Background
Norristown Area Communities That Care (CTC) For Youth is a risk-focused approach to reducing adolescent drug use and violence through community mobilization and planning. Local citizens and community leaders work together as the CTC For Youth Board to identify the risk factors that increase the likelihood of problem behaviors developing, and enhance the protective factors that can shield youngsters from problems. The risk and protective factors are used to implement a comprehensive plan to step ahead of problems with far-reaching and long-lasting solutions. The Norristown Truancy Abatement Initiative was developed as a comprehensive prevention/intervention strategy through this community coalition.

Community Need
Norristown consistently evidences the highest rates of domestic violence, substance abuse, child abuse, school dropouts, unemployment, inadequate housing and violent crime in Montgomery County. (Norristown CTC Risk and Resource Assessment, 2005) Norristown Area School District has one of the highest incidences of truancy in the state of Pennsylvania with 56,322 instances of truancy in 2005/2006 for a student population of 6,846 students. Truant youth are often the perpetrators and victims of crime in Norristown.

Impact of Truancy
The impact of truancy on students, their community and schools is significant. In addition to increasing the likelihood of school failure among youth, truancy has negative effects on the community as many habitually truant students engage in daytime delinquent and gang-related behavior that places burdens on local police and contributes to safety and quality of life concerns among residents of and visitors to Norristown Borough. Research indicates a direct link between truancy and rates of retail theft, vandalism, other property crimes, and assaults as well as criminality in adulthood.

Program Objectives
This initiative combines the efforts of numerous public and private institutions including the Magisterial District Court, school district, local law enforcement, community-based agencies and local prevention coalitions. The objectives are as follows:
? Develop a model strategy to intervene with chronic truants.
? Identify the root causes of truancy.
? Increase involvement of parents.
? Intervene in youth's progression from truancy into more serious and violent behaviors.
? Increase rates of school attendance.
? Prevent school dropout.
? Change community norms and values regarding education.

Program Strategy
Police and school officials, municipal leaders, residents and community organizations have developed this comprehensive and innovative initiative, which is comprised of a five-pronged approach to reducing truancy:
(1) Prevention - Family Services, Norristown Police Department (NDP) and the Norristown Family Center have taken the lead in engaging parents of high-risk youth through outreach and parent education at community and school locations. Using several national model prevention education programs as well as a community-developed parent education curriculum, police officers and community partners educate parents regarding risk factors for youth truancy, gang involvement, violence and other anti-social behaviors.
(2) Timely Intervention - As a part of this partnership, Norristown Area School District (NASD) developed new policies and procedures to identify truant youth in a timely manner and to notify parents/guardians immediately of any unexcused absence at all grade levels.
(3) Enforcement - A primary objective of this initiative is to return the truant youth to school through the coordination and cooperation of local schools, law enforcement and community agencies. NPD officers and the NASD Home and School Visitors (2 patrol units) conduct continuous sweeps of the borough three days per week for four hours per day (between 9 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.) while school is in session. Strategies utilized by the truancy abatement patrol unit include apprehending youth who are on the streets during school hours, conducting home-to-home sweeps of youth who are deemed absent without excuse by the NASD Home and School Visitors, and patrolling areas frequented by truant youth (i.e., drug houses, parks, known areas that experience daytime crime). NPD issues citations to parents of youth apprehended as truant. In addition, swift and vigorous enforcement of the municipality's daytime curfew ordinance has increased the school enrollment and attendance of high-risk students, enabling our young people to access an education and increase their chances of future success.
(4) Follow-up - If the TEP meeting was unsuccessful, the parent/guardian of each truant youth is issued a citation to appear in court. Through our partnership, the District Court offers these families alternatives to paying a sizable fine which include attendance at CTC's parent education program, participation in counseling or other partnership-sponsored service. Partners (law enforcement, school and community agencies) are present at each District Court hearing for truancy violators. Social services staff from Family Services of Montgomery County, Norristown Family Center and other organizations meets with each family after their court hearing to assess their needs for service in order to prevent future unexcused absences. Family Services conducts on-site intake assessments for counseling services at this time. Other services include drug and alcohol screenings, housing, mentoring programs, after-school resources, etc.
(5) Changing Community Norms - For many youth in our community a high school diploma is not viewed as an achievable goal (28.5% of Norristown's adult population has not completed high school). A primary emphasis of this initiative has been on changing the community norms related to school commitment and violence as well as increasing the value of education. Strategies to changing community norms have encompassed environmental, social marketing and community education/outreach.

