly, are willing to be interviewed. The sample size of parents who match the criteria is too small to allow for random choice. The parent questions are: Parent Questions-REMEDY Evaluation 1. How did you first hear about the REMEDY Family Center? 2. Tell me about your first visit to the Family Center. 3. Tell me about your experiences at the Family Center. 4. Who did you connect with at the Family Center? Why? 5. Who was the most helpful at the Family Center? 6. What services did you find most helpful at the Family Center? 7. What services would you like to see added to the Family Center? 8. What changes did you see in your child’s behavior after attending the Family Center? 9. What changes did you see in your child’s academic behavior after attending the Family Center? 10. What overall impact or change have you seen in your family since attending the Family Center? 11. If the Family Center was not available, who would you turn to for similar services? Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 36 12. Has the Family Center ever not met your needs or expectations? How so? 13. Anything you would like to say or add about the Family Center? A request will be sent to the sub contractor for the student counseling data. Because of privacy issues, I do not expect much in the way of details on the students. I have a copy of the students we recommended to them. I will be asking, without names, how many made the first appointment, how many came more than once and their general feeling if they were able to make a difference with the student. The Family Center attendance logs have been tabulated into a spreadsheet and activities grouped by Tutoring/Homework, Computers, Laundry, Kitchen, Social Services, Kids’ Club and Agency provided service. The logs will be analyzed for which services were most used and what areas should be continued. Access to the school reporting software, SASIxp™, has been obtained and student records will be analyzed. Taking names from the Family Center attendance log, all students who have attended the Family Center more than five times in a quarter will be scrutinized for attendance, discipline and grades. Student names that show improvement will also analyzed to see if there is a pattern of family participation at the center. Crime statistics from the campus have been asked for and the Redding Police Department will run a log of calls to any of the schools from the year before the Family Center opened though the end of August, 2004. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. When all of this information is collected and reviewed, I anticipate a few core areas to rise as making a difference in our poverty student’s lives. Those core areas will be the focus of future grant writing to sustain the Family Center and its programs. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 38 CHAPTER 4 RESULTS Statistical Data The REMEDY Project has six major elements and 29 objectives in the grant. Data collection took the form of questionnaires to teachers and students, review of school records, attendance sheets at the REMEDY Family Center, the Professional Development Center (PDC) and narratives from the outsourced counseling agency. The largest single amount of data came from the student survey (Appended). The first 14 questions were run through a reliability analysis and collectively labeled “Attitude” (Table 3). The reliability coefficient for the data is alpha - .894. With an alpha of .894,1 have a great deal of confidence in the average of questions 1 through 14. The composite of all the responses displayed in a histogram is shown in Figure 1. In reviewing the summary of school averages for the category Attitude in the eight measured groups the following table of means was the result (Table 4). A one-way ANOVA analysis shown in Table 5 indicated that the school means differed significantly. Overall, students show a positive feeling toward their school on questions 1 through 14. As the following histograms show (Figures 2-8), the frequency distribution for each school is skewed toward the high end. Questions 15 through 29 were also run through a reliability analysis and three groupings emerged. I have labeled them Delinquency (Questions 21, 22, 18), Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 39 Table 3. The 14-Item Average Was Coded So That High Numbers Indicate a Positive School Attitude Corrected item- Alpha if Item Question total correlation deleted When students at this school have an emergency, someone is there to help .654 .884 I feel that I belong in this school. .623 .885 When students break rules, they all receive the same treatment .481 .891 I feel safe at this school .681 .883 Strangers do not come and go from school easily .518 .889 Teachers go out of their way to let me know I am doing a good job .601 .885 My parents are involved at this school .426 .895 All students are respected at this school are respected regardless of race/religion .614 .885 The school rules are listed in the classrooms and distributed around the school, and .618 .885 students know what the rules are I can be a success in school .621 .885 Writing on walls is cleaned or painted over quickly at this school .499 .891 People care for each other at this school .658 .883 The rules at this school are fair .679 .882 Teachers at this school look out for troublemakers .554 .887 ATTITUDE 300 200 100 o c. 0 ) Std. Dev= .56 Mean = 3.17 N = 1881.00 ATTITUDE Figure 1. Attitude: All Students Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 40 Table 4. Descriptive: Attitude N Mean SD Std. Error Juniper 85 2.907 .630 .068 Manzanita 217 3.390 .393 .027 Cypress 111 3.225 .680 .065 Bonnyview 92 3.428 .447 .047 Sequoia 843 2.998 .497 .017 Sycamore 100 3.537 .493 .049 Turtle Bay 385 3.312 .553 .028 Unknown* 40 3.270 .871 .138 Total 1,873 3.173 .559 .019 * Unknown are questionnaires that were returned without a school name. A T T IT U D E 120 ---------------------------------- Std. D ev= .50 Mean = 3.00 N = 843.00 ATTITUDE Figure 2. Attitude: Sequoia. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ATTITUDE 50 -------------------------------- % % % % % % % % % % * ATTITUDE Figure 3. Attitude: Turtle Bay. ATTITUDE 40 -------------------------------- 30 o cz a > cr < u 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00 3.50 4.00 1.25 1.75 2.25 2.75 3.25 3.75 ATTITUDE Figure 4. Attitude: Sycamore. Std. Dev= .55 Mean = 3.32 N = 385.00 Std. Dev= .49 Mean = 3.54 N = 100.00 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 42 A TTITU D E 4 0 2.00 2.25 2.50 2.75 3.00 3.25 3.50 3.75 4.00 2.13 2.38 2.63 2.88 3.13 3.38 3.63 3.88 ATTITUDE Figure 5. Attitude: Manzanita. A T T IT U D E 20 --------------------------------- Std. Dev= .63 Mean = 2.91 N = 85.00 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00 3.50 4.00 1.25 1.75 2.25 2.75 3.25 3.75 ATTITUDE Figure 6. Attitude: Juniper. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 43 A T T IT U D E 30 --------------------------------- S td . D e v = .6 8 Mean = 3.22 N = 111.00 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00 3.50 4.00 1.25 1.75 2.25 2.75 3.25 3.75 A TTrrU D E Figure 7 . Attitude: Cypress. A T T IT U D E 30 ---------------------------------- 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00 3.50 4.00 1.75 2.25 2.75 3.25 3.75 ATTITUDE Figure 8. Attitude: Bonnyview. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 44 Table 5. ANOVA: Attitude Sum of squares d f Mean square F Sig. Between groups 70.213 Within groups 513.871 Total 584.084 7 1,865 1,872 10.030 36.403 .276 .005 Criminality (Questions 19,18,25), Bullying (Questions 23, 27,15,24), and the reliabilities were .595, .490 and .536, respectively (Tables 6-8). Table 6. Delinquency Question number Corrected item: Total correlation Alpha if item deleted (21) I saw another student steal from the library, a classroom, or the cafeteria. .447 .426 (22) I saw someone destroy or make marks on school equipment or buildings (walls) .431 .465 (18) I saw a student with a knife. .360 .565 Table 7. Criminality Question number Corrected item-total correlation Alpha if item deleted (19) I saw a student with a gun. (18) I saw a student with a knife. (25) Someone threatened me with a knife or gun. .368 .307 .354 .387 .504 .323 Table 8. Bullying Question Number Corrected item-total correlation Alpha if Item deleted (23) I was afraid o f being beaten up on the way to or from school. (27) I felt rejected by other students. (15) I was pushed around by someone who was just being mean. (24) I was afraid of gang activity at school. .339 .430 .394 .292 .510 .407 .457 .536 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 45 The analysis was run on all of the questionnaires returned and then broken out by individual school site and run again. Results are shown in Table 9. The analysis by school (Table 9) shows a mean score that ranges from 2.91 to 3.54 with the average scores at 3.17. The standard deviation for those means scores ranges from .45 to .87 with the SD for all the scores at .56. This matches with the graphed results (Figures 2-8) that show a feeling of a high degree of safety by the students at their respective schools. Contrary to the graph that showed a positive attitude, Figure 9 shows there are a significant number of students who feel bullied at their school. The issues raised related to bullying appears to strike a common chord across the district. The break down by every school follows the same pattern (Figures 10-16). Just as each school shows a positive swing in the bell curve when