Gone With The Wind: A Missed Day of School Can Never Be Replaced
Truancy: Mediation and Prosecution
Lois Baer, Deputy District Attorney, Truancy Program Director, Office of the District Attorney, Santa Clara County, CA

This presentation will outline the programs that a district attorney's office can provide when students are habitually truant from school. The Model Mediation and Prosecution Programs of the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office will be covered. These programs have been successfully used for over 14 years. The D.A. Mediation Program is an intervention that can be presented to families to remedy their students' truant habits short of going to court. The D.A. Prosecution Program covers parents of elementary students who are not taking their children to school as well as truant middle and high school students. The discussion will include applicable charges for truancy and the consequences for each. Participants will leave with an effective strategy for addressing at-risk habitually truant students at the elementary, middle and high school levels.

Strand: NEW!; Family and Community; CASCWA
Grade Level: K–12

Reaching Kids in School Before They Hit the Streets
Marlena Uhrik, Ed.D., Education Program Consultant, CDE: Safe & Healthy Kids Program Office, CA

In this interactive workshop, participants will learn how Student Assistance Programs (SAP) can help you address the needs of at-risk students in your local schools. You will learn ways to use the California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) needs assessment, strategies for working with school personnel and community agencies, and how to use resources and technical assistance for helping these students.

Strand: Family and Community Collaboration; VetORC
Grade Level: K–12

Effectively Engaging the Community in Our School
Norma Gomez, Parent & Family Involvement Coordinator, LRET Division, English Learner & Support Services, San Diego COE, CA

In this workshop you will learn effective strategies to overcome common barriers encountered when engaging the community in the educational system. You will also learn how to develop an action plan by drawing on the expertise of the stakeholders in order to address academic rigor, teacher/school expectations, content standards, educational programs, policies, and accountability via activism and advocacy.

Strand: NEW!; Family and Community Collaboration
Grade Level: K–12

Working with Parents of High-Risk Youth: The Parent Project Model
Ralph Fry, Co-Author, Parent Project, Parent Project, Inc., NV

The US Department of Justice has identified truancy as the number one indicator of juvenile delinquency. Every day in the US, 1300 students drop out of school. Parents own at least 60% of the responsibility of the education of their children and 100% of the responsibility to ensure their children go to school. Yet as a nation, we spend 98% of our resources and energy for truancy and dropout prevention in direct services to youth. Parents have incredible power to influence the decisions their children make. But how do we empower parents to make the difference in their child's life? In this interactive workshop, participants will:
• Identify the specific problems parents face raising children in today's world
• Learn specific strategies to engage, motivate, and empower parents of high-risk youth
• Discuss specific skills parents need to prevent and intervene in destructive adolescent behavior
• Learn specific strategies parents can use to improve children's school attendance and performance

Strand: Family and Community Collaboration; Juvenile Detention; VetORC
Grade Level: K–12

Effective Home Visits
Norma Gomez, Parent & Family Involvement Coordinator, LRET Division, English Learner & Support Services, San Diego COE, CA

In this workshop you will learn ways to communicate and collaborate with parents to support student learning during home visits. We will review the goal and reason for visiting the family, what is active listening, how a medium such as body language becomes the message, and how to solve problems with the family to address the child's best interests.

Strand: NEW!; Family and Community Collaboration; VetORC
Grade Level: K–12

Improving Educational Outcomes for Children in Out-of-Home Care: A Collaborative Effort
Dennis Leggett, Ed.D., East Region CWS Educational Liaison, Health and Human Services Agency Child Welfare Services, San Diego COE, CA; Karen Alexander, Homeless & Foster Youth Liaison, LMSV District Office, CA

In San Diego's East County, schools, child welfare, law enforcement, the courts, community collaboratives, and other agencies have collaborated to ensure that all East County children are surrounded by familiar people and places that encourage them to thrive. Efforts have focused on maintaining placement and school stability when child welfare or law enforcement has to intervene to protect a child. East Region's Child Welfare Services and the La Mesa–Spring Valley School District are currently involved with the Casey Family Program-sponsored “Breakthrough Series Collaborative on Improving Educational Continuity and School Stability for Children in Out-of-Home Care.” The presenters will discuss potentially promising strategies for improving practice in their education and child welfare systems that will ultimately support educational continuity and school stability for children in out-of-home care.

Strand: NEW!; Family and Community Collaboration; CASCWA
Grade Level: K–12

Working with English Language Learner Parents: Making a Positive Connection
Laura Guzman, Coordinator; Terry Baron, LRET Division, English Learner & Support Services, San Diego COE, CA

This session will address the specific needs of English learner parents and provide you with practical, proven strategies for making a solid connection with these families. Learn key strategies for supporting ELL parents in staying involved in their child's education. Laura and Terry will provide essential information for you to be aware of as you work with ELL parents and will answer your questions so that you can create a better home and school relationship.

Strand: NEW!; Family and Community Collaboration
Grade Level: K–8