NCJ Number
160349
Date Published
1995
Length
122 pages
Annotation
Five-year initiatives funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation in five cities starting in 1987 were evaluated to determine their effectiveness in assisting more at-risk youth to become productive adults by reducing the school dropout rate, improving students' academic performance, preventing adolescent pregnancies and births, and increasing postsecondary involvement in jobs or college.
Abstract
The New Futures strategy for accomplishing these goals was institutional change. Each community formed a nonprofit interagency collaborative to devise new policies and practices for meeting the needs of at-risk youth while maintaining accountability for positive outcomes. Each collaborative developed case management systems to provide interagency services and supports. In each city, approximately 20 case managers worked with caseloads of 25- 35 students. Each city also created school-based information systems. Data from varied data sources revealed mixed outcomes with respect to dropping out, school achievement, teenage pregnancy, and postsecondary involvement. The case management systems were also limited in their effectiveness. Nevertheless, the programs helped break down the fragmented categorical systems of services and supports. They also raised awareness about the problems of at-risk youth and started new dialogues among leaders and community representatives. A new wave of experiments is needed that builds on the lessons from New Futures and extends knowledge about how to help more children grow into productive adults. Tables, appended methodological information, and reference notes