considering their attitude towards their school, all schools show a negative swing when the question of bullying is considered. When the questions labeled bullying are reviewed, they reveal a feeling of not being connected to the school and in some ways rejected. When a student is feeling rejected and does not fit in, many typical student behaviors towards other students would be interpreted as bullying. A one-way ANOVA analysis shown in Table 10 compares the bullying questions against the attitude questions. Question #15. I was pushed around by someone who was just being mean, (bullying) at .253 is a significant indicator of at least the perception of bullying on Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Table 9. Analysis by School School/category Mean SD Number All Responses Attitude 3.17 0.560 1881 Delinquency 0.19 0.270 1863 Criminality 0.06 0.160 1870 Bullying 0.18 0.240 1875 Unknown* Attitude 3.27 0.870 40 Delinquency 0.11 0.210 39 Criminality 0.02 0.070 39 Bullying 0.14 0.200 39 Bonnyview Attitude 3.43 .045 92 Delinquency 0.11 0.210 93 Criminality 0.02 0.100 94 Bullying 0.18 0.220 94 Cypress Attitude 3.22 0.680 111 Delinquency 0.14 0.240 115 Criminality 0.04 0.110 115 Bullying 0.22 0.240 115 Juniper Attitude 2.91 0.630 85 Delinquency 0.3 0.330 79 Criminality 0.09 0.210 81 Bullying 0.25 0.250 82 Manzanita Attitude 3.39 0.390 217 Delinquency 0.17 0.250 217 Criminality 0.05 0.160 217 Bullying 0.22 0.240 218 Sequoia Attitude 3.0 0.500 843 Delinquency 0.24 0.290 832 Criminality 0.08 0.190 836 Bullying 0.17 0.250 839 Sycamore Attitude 3.54 0.490 100 Delinquency 0.08 0.170 97 Criminality 0.01 0.050 97 Bullying 0.19 0.250 97 Turtle Bay Attitude 3.32 0.550 385 Delinquency 0.12 0.210 386 Criminality 0.04 0.130 386 Bullying 0.16 0.220 387 * Unknown are questionnaires that were returned without a school name. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 47 our campuses by students. The problem and data will be submitted to each of the school sites for their information and action. BULLYING 1200 1000 0.00 .25 BULLYING .50 .75 1.00 Std. Dev= .24 Mean = .18 N = 1875.00 Figure 9. All Students: Bullying BULLYING 600 400 300 200 4) 3 O ’ 9 > BULLYING Std. Dev * .25 Mean = .17 N * 839.00 Figure 10. Bullying: Sequoia Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 48 BULLYING 300 t------------------------- BULLYING Figure 11. Bullying: Turtle Bay BULLYING BULLYING Figure 12. Bullying: Sycamore Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. BULLYING Std. Dev = .24 Mean = .22 N = 218.00 BULLYING Figure 13. Bullying: Manzanita BULLYING 40 T---------------------------- BULLYING Figure 14. Bullying: Juniper Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 50 BULLYING 60 t------------------------- BULLYING Std. Dev = .24 Mean = .22 N * 115.00 Figure 15. Bullying: Cypress BULLYING 0.00 .25 .50 .75 BULLYING Figure 16. Bullying: Bonnyview Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 51 Table 10. ANOVA: Attitude Sum of squares d f Mean square F Sig. Question 15 Between groups 35.846 150 .239 1.078 .253 Within groups 377.479 1703 .222 Total 413.325 1853 Question 23 Between groups 12.953 150 .086 1.423 .001 Within groups 102.709 1693 .061 Total 115.662 1843 Question 24 Between groups 15.483 149 .104 1.772 .005 Within groups 99.313 1694 .059 Total 114.796 1843 Question 27 Between groups 36.656 150 .244 1.277 .016 Within groups 323.393 1690 .191 Total 360.049 1840 REMEDY Goals/Objectives Evaluation Data After analyzing the data, it seems prudent to review the goals and objectives in order and reference the data where appropriate. Safe School Environment Goal 1: To Improve Safety Features Objective 1. To Decrease Crime Events on Campus. In the 2002-2003 evaluation by an outside evaluator, Objective 1 stated: A related result of this reporting process is that all school office managers have taken staff development training on categorizing and reporting offenses relating to violence, discipline, and substance abuse. As a result of this and also the service availability provided by REMEDY, we feel that the referral levels have actually increased, at least to the SARB board. There was a sustained level of SARB referrals during the April-June period, and another full docket in September. Our overall violence, discipline, and substance abuse referrals will be reported in the next Grant Progress Report (GPR) to reflect a whole year comparison with the prior school year. (Baldwin, 2004, p. 1) Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 52 The results from the schools’ discipline referrals show an increase in some areas and decrease in others. The worksheet (Table 11), lists the number of referrals that the district tracks for each school over a 3-year period. (2001-2002, 2002-2003, 2003-2004). One of the objectives for 2003-2004 was to provide office managers with staff development on reporting offenses. Part of the increase in numbers in some areas can be attributed to that training. Another area that shows some increase at some schools is School Disruption and Discipline Referrals. REMEDY has provided increased support in those areas with home visits, support for parents and increased services at the REMEDY Family Center. I believe that I can report that REMEDY is a victim of its own success. With additional workable resources, schools have been much more willing to tackle difficult student discipline cases and follow through with working to change the behavior rather than just be punitive (Table 11). Drug and Alcohol infractions also fluctuated over the past 3 years (Table 12). One item that pushed the numbers upward in 2002-2003 and 2003-2004 was fewer incidents but more students involved in each incident. Both Sequoia and Turtle Bay saw one or two incidents that involved multiple students. One student would bring a drug to school and pass it out to 5 to 7 friends. All students were disciplined under the districts’ zero tolerance rule and REMEDY helped provide drug counseling services to the students. As a member of the S ARB team, alternative placements were found for all students. REMEDY was instrumental in developing an alternative placement class Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. • B * £ ■ a H £003 O » - M V O v «0 O M O IT ) t- V O C O « u t: 3 H 3 0 0 3 r ^ v O - ^ ' - n O ^ O ' t o o O n M ^ O o oo [002 ^ ' t - H - n n o o n n n O n h -h £002 O O O Tf — < 2002 1002 £002 ^,,t r s ' o - - o n h ,tO\ o n i n < n ■ * } ■ T j- O O 2002 nNooNOOn>oiooe o v o m n (N oo oo \ooz m z *’ ? ooor-oooom oo o o o m io 3 0 0 3 © © m o n 1003 eoo3 o — — o O (N V O 3003 1003 rN<NVn— *rt©Tj-Tft--CN o t > - — * »n O O o o O v V O eoo3 O O O — O 00 D. >> C J 3003 n ' t - n ' t o o o ^ n 1003 eoo3 o O O V O O v t* * oo < N (N > > » 3003 © © ( N O n C Q 1003 - « M >n n N - -H N T |- (N O V O -H g U £ s (S'? O C Q C Q “ > 8- S • I 0=11- ° < t s O 8 .2 . S ' I §■! i'S f s i S iio a ^ ia jS i ■ - m c m « 3 c r t c O "3 « J 3 1 r ® — — o n W d c 3 y « , 3 3 3 1 0 . X * .ti .S 3 « 1 ) 4 ) ^ / " n : C /5 00 ^ Q C Q fN l (N ZZOQ2 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced w ith permission o f th e copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Table 12. Three-Year Drug/Alcohol Referrals by School Bonny View Cypress Juniper Manzanita Sequoia Sycamore Turtle Bay < N m C N o O o o o o o o ® o O O o o o o o o o O g < N C J fS (N < N < N < N < N (S < N C N (S < N < N < N C N < N ts < N 02 03 04 02 03 04 02 03 04 02 03 04 02 03 04 02 03 04 02 03 04 C 1 -Drugs/Alcohol 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 12 0 13 0 0 0 0 9 0 Dl-Drugs, Sale 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 Hl-Tobacco 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 7 1 5 0 0 1 0 0 0 Jl-Drug. Para. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4^ 55 within the district for some students and managed the pilot program for the last 6 weeks of school. The district has taken over the program and is running it this year. Objective 2. To improve families understanding of school safety features and crime prevention. REMEDY has paid to have all the locks in the Redding School District changed so that the teacher can lock the room from the inside without having to step outside into the hall. The partner schools are on track to have their locks replaced this year. Sycamore school is in a cellular “dead zone” and new phones with built in radio capability are being tested there. The radios will work on the school site and within a 2-mile radius, which includes the district office. The district’s web page service (eChalk) has been used to publicize updates and changes in the district’s safety procedures. Notices have also gone home in school bulletins, school menus and teachers’ weekly notes to parents. Objective 3. To improve school staffs understanding of school safety features and crime prevention. Through REMEDY staff, a lock down drill was held at each school in the month of September. A review of each drill was written up and given to the principals highlighting areas in need of improvement. A list of district wide needs was given to the district office for future purchase as funding becomes available. REMEDY staff and the Director of Maintenance will be on each school site at least once this year to run a fire drill. Redding Police Department (RPD) through their neighborhood watch program, are also providing assistance to the schools in the area of crime prevention and training in lock down procedures. Each school has also reviewed and rewritten their school safety plans as part of a county Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 56 wide safety initiative. REMEDY, working with the Shasta County Office of Education, Redding Police Department and Shasta County Sheriffs Department, developed a common reporting format for all schools and the information has been coordinated through the county office of education. A 3-page summary sheet and school map has been placed on-line in all emergency vehicles through the county wide communications agency. The results of the REMEDY Teacher Survey show a high awareness of REMEDY and its services with 119 teachers responding to the survey. It also showed that only 40% have taken advantage of the services offered by REMEDY although 78% are aware of the services. The first four questions in Table 13 show the results. The rest of the survey shows extremely high satisfaction levels in an area that I would characterize as Attitude towards their school and current safety issues. Most tli of the questions scored a positive reaction in the 90 percentile. The two lowest scoring answers (73% True; 78% True), dealt with applying school rules consistently Table 13. Teacher REMEDY Survey Questions Percentage I am aware of the REMEDY Project. Aware 99 I am aware of the services offered by REMEDY. Aware 78 I have taken advantage o f the services offered by REMEDY No 51 Yes 40 I have students in my class take advantage of services at REMEDY Yes 65 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 57 and fairly and buildings being free of hazards. The results of the total survey will be shared with the site administrators. Objective 4. To improve students’ understanding of school safety features and crime prevention. Students participated in the lock down drill in September of 2004. Another un-announced drill will be held in the spring of 2005 at each school site. Schools run monthly fire drills and some of the schools, also run their own lock down drills bimonthly. Students are encouraged to report to teachers or staff any concerns that fall under school safety. Some of the increase in reporting of school disruptions and discipline referrals can be attributed to increased student reporting, particularly at the middle school level. Alcohol, Drugs, and Violence Prevention Goal 2.1: To Decrease Substance and Alcohol Abuse o f Students and Families Objective 1. To reduce onset of gateway drug use for 80% of the students who are at risk for experimenting with drugs from 10- to 15-years-old. Over the 3- year period of the grant, the number of incidents has fluctuated. In reviewing the cases, there has been a decrease in the number of individual cases, but the cases that came to S ARB included more students than in the past. Sequoia had one case that involved 7 students; 2 students brought the drugs on campus and gave them to 5 friends. Turtle Bay had the same experience. On a positive note for the district, the students who brought the drugs on campus were in their first or second year in the district. The implication is that the district has done a fair job with students that have Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 58 been in the Redding system since primary grades. Students who were referred to S ARB under this section were given alternative placements, family counseling opportunities and the ability to return to their school after a semester period. Objective 2. To involve parents of all students with drugs in determining the consequences for the behaviors. All students who are recommended to SARB are accompanied by their parent(s) and are part of the process. Family counseling is available and the numbers of parents who have taken advantage of this service has risen over the 3 years of the grant. Goal 2.2: To Decrease Occurrences o f Violence in Students ’ Lives Objective 1. To ensure that 80% of all students currently identified by discipline referrals and suspensions receive necessary services from the Colla borative Coalition. The SARB process has been REMEDY’S main referral mechanism followed by referrals from the schools. The grant has also been able to place Marriage and Family Trainees (MFT) at the school sites. The trainees have completed all of their required class work and are fulfilling their required 3,500 hours of supervised practicum. The trainees have been able to work with the students in the school setting. The grant has reported an unduplicated client count of 346 children and 225 families have been served. Objective 2. To involve the parents of all students with violent behavior in determining the consequences for the behavior. Once again, students with violent behavior are referred to the SARB Board and the parents are part of the discipline Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 59 process. Counseling services are offered and REMEDY continues to follow up on these cases. Referrals from the school sites, (nonviolent), are handled in the same manner without the SARB hearing. School and Community Mental Health Goal 3.1. To Improve the Mental Health o f Students Objective 1. To enhance the abilities of educational staff to identify and assist students with mental health problems. REMEDY continues to support the MFT trainees at the school sites and staff is becoming more aware of what to look for and how to make referrals. The district held 30 in-services for which I have sign- in sheets with 333 attendees (duplicated count) signed in. Not all of the in-services dealt with mental health but many had a student health component. Objective 2. To ensure that 80% of students who need mental health services receive appropriate care. With the MFT trainees and the sub-contractor, this objective has been very positive for REMEDY. The REMEDY records show that through June 30,2004, there was a total of 205 clients served. Thirty-seven of those were adults and 168 were children. Our sub contractor saw 58 clients. The funding for the children was 24% Medi-Cal and 76% REMEDY. The further break down from the subcontractor was 1,362 hours for individual services, 109 hours for family counseling and 210 hours for groups (Ferrarese, personal communication, July 7, 2004) The anecdotal efficacy comments are included below. The therapists’ names have not been included. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 60 I had one boy in my Friday group at sequoia who's Dad was sent to prison for DUI'S. I saw him for the school year with beginning behaviors of being kicked out of school and causing problems for his Mom at home. He ended the year with no suspensions, being respectful to his teachers and graduating 8th grade. There were two times during this past year I headed off suicide attempts. With me being in the school, the girls came in and talked to me, completing their day at school without incident. A 7th grade girl was in an abusive situation, but would not tell me what was happening until the end of school. She is currently safe at the HART house awaiting a foster placement. A 7th grade boy with his family was seen for anger management, keeping the boy from being sent to a "Boot camp" as he (and the family) gained control of their tempers. Coming from a neglected home in Arizona, a 6th grade boy adjusted to his new home. His Mom was a druggie in Az. Dad from Redding got custody of the children, but they had a difficult adjustment to rules. By the end of school, step Mom stated there was no reason to continue into the summer since he was doing so well listening, stating his needs and controlling his anger. A 10-year-old female student was gang raped in her neighborhood. Until school ended, we addressed issues of self worth, anger management, social skills and other interventions. When school ended, the family has not brought her to the office to continue therapy. With the REMEDY project, there was taxi service available. She was on Medi-Cal and could not make it here herself. Those were a few of the many success stories due to the REMEDY grant. Over the last 9 months, I have worked with many women, both on an individual basis and as therapist for groups I conducted at the women's shelter and transitional housing. I have changed minor details to protect their anonymity. Here is what I have experienced: One woman I met at the shelter had 7 children, was semi-literate, had a history of childhood physical and sexual abuse followed by more abuse by male partners in adulthood. After meeting her at the shelter, she engaged in weekly individual therapy for almost 9 months. During our "exit interview", she shared with me that she felt that she had given birth to her new self as she learned to identify the self-limiting beliefs that prevented her from seeking help in the past, she advised that since entering therapy, her son, who had Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 61 learned to identify the self-limiting beliefs that prevented her from seeking help in the past, she advised that since entering therapy, her son, who had been living in foster care, returned home; her other son, in middle school began to excel in school— going from ‘C's’ and ‘D's’ to ‘B's’; her oldest son graduated from high school; and her toddler was enrolled in Head start and learning healthy social skills. This client shared that for her, the self-limiting beliefs she carried were absorbed by her children and it wasn't until she began to dismantle those cognitive distortions and replace them with healthy life- affirming self-messages that her children could begin to break out of the box of poverty, abuse and dysfunction that encaged them. At this writing, she is buying