Through this comprehensive truancy abatement partnership, Norristown Area CTC and its partners are intervening in the cycle of truancy which will have a long-term positive impact on the economic and community stability of Norristown by helping adolescents avoid problems such as gang-involvement, violence, criminal activity, and incarceration. Each step in the process of this initiative is integral to success in engaging high-risk youth and families.

Evaluation Plan
There are many questions NASD and its partners strive to answer to determine the short-term and long-term effectiveness of our truancy intervention with the primary goal of keeping students in school:
Outcome measures:
1. What are the long and short-term changes in attendance among students referred for the intervention? In the short-term we look at student attendance during the year the intervention took place. The long-term uses a sample of data equivalent to the intervention subjects, the following year. This not only includes unexcused absences but their pattern of attendance, non-attendance and tardiness.
2. Has the average daily attendance rate improved in the schools where the intervention subjects are attending? Have the number of unexcused absences decreased in the schools?
3. If a student has an intervention in a timely manner does that affect the student's attendance?
4. What are the characteristics associated with students whose attendance improved?
5. To what extent are teachers assessing factors that lead to the problem attendance in a student?
Process measures:
1. Number of truant students brought to school.
2. Number of parent contacts.
3. Number of Truancy Elimination Plans (TEPs) developed for any student having three or more unexcused absences.
4. Number of behavior management sessions attended by student.
5. Decreases in Part I Crimes (Part I offenses include Murder, Manslaughter, Rape, Robbery, Aggravated Assault, Burglary, Larceny-Theft, Motor Vehicle Theft and Arson).
6. Decreases in daytime juvenile crime.

Tangible Achievements
Outcomes:
When comparing data from two equal time periods - March 2006 as the initial activities of the Truancy Initiative were undertaken and March 2007 after full implementation - the NPD observed the following outcomes attributed to the Truancy Abatement Initiative and related daytime curfew:
• 20% decrease in major crimes
• 25% decrease in major crimes arrests
When comparing annual figures for 2006 with 2007 figures, the NPD reports the following outcomes:
• 12 % decrease in major crimes so far this year
• 36 % decrease in major crimes arrests.
These decreases follow several years of a trend of increasing Part I Crimes.

Additionally, the initiative has achieved the following outcomes:
• 55% of truant youth decreased the number of unexcused absences by greater than 25% (comparing marking period attendance records pre-court involvement with post-court involvement).
• 89% of parent education and counseling participants increased their knowledge of the critical risk factors for youth violence, gang involvement and truancy.
• 85% of parent education and counseling participants reported increased ability to prevent or reduce youth at-risk behavior.
• Rate of unexcused absences for NASD decreased by 15% from the 2005/2006 school year as compared to attendance rates of 2006/2007.

The Value of Community Collaboration
Twenty-eight percent (28.5%) of Norristown's adult population has not completed high school (or equivalent). For many youth in the community a high school diploma is not viewed as an achievable goal. A primary emphasis of this initiative has been on changing the community norms related to school commitment and violence as well as increasing the value of education. In addition to providing direct services to high-risk youth and their families, the combined collaborative efforts aim to impact how business owners, parents, youth and community stakeholders reinforce school attendance and high school graduation. Strategies to changing community norms have encompassed environmental, social marketing and community education/outreach. As a support to the initiative, NPD instituted a daytime curfew ordinance. This environmental strategy has considerably decreased the amount of daytime juvenile loitering and reinforced the value that children in be attendance during school hours.
This partnership reflects the tremendous impact communities can have with a collective, coordinated effort. The activities of the Norristown Area CTC For Youth Truancy Abatement Initiative can be replicated by an established coalition with diverse community partners willing to direct resources in a coordinated manner. Norristown CTC members are willing and able to provide guidance and technical assistance to other communities.

Contact Information
Lt. Kevin McKeon, Commander of Criminal Investigations
Norristown Police Department
235 East Airy Street
Norristown, PA 19401
610.270.0977
610.292.8546 (fax)
kmckeon@norristown.org

Kelly Canally-Brown, Director of Community Prevention Services
Family Services/Norristown Area Communities That Care For Youth
3125 Ridge Pike
Eagleville, PA 19403
610.630.2111
610. 630.4003 (fax)
kbrown@fsmontco.org
www.fsmontco.org

Dr. William Dura, Director of Special Services
Norristown Area School District
401 North Whitehall Road
Norristown, PA 19403
610.630.5123
610.630.5137 (fax)
bdura@nasd.k12.pa.us