January 25, 2008 Dear Mayor: As President of The United States Conference of Mayors, I am pleased to provide you with the latest volume in our Best Practices series - Best Practices on At-Risk Youth and High School Dropout Prevention. This publication examines successful approaches mayors, school superintendents, police chiefs, workforce development professionals and human services officials are implementing across the country to promote high school retention, increase graduation rates, and improve job readiness; as well as successful efforts to proactively prevent gang development and combat gang violence in our cities. On behalf of The United States Conference of Mayors I would like express my gratitude to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) of the U.S. Department of Justice, for making possible the compilation and dissemination of this valuable resource, as well as all mayors who contributed to the contents within. This publication is a valuable addition to our organization’s well-established efforts to assist mayors on issues that directly affect their cities. Your contributions to our Best Practices Center and its publications are crucial in order to gather up-to-date community information that is vital to the sharing of exemplary programs you have developed to improve the quality of life across urban America. We thank you for your continued support of this important work. Sincerely, Douglas H. Palmer Mayor of Trenton President The United States Conference of Mayors Table Of Contents Albany, NY Albany Truancy Abatement Program....................................................... 001 Alexandria, VA Alexandria Day Reporting Program……………………………………….. 002 Educational Support Program……………………………………………..… 003 Gang Prevention PSA………………………………………………………... 004 Parental Involvement…………………………………………………………. 005 iMENTOR……………………………………………………………………… 006 Shoplifter’s Alternative………………………………………………………... 007 SOHO – Space of Her Own………………………………………………….. 008 Alexandria Mentoring Partnership…………………………………………… 009 Gang Prevention and Intervention…………………………………………… 010 Project Discovery……………………………………………………………… 012 Street Outreach……………………………………………………………….. 014 The Alexandria Youth Fund…………………………………………………. 016 Asheville, NC City of Asheville Youth Leadership Academy……………………………… 018 Boston, Massachusetts Youth Options Unlimited (YOU)……………………………………………... 020 Charleston, SC Annual First Day Festival……………………………………………………. 022 Camp Hope…………………………………………………………………… 023 College of Charleston………………………………………………………… 024 Communities in Schools of Charleston………… …………………………. 025 Charleston County School District…………………………………………… 026 Freedom School at Burke High School………………………………………030 SOS Tutor/Mentor Program………………………………………………….. 031 Trident United Way……………………………………………………………. 032 Charleston Youth Master Plan………………………………………………. 034 Chattanooga, TN Summer Youth Program……………………………………………………… 035 Chicago, IL. The Regional Career Development Center………………………………… 037 Culver City, CA Juvenile Diversion Program…………………………………………………. 038 Dover, DE Creating Strong Families Program………………………………………….. 040 El Paso, Texas The Mayor’s 100 Teens……………………………………………………… 041 Elizabeth, NJ Building Future Leaders……………………………………………………… 043 Elmira, NY EOP, Inc……………………………………………………………………….. 045 Fort Collins, CO Summer Basketball League…………………………………………………. 047 Table Of Contents Germantown, TN MOVERS Program…………………………………………………………… 049 Hollywood, FL Gang Resistance Education and Training……………………………….... 051 Honolulu, HI Honolulu Juvenile Justice Center………………………………………...... 053 Houston, TX Expectation Graduation…………………………………………………….... 055 Kansas City, MO Dropout Retrieval Program……………………………………………..….. 057 Longmont, CO The Gang Response Intervention Program……………………………...... 059 Louisville, KY Youth Opportunities Unlimited Center…………………………………..… 061 Miami, FL City of Miami Uniting for Peace……………………………………………. 063 City of Miami Truancy Reduction Plan……………………………………. 066 Miami Youth Council…………………………………………………………. 068 Juvenile Services Department……………………………………………… 070 Milwaukee, WI Jobs for America’s Graduates…………………………………………….... 072 Reach Build Program…………… …………………………………………. 074 Milwaukee Career Center…………………………………………………… 075 Minneapolis, MN The Minneapolis Promise……………………………………………………. 076 New York, New York Out-of-School Time Initiative………………………………………………… 079 North Little Rock, AR Office of Youth Services……………………………………………..………. 082 Philadelphia, PA WorkReady Philadelphia…………………………………………………….. 084 Project U-Turn………………………………………………………………… 086 Portland, OR Youth Violence Prevention………………………………………………….. 089 Reno, NV 4 Steps Into the Future……………………………………………………… 091 Cadet Scholarship Program……………………………………………….... 