a small mobile home for her little family— the first home she has ever owned— and is considering returning to school so that she can obtain gainful employment rather than rely on the welfare system. I have another client who came to our agency despondent over her drug- addicted adult daughter's behavior. She was a grandmother with guardianship of the 5-year-old son of this daughter and her presenting problems included depressive disorder related to becoming a mom again at a late age, and ongoing concerns about her daughter who was homeless, had a warrant for her arrest, but would visit her mother and son unannounced and often under the influence of methamphetamine. My client was aware of the psycho logical damage these visits caused her grandson. The REMEDY program allowed both this grandmother and her grandson to be seen by clinicians at this agency. Over 6 months, we worked on setting healthy boundaries for the grandmother, helping her process her grief, shame and guilt about her daughter's addiction and parenting failure and we provided psycho education on the stages of addiction and recovery. The grandson was seen by another clinician here and he had an opportunity to process his fears about his mom, his anger over her abandonment and to gain some understanding about addiction. During the last few weeks of therapy, I was able to conduct a family therapy session with mother and daughter and I provided the daughter with referrals for chemical dependency treatment. Mother and daughter were able to express feelings about their relationship, to identify the dysfunctional dynamics, and I challenged them both about the impact of that dysfunction on their son/grandson. While I don't know if the daughter entered chemical dependency treatment after that last meeting, what I do know is that we planted some seeds of recovery for her and we gave the grandmother some support during a very difficult time. The REMEDY program allowed us to reach a very sad and scared little boy and to plant the seeds of prevention in him, so that the cycle of addiction was perhaps broken. There are so many wonderful stories about the effectiveness of the REMEDY program and these are just two that I can think of as I rush through Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 62 though the taxi service was available, they very rarely used it, instead taking buses, walking and riding their bikes to therapy. Most rarely missed an appointment and were diligent in "doing the work' in therapy because they wanted to create better lives for their children. Anecdote Matt S. was a kindergarten at Cypress Elementary. His teacher had complained of his constant disruption in the classroom and his opposition to correction. Matt and his older brother Thomas began therapy through the Remedy program. After approximately 3-4 weeks of counseling through the program, after school coordinator Rina Ford, who had worked extensively with Matt and his family, reported that his teachers reported a remarkable change in Matt's attitude and behavior in the classroom. He now had a positive and cooperative attitude and if his temper began to flare he would voluntarily ask to leave the classroom for a "cooling off' period. (Streeter, Blair & Gomez-Gillard, personal communication, July 7, 2004) Goal 3.2. To Improve Mental Health o f Families Objective 1. To enhance ability of service providers to identify families with mental health problems. The MFT trainees combined with the school staff has proven to be very effective in making recommendations for mental health services. REMEDY has provided the MFT trainees to the school sites and the district has conducted trainings at the Professional Development Center with an attendance over 3,100. REMEDY has also continued to work through the SARB hearings to provide services to families in need. Objective 2. To ensure that 80% of families who need mental health services receive appropriate services. An effective safety net coordinated by SARB, school counselors and staff, services provided by our off-site sub-contractor, the MFT trainee program and services provided by Northern Valley Catholic Social Services Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 63 have been provided and maintained. It has been a founding belief that REMEDY could make a difference if services could be provided for the entire family. Psychosocial Support Goal 4.1. To Improve the Network o f Services Available to High-risk Mothers Objective 1. To improve the knowledge of at-risk mothers about services available to them as measured by surveys and evaluation forms. Working with the School Readiness Grant and the First Five Commission, progress has been made on this objective. To date, 346 children have been referred, 20 children with special needs and 225 families. In interviews conducted at the REMEDY Family Center; clients have consistently mentioned the availability of assistance in housing assistance, food, job assistance, faith-based referrals, adult health services, women’s support groups, counseling services and tutoring. The interviews also pointed out the lack of any other agency that has ties to the school system and all the other agencies. Objective 2. To increase the number and kinds of services available to at-risk mothers. For the purposes of this study, this was considered a delimitation. Goal 4.2: To Improve the Network o f Services Available to High-risk Families Objective 1. To improve the knowledge of at-risk families about services available to them as measured by surveys and evaluation forms. REMEDY provided services to 225 families during the period from April 1-September 29, 2004 by the Family Advocates. The SARB process has also had a huge impact on this objective. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 64 SARB serves the neediest families and has referred them directly to REMEDY counseling, tutoring, food, and other serves and is backing them up with behavior contracts. REMEDY staff is known as a resource of information for families living in poverty. All REMEDY staff members continually update their knowledge of local services. REMEDY is a participant in the City of Redding’s Homeless Continuum of Care project, as well as the Motel Task Force. REMEDY has a strong working relationship with Collaborative members (People of Progress, NVCSS’ PLACE program, CalWORKS, two mentoring programs, and New Directions to Hope). Objective 2. To increase the number and kinds of services available to at-risk families. During the first year of the project, the RSVP Family Literacy classes at the REMEDY Family Center were very popular and had an impact on both literacy improvement and parenting skills, which was also part of the sessions. REMEDY funds were used to contract with a family literacy coordinator, resulting in seven ongoing classes. Parental involvement and volunteerism, quality of instruction and combination of life skills and literacy training in these classes has been most impressive. The Family Literacy classes exemplified the essence of what the REMEDY program is trying to accomplish. The RSVP family literacy classes had an enormous impact benefiting both youth and their parents: 1. Fifty parents per semester successfully complete the course and graduated (these families all earned home computers) which cost REMEDY $25 per computer; 2. Over 140 children ages 0-15 were served; Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 65 3. One thousand two hundred books were provided to families for use in their home library; 4. Eight 13-week parenting classes were completed; and 5. Forty-one parents are currently on the waiting list for classes. 6. Seventy parents graduated during the 2004-2005 school year; 7. REMEDY helped four parents pass their GED exams; 8. There are currently five on-going classes this year (2004-2005) at five different locations (REMEDY Family Center, Juniper, Cypress, Sycamore, and Shasta Elementary School); 9. This year (2004-2005) REMEDY provided a sign language interpreter for one of these classes for a hearing-impaired client; There were three other parenting classes offered at the REMEDY Family Center, as well as one domestic violence prevention class provided by the Women’s Refuge. The washer and dryer in the REMEDY Family Center are booked solid by appointment, and an emergency food service is being used judiciously at the Family Center kitchen. Attendance at the Family Center has increased from 20 per week in April 2002 to an average of 150 per week during the last 3 weeks of September 2004. Attendance at the Family Center during the spring semester 2004 averaged about 159 visits per week. The Family Center staff members have made referrals to local runaway shelters, a psychiatric unit, the PLACE Program for permanent housing assistance, and a wide variety of other social services. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 66 Goal 5.1. To Increase Students ’ Academic Achievement Objective 1. All students will meet high standards in reading achievement, as measured by scoring 55 NCEs on the SAT-9, or alternative measures of readiness. For the purposes of this study, this was considered delimitation. Objective V 2. All students will meet high standards in English/Language Arts achievement, as measured by 50% of students scoring at least “proficient” on the California Standards Test (CST) Scores. For the purposes of this study, this was considered a delimitation. Objective 2. All students will meet high standards in language arts achievement, as measured by scoring 55 NCEs on the SAT-9, or alternative measures or readiness. For the purposes of this study, this was considered a delimitation. Objective 3. All students will meet high standards in math achievement, as measured by 50% of students scoring at least “proficient” on the California Standards Test Scores. For the purposes of this study, this was considered a delimitation. Objective 4. All students will meet high standards in math achievement, as measured by scoring 55 NCEs on the SAT-9, or alternative measure of readiness. For the purposes of this study, this was considered delimitation. