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Model Program

Check and Connect

University of Minnesota
150 Pillsbury Drive SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455
http://www.ici.umn.edu/checkandconnect

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Contact Information:
Ann Mavis
Director
612.624.1489
checkandconnect@umn.edu

Program Specification:

Emphasis:

Gender:

Rating:

Intervention

Both

Strong Evidence of Effectiveness

Age/Grade Level:

Target Settings:

Target Groups:

Preschool
Elementary
Middle School
High School

Urban
Suburban

Individuals

Ethnicity:

Other Participation Criteria:

All Ethnicities

Description:

Check & Connect centers around increasing student school engagement through relationship building, monitoring of disengagement warning signs, interventions individualized to student needs, development of problem-solving skills, and the encouragement of participation in extracurricular activities. A key factor in the Check & Connect model is the monitor, who is responsible for assessing levels of student engagement and for implementing basic and intensive interventions.

Program Descriptors Include:
Academic Improvement, Attendance/Truancy, Behavior Management/Discipline, Family/Parental Involvement, Mentoring/Tutoring

Starting Date: 1992
Students Served Per Year: 50-250
Last Verified: 2010

Risk Factors:

Protective Factors:

Program addresses the following:

Individual factors

  • Has a learning disability or emotional disturbance
  • High-risk social behavior
  • Low achievement
  • Poor attendance
  • Misbehavior

Program promotes the following:

Relationships

  • Presence and involvement of caring, supportive adults
  • Opportunities and rewards for pro-social involvement
  • Clear social norms
  • Perception of support from adults and peers

Competence

  • Social competencies

Creativity

  • Problem-solving skills

Program Resources:

Annual Cost:

The annual cost range of the program is less than $25,000 or $1000 - $2000 per student.

Funding Sources Include:

Program Staff Includes:

Foundations
Donations

Volunteers

Materials Used:

Supporting / Partner Organizations:

Instructional Texts/Manuals

Unspecified

Evaluation Information:

Four longitudinal studies using experimental and quasi-experimental designs have been carried out on Check & Connect across all school levels. Compared to students in control or comparison groups, students served by the program showed significant: decreases in truancy, decreases in absenteeism, decreases in dropout rates, increases in credit accrual, and increases in school completion.

How evaluation data was collected:
Outside experimental studies