093 Explorer Program Post 2104………………………………………………… 094 Summer School Plus………………………………………………………… 096 Rochester, NY YPUP and the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council………………………….. 098 Table Of Contents Seattle, WA Seattle Team for Youth Program…………………………………………… 104 Health Careers for Youth Project ………………………………………….. 106 St. Louis, MO Transitions to Work for Youth……………………………………………...... 109 Stamford CT Domus’ Family Advocate Model……………………………………………. 111 Stockton, CA Peacekeepers Program……………………………………………………… 113 Sumter, SC Helping Youth Pursue Excellence………………………………………….. 115 Sunnyvale, CA Truancy Abatement Program……………………………………….……… 116 Toledo, OH Toledo Truancy Drop-off Center……………………………………………. 117 Trenton, NJ Office of Anti-Gang Initiatives & Youth Development…………………….. 118 Tuscan, AZ Tuscan’s Human Services Plan…………………………………………….. 120 Tulsa, OK Youth Intervention Project………………………………………………….... 122 West Palm Beach, FL Northwood Youth Empowerment Center…………………………………… 124 Wichita, KS Wichita Police “Camp Awareness” For Kids……………………………….. 126 Safe & Secure Seminar……………………………………………………..... 127 Meth Kids Initiative Task Force……………………………………………… 128 Planeview Activities Camp for Kids…………………………………….…... 130 Leadership Camp…………………………………………………………….. 131 Albany Truancy Abatement Program Mayor Gerald Jennings The Albany Truancy Abatement Program is a collaborative effort designed to combat truancy and reduce the juvenile crime rate. The program is a collaborative effort involving the Albany City School District, the Albany County Department of Probation, the Albany Police Department and local community agencies. The operation of the program consists of police officers patrolling the streets and identifying students who are not in school during regular school hours. In addition to the daily morning sweeps and home visits, a Probation Officer and Juvenile Detective follow up with evening home visits. Truancy staff also provides appropriate support services and aftercare to students and their families. Established The program was created in 2004 as an initiative of Mayor Gerald Jennings. As a former high school Vice Principal, he was concerned about at-risk school age youth who were not attending school. He created a commission to look at the problem and brought all the stakeholders to the table. As a result of their efforts, the Truancy Abatement Program was designed. Effectiveness Albany Truancy Abatement Program data is analyzed and disaggregated by University at Albany’s Hindelang Criminal Justice Research Center. Dr. Rob Worden works with Truancy staff and the Albany Police Department to maintain accurate data regarding day and time juvenile crime rates as well as student attendance rates. Funding The Albany Truancy Abatement Program is currently funded by a yearly grant from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services. Albany’s program began its’ fourth year in June 2007. Other Involvement The City School District of Albany and Albany Police Department are actively involved in the truancy initiative. In addition, Albany County Probation is also an important aspect to this collaboration. Other county agencies include Family Court, Child Protective Services, the Department of Social Services as well as Code Enforcement, and several non-profit organizations. Many families experience a myriad of complexities which involve numerous community agencies working together to provide children with the best opportunities to achieve school success. The Albany Truancy Abatement Program maintains an extensive outreach component and has used radio, television and print media to deliver the message; the city cares about reducing juvenile crime and getting children in school. The program also presents at Parent Teacher Association (PTA) meetings and faculty meetings, various Neighborhood Association forums and Library Programs. Lessons Learned The Truancy Abatement Program believes collaboration is the absolute key to the success of this program. Persistence is also another key factor when children’s educational welfare is at stake. Advice for Mayors Bringing all stakeholders to the table and honestly looking at the issue is the first step to a successful process. Contacts Sal Villa Deputy Commissioner Department of Youth and Workforce Services 175 Central Avenue Albany, New York 12206 (518) 447-5977 [email protected] 001 THE UNITED STATES CONFERENCE OF MAYORS BEST PRACTICES GUIDE Alexandria Day Reporting Program Mayor William D. Euille The Day Reporting Program operates in two separate locations, one for boys and the other for girls. The program operates full-time throughout the summer months and after-school throughout the school year, providing services to court-involved youth requiring high levels of supervision. Day Reporting uses evidence-based