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 67 Goal 5.2: To Improve Teachers ’ Skills in Working with All Students Objective 1. Eighty percent of teachers will participate in at least 25 workshops focused on needs of students. Advanced training in “Best Practices,” Edusoft and other assessment software, parent involvement and collaborations, systems change, and SASI and suspension codes all have taken place. The Professional Development Center has a full menu of training activities in place. Through the end of March 2004 attendance at the Professional Development Center training events totaled 3,100 classified and certificated staff participants. Objective 2. Seventy-five percentof teachers will increase their usage of techniques that meet the needs of all students, as measured by classroom observations. For the purposes of this study, this was considered delimitation. Goal 5.3: To Improve Parents ’ Meaningful Involvement in Their Children’ s Academic Achievement Objective 1. Throughout each school year, families will communicate at least once each month about students’ progress. During the 2004-2005 school year, better documentation is in place. Students are referred for REMEDY services by teachers, counselors, or through the SARB process. Students referred for tutoring at the Family Center are given individual assessments, and study plans developed by a teacher recently retired from the district. There is a strong communication link between the tutors and classroom teachers, and then from teachers to parents through progress reports, phone calls, and meetings. The E-chalk system and weekly Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 68 newsletters are used to communicate school-wide information to parents. Parents coming to the Family Center had an excellent opportunity to become involved with and learn more about the academic progress of their child. Student Study Teams (SST’s) and Teacher Study Teams (TST’s) are widely used within the district, and help address these needs. In an informal email survey of the teaching staff, 95% of the responders indicated being in touch with their students parents at least once in each month. Objective 2. At least once each quarter, sessions on awareness and know ledge of REMEDY will be offered to families. Throughout this period, special events at the Family Center have drawn up to 65 people, including a summer barbeque and numerous family birthday celebrations for RSD “motel kids” (these celebrations typically number 12 to 15 people attending). The Easter celebration was profiled in the Redding Research-Searchlight article, “Rising to the Occasion.” Our REMEDY Family Center administrator and home visitor have been active in the community, and REMEDY staff members have continued their involvement with the City of Redding’s Homeless Continuum of Care project, the Motel Task Force, People of Progress, NVCSS’s Place Program, CalWORKs, two mentoring programs, and New Directions to Hope. Attendance at the Family Center and use of the mental health services has been strong. Following the attendance at the SS/HS Summer Communication Institute, 200 information packets on REMEDY services were delivered to school sites for distribution to parents. REMEDY staff members also Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 69 increased “knock and talk” motel visits and other outreach efforts at the beginning of the school year to reposition REMEDY’S presence in people’s minds. During the last period April 1-September 29, 2004, the same awareness activities continued. Also, Americorps worker Natalie Hoffman provided leadership in putting on special events at the Family Center which had drawn up to 60 people, including Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s dinners. Media coverage of the Blue Santa Christmas present giveaway at REMEDY in association with the Redding Police Department has helped raise the awareness of REMEDY services. Objective 3. Throughout each project year, families will participate in at least eight (out of 10) adult education classes that increase their skills in assisting students in the classroom, as measured by alternative assessments. Approximately 140 parents attended the Family Literacy classes over the period from April 1- September 29, 2004. The family literacy classes had strong components in academics and parenting. Five 13-week sessions were offered per semester, including three at the Family Center and one each at Juniper and Cypress schools. These classes have a 95% attendance rate, and missed classes are usually made up to qualify for a free computer. This period we offered our first bilingual Spanish class, which included books in Spanish and English. REMEDY also offers Parents-in- Control classes each week. Objective 4. All students will behave in a positive, productive manner, as measured by a decrease in discipline referrals. From 2001-2002 with 2002-2003, the Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 70 Redding School District discipline referrals for crime and violence issues dropped 27%, and referrals for substance abuse dropped 42%. Safe School Policies Goal 6: To Improve Safe School Policies Objective 1. All schools will review their safe school policies. During the 2004-2005 school year, the countywide plan was put in place, which will greatly assist law enforcement in crisis response situations. Officers responding to a crisis situation, will have all contact information needed to respond effectively to any crisis. REMEDY staff continued to work with school staff to implement the details of their safe school plans, and is working at the district level to include information on Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS). Several schools have undertaken significant planning efforts including meetings with law enforcement, fire and other emergency responders, and more drills are being conducted. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 71 CHAPTER 5 SUMMARY Redding School District (RSD) is the grantee for a 3-year project established to provide a safe and healthy environment for not only the Redding communities served by this district, but also three small, rurally-isolated independent school districts administered by the Redding School District through the New Millennium Partnership: French Gulch-Whiskeytown Union Elementary School District, Shasta Union Elementary School District, and Igo-Ono-Platina School District. The Redding Empowerment Model for the Education and Development of Youth (REMEDY) is funded through a Safe Schools/Healthy Students (SS/HS) grant from the combined resources of the U. S. Department of Education, U. S. Department of Justice, and U.S. Department of Health and Social Services. The overall purpose of REMEDY is to improve the quality of life for all students by providing the necessary skills and knowledge to avoid drugs and violence, and by giving them access to additional behavior health services as needed to address barriers to learning. Supporting this purpose are 11 goals across six elements, each with one or more supporting measurable objective. The primary hub of activities for this project is the REMEDY Family Center (RFC), centrally located in one of the more impoverished areas of the community, near many of the local motels that house RSD students. Services are available free of charge to students and families from all schools in the New Millennium Partnership, which includes the three outlying school districts. The RFC strives for a warm family atmosphere, Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 72 providing a place where students and their families can receive a variety of services, including tutoring, mentoring, cooking and nutrition classes, parenting classes, and counseling services. Programs offered at the center include: 1. Kid’s Club, which provides special recreation activities from 4:00 to 6:00 daily; 2. Parents in Control, hands-on parenting classes, which meet court- mandated parenting class requirements; 3. A Family Literacy Program offered several times a week with child care provided so parents can also attend; and 4. One-on-one tutoring and homework assistance. A kitchen and free laundry room (a critical need for motel families) is available to parents, as well as computers and a place for art and recreation activities. The RFC is staffed by a RFC administrator, a home visitor, AmeriCorp students, and the district administrator. Discussion “Our society has simply become too complex for support entities to continue to function individually” (Buttery, 1999, p 113). There must be new levels of cooperation/collaboration between schools, families and communities to improve the learning of all students. The REMEDY Family Center is one of the bridges between families mired in long-term poverty and the school system. It also functions as a gateway to many of its partner agencies. There seems to be little doubt that REMEDY has made an important contribution to the partnership schools over the Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 73 past 3 years. The data collected for this study supports the same conclusion. Not all of the six goals and 28 objectives could be measured to the same depth and degree and can be continued. While this study started out to be a simple study of the REMEDY grant with an idea of sustainability, the study took some interesting turns. In reviewing the literature, the issue of parent involvement became more paramount to student success than I had first believed. How a student perceives his place in the school and in the family has an enormous affect on their success. The study done by Marchant, Sharon, and Rothlisberg (2001) concluded: Apparently it is the values conveyed to students by their most significant relationships (parental values, teacher caring, and peer support) that become internalized, more so than the behavioral characteristics of parents (parenting style and parental involvement) and teachers (teacher control). Additionally, school responsiveness significantly predicted students’ motivations but not their academic competence. It makes sense that students’ perceptions of a positive school environment would enhance their motivations to achieve, but it is the more personal messages delivered by individual relationships with parents and teachers that enhance students’ sense of being academically capable, (p. 516) The REMEDY Family Center serves as a hub to pull parents and the schools closer together. Serving as a bridge between the schools and home, the family center has helped build positive perceptions between the parties, leading to student academic success. Goal 4.2— To improve the network of services available to high risk families is supported by the work done by Marchant and others. In the study School District Parent Involvement Policies and Programs (Kessler-Sklar, 2000, pp. 116-117) they point out the importance of districts having polices geared to communication with parents about their children’s’ progress. Using the services of Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 74 the REMEDY Center and the programs reviewed under Goal IV-Psychosocial Support, school policies and procedures have been modified to better meet the needs of parents in poverty. REMEDY has been the ombudsman for parents trapped in poverty between the school system and often other governmental agencies. In a study done by the National Council of Jewish Women, they recognize that many times parent involvement programs have aimed at changing the behavior of the parents in regards to the school district. REMEDY, acting on behalf of our clients, has attempted to change the perceptions and policies of the district, rather than change the parent behavior. We have worked on parent education and literacy programs to give our clients new skills in dealing with the schools. In a study done by Epstein and co-workers, they found that schools in economically depressed areas have many more negative contacts with parents regarding problems and issues with their children than positive contacts. REMEDY has worked to make our student clients more successful in school to promote more positive contacts. Programs and one on one meetings with parents at the REMEDY Center have also helped promote more positive communication. Since the family center started keeping track of attendance (September 24, 2002) through November 10, 2004, there have been 4,141 adults and 7,414 children (duplicated count) coming to the center for services. The numbers and span of 2 years have provided a long-term opportunity to educate and change parent and student behaviors. In another study, Mapp (1997) found that schools that “honor” any family involvement by validating parents’ efforts will also contribute to student success. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 75 The REMEDY Family Center has concentrated many of its’ efforts to help support and build on the “Family” part of our services. Providing opportunities for parents and children to come together as a family for dinners, celebrations and holidays have helped to validate their contribution to their children’s success. Another unexpected finding was the work of Martinez and Velazquez (2000) in dealing with migrant farm worker’s children. While describing the issues facing migrant workers, it struck me that our clients at REMEDY are not nearly as mobile but face many of the exact same issues in school. Following this thread, I found a study by Espinosa (1995) that explored Hispanic family values and traditions. Comparing those values to families living in multi-generational poverty show many similarities. The language barrier for Hispanic families is often considered a major obstacle to learning. Many of our clients, although they speak English, are not conversant at a school success level. Their limited vocabulary and poor command of syntax are major barricades to school success. The family center has worked with tutors and classroom teachers to improve this situation. In the report, A New Generation o f Evidence: The Family is Critical to Student Achievement (Henderson, 1994), the review of 66 studies identified six major themes to family and student achievement. One theme points out that there, is a correlation between the extent of parent involvement and student achievement. It also points out that the form of involvement is less important than the amount of variety. The family center has provided numerous opportunities for parents to get involved and be successful. Emboldened by their success, the family center Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. currently has two of our clients enrolled in local colleges taking courses to improve their job prospects. That is a true success story for our program. The second area that produced some surprises was the student survey. The first pleasant surprise was the sheer number of response that was received (1,927). The overall feeling among the responders was a positive attitude towards their school in regards to attitude. But contrasting data showed a high number of students who feel bullied at their school (Figure 17). ATTITUDE % % % % % % % A TTITUDE B U L L Y IN G 0.00 2 5 5 0 .75 150 Figure 17 . Attitudes vs. Bullying: All Students. When the data are broken down by schools, the trends do not deviate from this pattern. Sequoia is the largest school in the district with over 1,000, 6th, 7th and 8th graders. Their socioeconomic demographics draw from all over the district and have a mix of all income levels. Sequoia has already implemented programs this year to raise student and staff awareness and reduce bullying incidents. Sequoia’s discipline Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 77 referral numbers (which bullying would be considered part) have increased over the past three years due to an increased sensitivity by the staff and a willingness to deal with the issue. More incidents are handled successfully at a lower level within the school community (Figure 18). Sequoia-Attitude Sequoia-Bullying A TTITUDE BULLYING Std. Dev = .25 0.00 .25 .50 .75 1.00 Figurel8. Attitudes vs. Bullying: Sequoia. Turtle Bay is a Kindergarten through 8th grade site. Their socioeconomic status is also mixed with students coming from motels and very expensive homes. Turtle Bay’s discipline referrals also show a marked increase for the same reason as Sequoia’s. Turtle Bay’s change in administration for the past two years has shown an increase in numbers as they have successfully dealt with the problems that were more or less ignored before (Figure 19). Sycamore is a Kindergarten through 5th grade school site with middle to lower socioeconomic clientele. They also have a new principal in her second year. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 78 Turtle Bay-Attitude Turtle Bay-Bullying ATTITUDE ^ * < ? ATTITUDE BULLYING Std. D«v - .22 0.00 .25 .50 .75 1.00 Figure 19. Attitudes vs. Bullying: Turtle Bay. She follows a strong principal and their school disruption numbers have remained constant (Figure 20). Sycamore-Attitude Sycamore-Bullying ATTITUDE 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00 3.50 4.00 1.25 1.75 2.25 2.75 3.25 3.75 ATTITUDE BULLYING 0.00 .25 .50 .75 1.00 BULLYING Figure 20. Attitudes vs. Bullying: Sycamore Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 79 Manzanita again has a new principal who is in her second year. Manzanita is a Kindergarten through 5th grade campus. They have had the highest socioeco nomic student body for many years. In the past, few years an increasing number of lower socioeconomic parents have taken advantage of a few pockets of cheaper rentals and the opportunity to put their children in Manzanita School. This has resulted in a mix of “haves’ and “have nots” and not much in the middle. This dichotomy could possibly be a contributing factor to the sharp spike in feelings of bullying at school. Manzanita’s discipline referrals have remained fairly consistent over the past 3 years. Manzanita has a reputation for dealing with incidents within the Manzanita “family” (Figure 21). Manzanita-Attitude Manzanita-Bullying ATTITUDE BULLYING 2.00 2.25 2.50 2.75 3.00 3.25 3.50 3.75 4.00 2.13 2.38 2.63 2.88 3.13 3.38 3.63 3.88 ATTITUDE 5“ 2 0 0.00 .25 .50 .75 1.00 Figure 21. Attitudes vs. Bullying: Manzanita Juniper is a Kindergarten through 8th grade campus and the only campus in the district where school uniforms are required. The uniform policy was started to Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 80 level the dress code