NCJ Number
73655
Date Published
1978
Length
17 pages
Annotation
Formative and impact evaluations were used to assess a project designed to investigate the specific vocational education needs of disadvantaged and delinquent youths in the New Orleans area.
Abstract
Project goals were to identify the study population's capacities and vocational ambitions, help them reach their goals through training in a vocational-technical school, and provide a diversion program for first offenders and nonviolent offenders. Twenty-seven juveniles were initially chosen to participate and were administered the California Achievement Test to establish baseline data. Twenty-three participants, all of whom were black, completed the pretest and entered the educational program, which met during the summer for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. The curriculum included remedial academic instruction and individual and group counseling. Of the original 23 participants, 2 were terminated for disruptive behavior, 5 resigned from the program, and 3 completed the program but remained unemployed. Of the remaining 13 participants, 3 were helped to find employment, 6 returned to school, and 4 successfully completed their high school equivalency examination. Thus, almost half of the original participants were successful. Additional trainees brought into the program had a positive effect on the participants. It is recommended that the demonstration be replicated and that alternatives to institutionalization continue to be developed. In addition, educational strategies should be emphasized over employment strategies in designing diversion programs. The program's long-term impact on participants should also be assessed. Tables and an addendum presenting additional results and a list of materials related to remediation are included.