Truancy Prevention Program

Our Story

In 2010, the State’s Attorney for Montgomery County, MD, Mr. John McCarthy, was reading an article in the Baltimore Sun about an intervention program called the Truancy Court Program operated by the University of Baltimore School of Law. In that article, Barbara Babb, the Director of the Sayra and Neil Meyerhoff Center for Families, Children and the Courts expressed her interest in wanting to expand the Truancy Court Program to Montgomery County. Seeing the potential value of this program in Montgomery County, Mr. McCarthy contacted her. Within a matter of months, and through federal funding secured by Senator Barbara Mikulski in 2009, the Truancy Court Program was implemented in spring 2010 at Neelsville Middle School and Francis Scott Key Middle School.

Our Mission

The Truancy Prevention Program (TPP), formerly known as the Truancy Court Program (TCP), is an early intervention program. Its mission is to improve middle school attendance in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) by discovering the root causes of truancy and assisting students and their families with issues that impact attendance.

OUR APPROACH

• Reducing School Absenteeism

  TPP reduces school absenteeism by addressing academic, school, personal, and family-related factors. It is a voluntary and supportive program designed to keep children in school and families out of court.

• Improving Attitudes about Education

  TPP aims to improve the attitudes of students about education by cultivating a supportive and trusting environment that will eventually build a productive relationship between the family, the school and the program team.

• Helping to Achieve Full Potential

  TPP gives special attention to attendance and academic needs of students to help them achieve their full potential.

• Providing Individualized Goal Setting and Mentoring

  TPP helps students identify and understand their areas of difficulty. It provides individualized support, goal setting and mentoring.

Current

The Truancy Prevention Program began in 2010 starting at two middle schools and now serves 19 middle schools across Montgomery County. Thanks to the collaboration of the County Council, MCPS, Montgomery County Police Department, and our community volunteers, TPP has clear plans in place to expand to all 40 MCPS middle schools.

RESULTS

Through participation in the TPP, most student participants make noticeable improvement in attendance, academics, and attitudes toward school. During the 2017-2018 school year, TPP served over 300 families, with 245 students demonstrating significant reductions in truancy, and 157 students successfully graduating from TPP. (Students who reduce truancy by 60% or more by comparing prior semester rates to TPP semester rates of attendance are able to graduate from the program.) Student graduates were honored during the culminating ceremony that was held in the Montgomery County Circuit Courthouse where State’s Attorney John McCarthy presided. Over 200 attendees witnessed this momentous occasion for the students

According to a University of Baltimore Study and a University of Maryland School of Public Policy Study, both studies show that approximately 67% of the students continue their improved attendance during the semester after they completed the program.

Volunteer Recruitment

Through a partnership with Volunteer Maryland, which trains AmeriCorps members to serve as Volunteer Coordinators in various organizations throughout Maryland, the State’s Attorney’s Office was able to develop a sustainable volunteer program designed specifically for TPP. Through the great support of the volunteers, TPP has been able to expand to more schools and meet the needs of students across Montgomery County.

The State’s Attorney’s Office has made tremendous strides to grow volunteer capacity for TPP. On average, 50 to 60 community members serve as volunteers in TPP each semester. Our volunteers come from a variety of sectors and industries in the community. We have police officers, adjunct professors, former educators, doctors, lawyers, college students, accelerated high school students, personal trainers, and the list goes on. Along with these volunteers, MCPS administrators and staff expend a great deal of extra time, effort, and passion in support of the Truancy Prevention Program.

• If you have the skills to provide support, guidance, and motivation;
• If you can make time to participate in a meaningful collaborative problem-solving effort;
• If you are interested to understand and help address the issues affecting attendance, academics, and behavior

Truancy Prevention Program Brochure

TOGETHER, WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.