field being as Juniper’s students are some of the lowest socio economic families in the district. Juniper also has a new principal in his second year and he is aware of the problem on campus. Juniper has also started programs to reduce the amount of bullying on campus. Junipers’ discipline referrals over the past three years have remained consistent but discipline does take up more administrative time than other sites in the district (Figure 22). Juniper-Attitude Juniper-Bullying ATTITUDE BULLYING ATTITUDE BULLYING Figure 22. Attitudes vs. Bullying: Juniper Cypress is tied with Juniper for the lowest socio-economic clientele in the district. Cypress has a new principal this year who replaced a retiring principal who had been at Cypress for many years. Cypress has shown a decline in discipline referrals over the past 3 years. Credit must be given to the staff for stepping up to the plate and taking a greater role in helping with discipline. Cypress does not have Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 81 any other daily administrative help and the help of the staff is making a difference (Figure 23). Cypress-Attitude Cypress-Bullying ATTITUDE BULLYING 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00 3.50 4.00 “ 00Q 25 ^ ?5 1ffl) 125 1.75 2.25 2.75 325 3.75 BULLYING ATTITU D E Figure 23. Attitudes vs. Bullying: Cypress. Bonnyview also has a new principal this year. Bonnyview is a typical neighborhood school in an area of starter homes and older families. Bonnyview has some of the lowest school disruption figures in the district. Their socioeconomic status would be considered middle of the road and the REMEDY Family Center hardly ever sees either parents or students from Bonnyview (Figure 24). The students that come to the family center tend to come from Sequoia, Cypress, Juniper and Turtle Bay. Those school boundaries encompass some of the poorest pockets in Redding. It is interesting to note that no one school or socio economic class has a franchise on bullying. Manzanita with the largest span of Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 82 Bonnyview-Attitude ATTITUDE 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00 3.50 4.00 1.75 2.25 2.75 3.25 3.75 Bonny View-Bullying BULLYING N = 94.00 Std. Dev = .22 0.00 .25 .50 .75 Figure 24. Attitudes vs. Bullying: Bonnyview. economic status does show some interesting numbers that might be used for a future study. Recommendations The REMEDY Family Center’s funding ends in June, 2005. The grants six goals and 28 objectives outlined an ambitious project for children and parents living in poverty and safety issues. The data indicate that REMEDY has made significant progress towards those goals but the work is far from done. The REMEDY Family Center with its 11,555 visitations since 2002 show a need for the services it provides. The original grant was for $4.5 million over 3 years. Grants of this size are in short supply in 2005, but some of the family center programs can be spun off and grants written specifically for smaller amounts to keep that aspect running. Recommendation 1. The Family Center house with its washer, dryer, kitchen and computer rooms can be a stand-alone item. With the current location being sold, Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 83 every effort should be made to find a suitable location in the same neighborhood of motels and low-income housing. This would constitute a grant of approximately $50,000-$60,000 per year for the basic building and utilities. Recommendation 2. The family literacy programs can be funded as another separate entity. Grants are currently being written to underwrite the cost of this program. The cost is approximately $50,000-$60,000 based on current costs. Recommendation 3. The counseling (MFT’s and outsourcing) are another aspect that would qualify for separate funding. Medi-Cal billing might be a possible funding source for this program. Title 1 funds might be possible if they do not supplant current programs. Recommendation 4. The taxi service, which has been invaluable in getting clients where they need to be, can be contracted cheaper than the district can buy and run a bus. A cost estimate based on current use would be $25,000 per year. Recommendation 5. Mentoring and tutoring services that have begun in partnership with Simpson College can continue to be run at the family center if funding continues for the center. The mentoring/tutoring services are no cost to the district and could be continued at the school sites, although the family center provides a more flexible schedule for college students. The center is open until 6:00 and many tutors take advantage of the later time slot. Recommendation 6. The school safety issues that were addressed in the three year grant will continue to run with minimum guidance. They are spread out between the district office, the schools, Redding Police Department and the Sheriff s Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 84 Department. Safety plans will be updated each year as per state law and the RPD and Sheriffs Department will continue to have yearly drills. Recommendation 7 . The data on bullying (Figures 17-24) will be shared with the schools for future planning and action. It is recommended that the student safety study (Appendix B) be given each year and the data compiled and compared to years before. There were many one-time expenses by the district that will continue to serve the students and staff of the district for years to come. By definition, these will not need continued funding but should be utilized to support the ongoing mission of the REMEDY Family Center and its programs. Conclusions This study started with a quote from Epstein about the importance of creating partnerships to help all youngsters succeed in school and later life. The REMEDY Center has worked for the past three years to develop as many of those partnerships as possible. It has also diligently provided services for as many students as it could reach to help them succeed in school and break the cycle of failure and poverty. Such good works should be continued as much as possible. Our future society depends on the success of our school students, not just some of the students, but all of them. The REMEDY Family Center continues to support and work with Redding School District’s poorest students. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. REFERENCES Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 8 6 REFERENCES Baldwin, L., Ed.D. (2004). Redding School District REMEDYProject-Progress Report. L. Baldwin. Redding, CA: ESP Consulting. Bryson, J. M. (1995). Strategic planning for public and nonprofit organizations (Rev. Ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Buttery, T. J., & Anderson, P J. (1999, Fall). Community, school, and parent dynamics: A synthesis of literature and activities. Teacher Education Quarterly, 26(4), 111-122. Carter, S. (2002). The impact o f parent/family involvement on student outcomes: An annotated bibliography o f research from the past decade. Washington, DC: CADRE, The National Center on Dispute Resolution. Christenson, S. L., & Christenson, J. C. (1998). Family, school, and community influences on children's learning. L. A. L. Project. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Extension Service. Christenson, S. L., & Sheridan, S. M. (2001). Schools andfamilies: Creating essential connections for learning. New York: Guilford Press. Clark, R. E. (2002). Turning research into results: A guide to selecting the right performance solutions. Atlanta, GA: CEP Press. Covey, S. R. (1990). The 7 habits o f highly effective people. New York: Simon & Schuster. Drake, D. D. (2000). Parents and families as partners in the education process: Collaboration for the success of students in public schools. ERS Spectrum, 18, 34-35. Epstein, J. L. (1995). School/family/community partnerships: Caring for the children we share. Phi Delta Kappan, 76(9), 701-712. Epstein, J. L., Croates, L., Salinas, K. C., Sanders, M. G., & Simon, B.S. (1997). School, family, and community partnerships: Your handbook in action. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Espinosa, L. M. (1995). Hispanic parent involvement in early childhood programs. ERIC Digests (EDO-PS-95-3). Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 87 Faires, J., Nichols, W. D., & Rickelman, R. J. (2000). Effects of parental involvement in developing competent readers in first grade. Reading Psychology, 2, 195-215. Finn, J. D. (1998). Parental engagement that makes a difference. Educational Leadershi, 55(8), 20-24. Hara, S. R., & Burke, D. J. (1998). Parent involvement: The key to improved student achievement. School Community Journal, 8(2), 9-19. Henderson, A. T., Berla, N., & Mapp, L. (Eds.). (1994). A New Generation o f Evidence: The Family is Critical to Student Achievement. Retrieved August 20, 2004, from http:www.ncpie.org/pubs.AdviceEngagingFamilies.pdf Hoover-Dempsey, K. V., Battaito, A. C., Walker, J. M. T., Reed, R. P., DeJont, J. M., & Jones, K. P. (2001). Parental involvement in homework. Educational Psychologist, 36(3), 195-209. Kessler-Sklar, S. L., & Baker, A .J .L. (2000). School district parent involvement policies and programs. Elementary School Journal, 10( 1), 101-118. Mapp, K. L. (1997). Making family-school connections work. The Education Digest 63, 36-39. Marchant, G. J., Sharon, E. P., & Rothlisbert, B. A. (2001). Relations of middle school students' perceptions of family and school contexts with academic achievement. Psychology in the Schools, 38(6), 505-519. Martinez, Y. G., & Velazquez, J. A. (2000). Involving migrant families in education National Parent Information Network. ERIC (ED448010) Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small Schools, Charleston, WV. Miedel, W. T., & Reynolds, A. J. (1999). Parent involvement in early intervention for disadvantages children: Does it matter? Journal o f School Psychology, 57(4), 379-399. National Council of Jewish Women (NCOJ). (1996). Parents as school partners: Research report. New York: Columbia Teachers College. National Center for Education Statistics (NCFE). (1998). Parent Involvement in children's education: Efforts by public elementary schools. Washington DC: U. S. Department of Education. