Interim Report on the Truancy Court Diversion Program in the District of Columbia, 2011-12

Meagan Cahill, Akiva Liberman, Lindsey Cramer

The Truancy Court Diversion Program (TCDP) is a voluntary program for students at risk for chronic truancy. TCDP addresses attitudes of students and parents through sessions involving Family Court judges, and addresses barriers to attendance though case management and service referrals. An implementation evaluation of a pilot TCDP found key implementation challenges concerning recruitment and program participation, and the lack of regular team meetings. The program seems to have improved attitudes of regular participants, and provided families with needed services. Several modifications are recommended to strengthen the program. Structural changes would be necessary to take the TCDP to a larger scale.

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