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- Truancy is the first public indication that a child is "at risk" and is an early indicator of juvenile delinquency. The premise of the Truancy Prevention Through Mediation Project (the Project) is that mediation can be an effective means to improve school attendance and to avert juvenile delinquency.
- Mediation is a process that provides a neutral third party to help parties discuss and resolve issues. The mediation process provides a non-threatening opportunity for school personnel and families to identify and discuss the issues around a child's unexcused absences and to develop mutually acceptable solutions.
- This Project is unique because it requires families, schools, juvenile courts, and social service agencies to work collaboratively to address truancy prevention and the root causes of truancy.
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Program Results
Thanks to a grant from the Office of Criminal Justice Services the effectiveness of the Project has been evaluated. During the 1998-99 school year, 12 schools in three counties participated in the Project. Lucas county conducted the highest number of mediations followed by Stark and Delaware. All parties in the mediations (mediators, school representatives, and parents) were asked to complete surveys prior to and immediately following the mediation. Over 90% of the parties involved in the mediation completed a survey. From these surveys, data was collected for 212 mediations. These data show that significant gains occurred for the students both in terms of increasing attendance and reducing tardiness. |
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The evaluation provided necessary information to analyze the Project. The distribution of the mediations by county is found in Figure 1. |
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Before mediation, the average number of absences for all students per month in participating schools was 2.84 days in Delaware, 2.39 days in Lucas and 2.7 days in Stark counties. After mediation, the average number of absences decreased to 1.7 days in Delaware, 1.57 in Lucas and 1.94 days in Stark counties. These decreases are statistically significant. See Figure 2. |
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A significant decrease was also found for the average number of times students were tardy each month. See Figure 3. |
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The Court's Responsibilities Are:
- To provide a mediator with knowledge of both parental and school responsibilities regarding attendance;
- To organize and coordinate communication among all persons involved in the Project;
- To provide mediation training and technical assistance to participating schools;
- To provide a monthly progress report to the Supreme Court of Ohio and the Ohio Commission on Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management;
- To collect raw data for analysis and evaluation of the Project;
- To provide schools with timely access to the court when parents or guardians fail to attend the mediation or to comply with mediation agreements;
- To hold meetings to discuss thoughts, changes and suggestions about the Project; and
- To notify the school of all court hearings.
The School's Responsibilities Are:
- To notify staff and the community about participation in the Project and to place a brief Project description in the school's manual;
- To work as a team with the parent or guardian to follow through with attendance and compliance if agreement is reached;
- To complete periodic progress reports requested by the Supreme Court of Ohio or the Ohio Commission on Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management;
- To complete research instruments necessary for analysis and evaluation of the Project;
- To participate in trainings and meetings in order to have a successful project;
- To provide the parents or guardians with appropriate referrals to community resources; and
- To select a "school project coordinator" responsible for overseeing the Project within the school.
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Community and Court Program
The Commission's community and court program works to encourage and support the growth of dispute resolution programs in communities throughout Ohio. This program disseminates information about effective ways to manage conflict and to promote collaborative efforts among community organizations, courts, schools, and early childhood programs. The community and court program works in partnership with the Ohio Supreme Court's Office of Dispute Resolution.
For more information please
contact:
The Ohio Commission on Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management
Ed Krauss
77 South High Street, 24th Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215-6108
Phone: 614-752-9681
Fax: 614-752-9682
The Supreme Court of Ohio
Office of Dispute Resolution Programs
Bruno G. Romero
30 East Broad Street
Columbus, Ohio 43266-0419
Phone: 614-752-4700
Fax: 614-466-6652
Back to Court and Community Main Page
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