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 8 8 Nord, C. W. (1998). Father involvement in schools. ERIC Digest (EDO-PS-98-3). Payne, R. K. (2001). A framework for understanding poverty. Highlands, TX: aha! Process, Inc. Rancho Romero School Climate Action Team (RRSCA). (2004). Second step program. Alamo, CA. Retrieved August 19, 2004, from http://rres.srvusd. kl 2. ca. us/2ndstepl. html Sanders, J. R. C., Ed. (1994). The program evaluation standards: 2nd edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Shaver, A. V., & Walls, R. T. (1998). Effect of title I parent involvement on student reading and mathematics achievement. Journal o f Research & Development in Education 31(2), 90-97. U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (USDOHHS). (1998). Measuring violence-related attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors among youths: A compen dium o f assessment tools. [Assessment Question Book.] Susan B. Dahlbergand & Christopher B. Behrens (Eds.). Atlanta, GA: Division of Violence Prevention and Control. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDICES Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX A TEACHER QUESTIONNAIRE Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 91 18 QUESTIONS: REMEDY Evaluation Aware Not Aware Not Sure 1. I am aware of the REMEDY Project. 2. I am aware of the services offered by REMEDY. 3 I have taken advantage of the services offered by REMEDY. 4. I have had students in my class take advantage of services at REMEDY. 5. The effects of vandalism on campus are quickly repaired. 6. The school buildings are free of hazards that might cause accidental injury. 7. The school has adequate resources to help students in emergencies. 8. Students and staff have a sincere concern about each other. 9. The rules and expectations are clear and well known to everyone at school. 10. The consequences of violating school rules are fair and known to all and are applied consistently. 11. The rewards used at the school are appropriate and meaningful. 12. Positive behavior is acknowledged frequently. Students and staff feel appreciated. 13. The school is well-maintained and a pleasant place in which to spend time. 14. Law enforcement personnel are involved in campus activities in non-enforcement roles. 15. In this school, almost everyone can be trusted, and students and staff feel physically and psychologically safe. 16. There is a tone of high moral standards, positive messages, and high expectations of everyone at this school. 17. Disciplinary practices focus on the causes of problems and provide problem-solving procedures, rather than just punitive reactions. 18. The community uses the school during nonschool hours. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX B REMEDY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 93 REMEDY Questionnaire for Students With the exception of question 15, all of the responses should be 1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Agree; 4 = Strongly agree. Please circle your answer and return this to your teacher. 1. When students at this school have an emergency, someone is there to help. 2. I feel that I belong in this school. 3. When students break rules, they all receive the same treatment. 4. I feel safe at this school. 5. Strangers do not come and go from school easily. 6. Teachers go out of their way to let me know I am doing a good job. 7. My parents are involved at this school. 8. All students are respected at this school are respected regardless of race/religion 9. The school rules are listed in the classrooms and distributed around the school, and students know what the rules are. 10. I can be a success in school. 11. Writing on walls is cleaned or painted over quickly at this school. 12. People care for each other at this school. 13. The rules at this school are fair. 14. Teachers at this school look out for troublemakers. 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Which of these things, if any, happened to you in the past year? a. I was pushed around by someone who was just being mean. YES NO b. I was in a fight with another student. YES NO c. I was robbed or had something stolen from me. YES NO d. I saw a student with a knife. YES NO e. I saw a student with a gun. YES NO f. I saw students use drugs or alcohol on campus. YES NO g- I saw another student steal from the library, a classroom, or the cafeteria. YES NO h. I saw someone destroy or make marks on school equipment or buildings (walls). YES NO i. j- I was afraid of being beaten up on the way to or from school. I was afraid of gang activity at school. YES YES NO NO k. Someone threatened me with a knife or gun. YES NO 1 . I was called names or put down by other students. YES NO m. I felt rejected by other students. YES NO m. I saw students smoking or chewing tobacco on campus. YES NO 0. I know students who came to school high on drugs or YES NO alcohol. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 95 APPENDIX C PARENT QUESTIONS Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 96 PARENT QUESTIONS Parent Questions-REMEDY Evaluation 1. How did you first hear about the REMEDY Family Center? 2. Tell me about your first visit to the Family Center. 3. Tell me about your experiences at the Family Center. 4. Who did you connect with at the Family Center? Why? 5. Who was the most helpful at the Family Center? 6. What services did you find most helpful at the Family Center? 7. What services would you like to see added to the Family Center? 8. What changes did you see in your child’s behavior after attending the Family Center? 9. What changes did you see in your child’s academic behavior after attending the Family Center? 10. What overall impact or change have you seen in your family since attending the Family Center? 11. If the Family Center was not available, who would you turn to for similar services? 12. Has the Family Center ever not met your needs or expectations? How so? 13. Anything you would like to say or add about the Family Center? Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX D MULTIPLE COMPARISONS DEPENDENT VARIABLE: ATTITUDE Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 98 Multiple Comparisons Dependent Variable: ATTITUDE Individual School Compared to Each of the Other Schools in the District Mean Difference (I-J) Std. Error Sig. (I) SCHOOL (J ) SCHOOL 1 Juniper 2 -0.483 0.067 0 3 -0.318 0.076 0 4 -0.521 0.079 0 5 -0.090 0.060 0.131 6 -0.630 0.077 0 7 -0.410 0.063 0 8 -0.363 0.101 0 2 Manzanita 1 0.483 0.067 0 3 0.165 0.061 0.007 4 -0.038 0.065 0.564 5 0.393 0.040 0 6 -0.147 0.063 0.021 7 0.073 0.045 0.1 8 0.121 0.090 0.182 3 Cypress 1 0.318 0.076 0 2 -0.165 0.061 0.007 4 -0.203 0.074 0.006 5 0.228 0.053 0 6 -0.312 0.072 0 7 -0.092 0.057 0.105 8 -0.045 0.097 0.646 4 Bonnyview 1 0.521 0.079 0 2 0.038 0.065 0.564 3 0.203 0.074 0.006 5 0.431 0.058 0 6 -0.109 0.076 0.151 7 0.111 0.061 0.069 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 99 Mean Difference (I-J) Std. Error Sig. (I) SCHOOL (J) SCHOOL 5 Sequoia 1 0.090 0.060 0.131 2 -0.393 0.040 0 3 -0.228 0.053 0 4 -0.431 0.058 0 6 -0.540 0.056 0 7 -0.320 0.032 0 8 -0.273 0.085 0.001 6 Sycamore 1 0.630 0.077 0 2 0.147 0.063 0.021 3 0.312 0.072 0 4 0.109 0.076 0.151 5 0.540 0.056 0 7 0.220 0.059 0 8 0.267 0.098 0.007 7 Turtle Bay 1 0.410 0.063 0 2 -0.073 0.045 0.1 3 0.092 0.057 0.105 4 - 0.111 0.061 0.069 5 0.320 0.032 0 6 -0.220 0.059 0 8 0.047 0.087 0.588 8 Unknown** 1 0.363 0.101 0 2 -0.121 0.090 0.182 3 0.045 0.097 0.646 4 -0.158 0.099 0.112 5 0.273 0.085 0.001 6 -0.267 0.098 0.007 7 -0.047 0.087 0.588 • The mean difference is significant at the .05 level. • ** Unknown are questionnaires that were returned without a school name. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.

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Asset Metadata

Creator Robins, Lawrence F. (author)

Core Title An evaluation of the REMEDY project with an emphasis on sustainability: A Safe Schools /Healthy Students federal grant

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Doctor of Education

Degree Program Education

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag education, administration,OAI-PMH Harvest

Language English

Contributor Digitized by ProQuest (provenance)

Advisor Hocevar, Dennis (committee chair), Cohn, Carl (committee member), McLaughlin, Michael (committee member)

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c16-388297

Unique identifier UC11336541

Identifier 3180494.pdf (filename),usctheses-c16-388297 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier 3180494.pdf

Dmrecord 388297

Document Type Dissertation

Rights Robins, Lawrence F.

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the au...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus, Los Angeles, California 90089, USA