DMC: National Perspectives DeAngela Milligan

1. DMC: National Perspectives DeAngela Milligan

2. What is DMC? Disproportionate Minority Contact refers to “the disproportionate number of juvenile members of minority groups who come into contact with the juvenile justice system” Disproportionate Minority Contact Technical Assistance Manual Fourth Edition, July 2009. U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. • Arrest • Referral • Diversion • Detention • Petitioned/charges filed • Delinquent findings • Probation • Confinement in secure correctional facilities • Transfer to adult court Contact Points

3. DMC and Title I, Part D • Title I, Part D funds can be used to serve children and youth who are “mostat-risk” of failing (Title I, Part D Statute, Subpart 1, Section 1415(2)(B)(i)) and who have “thegreatest need” (Title I, Part D Nonregulatory Guidance, Subpart 1, Section H-1) • Minority youth are typically the most at-risk of failing academically and for involvement with the juvenile justice system • Black students are disproportionality represented in the Title I, Part D program in both Subpart 1 (44%) and Subpart 2 (35%), while White students represent 34% of the Subpart 1enrollment and 35% of the Subpart 2 enrollment For more information about Title I, Part D, see http://www.neglected-delinquent.org/nd/aboutus/background.asp.

4. Relationship Between Schools and DMC • Poor academic outcomes, and other factors that contribute to those outcomes (e.g., learning disabilities) can lead to minority youth involvement with the justice system • Punitive and inequitable school disciplinary practices can push youth of color out of school and into the justice system To learn more… about the relationship between education and delinquency read the Center for Juvenile Justice Reform’s “Addressing the Unmet Educational Needs of Children and Youth in the Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare Systems”. Available at http://cjjr.georgetown.edu/pdfs/ed/edpaper.pdf.

5. Contributing Factors Aud, S., Fox, M., and KewalRamani, A. (2010). Status and Trends in the Education of Racial and Ethnic Groups (NCES 2010-015). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Leone, P., & Weinberg, L. (2010). Addressing the unmet educational needs of children and youth in the juvenile justice and child welfare systems. Center for Juvenile Justice Reform, Georgetown University. • Student Risk Factors: • Adverse childhood experiences • Emotional and behavioral disorders • Learning disabilities • Substance abuse • Institutionally driven mobility • Poor mental and physical health care • Exposure to antisocial peers • Community Risk Factors: • Poverty • School Risk Factors: • School condition/environment • Teacher qualifications and experience • Family Risk Factors: • Poor family-school relationships

6. Academic Outcomes Data Sources: 1) U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2005 and 2007 Reading Assessment, NAEP Data Explorer. 2) U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2005 and 2009 Mathematics Assessment, NAEP Data Explorer.

7. School Disciplinary Practices • * Interpret with caution • Data Source: Public School Enrollment, and Suspension and Expulsion Rate are from: Aud, S., Fox, M., and KewalRamani, A. (2010). Status and Trends in the Education of Racial and Ethnic Groups (NCES 2010-015). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office

8. Phase One of the DMC Reduction: Identification • Determine the extent to which DMC occurs in your State/district/school Sample data to collect: • Total youth population in State/district by race/ethnicity • Total percentage of the youth in State’s/district’s juvenile justice system by race/ethnicity For the purposes of this presentation NDTAC has revised the DMC reduction steps and some of the strategies provided in the OJJDP DMC TA Manual to make them applicable to schools. Also see Milligan, D. (2007). Disproportionality in the Juvenile Justice System. The National Evaluation and Technical Assistance Center for the Education of Children and Youth Who Are Neglected, Delinquent, or At-Risk. Available at http://www.neglected-delinquent.org/nd/events/2007sep/presentations/poster/juvenile_justice.pdf.

9. Phase Two of the DMC Reduction: Assessment/Diagnosis • Assess the possible explanations and factors that contribute to the issue Sample data to collect: • Total school enrollment in State/district by race/ethnicity • Student achievement scores by race/ethnicity • Rate of offense, referral to the principals office, detention, suspension (in school and out of school), expulsion, referral to police, and arrest rate by race/ethnicity

10. Phase Three of the DMC Reduction: Interventions/Strategies • Devise a plan and implement interventions strategies Sample data to collect: • Research what reduction initiatives currently being done in your State or district • Promising and evidence-based reduction strategies • Assess community/school readiness (e.g., funds) to carryout the reduction initiative

11. Phase Four of the DMC Reduction: Monitoring/Evaluation • Monitor intervention strategies and assess performance (formative and summative) Sample data to collect: • Measurement/evaluation data (e.g., rate of DMC reduction) • If DMC has not been reduced or if it has been reduced collect additional data to find out why

12. DMC Reduction Strategies for Schools: Types of Strategies • Direct Services - address the requirements of youth; • Training and Technical Assistance - focus primarily on the needs of teachers and school personnel; and • System Change - involves altering aspects of the educational system that may contribute to DMC.

13. Direct Services: Prevention and Early Intervention • Family therapy • Parent training and support • Cognitive behavioral treatment • Mentoring • Academic skills enhancement • Afterschool recreation • Vocational/job training • Wraparound services • Character development • School-based gang reduction initiatives

14. Direct Services: Diversion and Alternatives to Secure Confinement • Community service (can be in school) • Informal peer panels/hearings • Family group conferences • Victim-offender mediation • Mentoring (peer and adult) • Restitution • In school detention and suspension • Intensive in-school supervision • Alternative dispute/conflict resolution • Counseling/therapy for students and parents

15. Direct Services: Advocacy • Educational advocates • Community advocates • Peer advocates and school social groups

16. Training and TA • Cultural competency training for school staff • Classroom behavior management training • Culturally appropriate services and supports

17. System Change • Structured and data driven decision making • Less punitive and more equitable practices • Youth/family informed and focused policies and practices • Cross departmental/agency collaboration and partnerships • Financial incentives • Top-down, bottom-up commitment

18. Federal Reform Opportunities:Current House and Senate Bills Cregor, M. (September 2010). Legislative Reform At the Federal and State Levels. Presented at the Civil Rights And School Discipline:Addressing Disparities To Ensure Equal Educational Opportunity Conference. For more information about the above bills visit http://www.opencongress.org/bill/all

19. Sample Reduction Initiatives • Tallulah Prison-to-School Conversion Campaign • MS Coalition for the Prevention of Schoolhouse 2 Jailhouse • Denver Public Schools Promoting Academics and Character Education (P.A.C.E) Program • Harlem Children’s Zone Promise Academy Charter Schools • Providing Support for State-Level Advocates to Challenge the School-to-Prison Pipeline • Dignity in Schools Campaign (DSC) • Orange County, CA Early Intervention Program • New York City Department of Education’s Impact Schools Policy • Municipal Juvenile Diversion Program in Denver's Municipal Juvenile Court • Challenging Discipline Policies and Practices in Florida Public Schools • Tulsa County DMC Reduction Initiative • Memphis City Schools School House Adjustment Program Enterprise (S.H.A.P.E.)