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Concurrent sessions are divided into four themed tracks: 1) Stories from Current Check & Connect Implementation Sites, 2) Tips for Implementing Check & Connect, 3) Sustaining Check & Connect, and 4) Research.
Judge Daniel Heath, Allen Superior Court Judge, Fort Wayne, IN
Jerome Graham, Project Coordinator and MAP Mentor, Amicus
Eileen Klemm, M.A., Check & Connect Project Coordinator & Trainer, Institute on Community Integration, University of Minnesota (moderator)
This panel session will present two different approaches to the implementation of Check & Connect. The first approach intends to keep youth in school who are at-risk for truancy, prior to any adjudication by the courts. Judge Heath will describe his role in leading this Check & Connect implementation in Fort Wayne Community and East Allen County Schools in Indiana. The second approach aims to reduce recidivism and improve outcomes for youth with disabilities already adjudicated to a residential juvenile justice facility in Ramsey County, Minnesota. Jerome Graham will describe his role in supporting the reentry of adjudicated youth into school, employment, and community programs as a Check & Connect coordinator and mentor for this the MAP Project.
Andrea Matheson, Ph.D., School Psychologist, Heartland Area Education Agency
Shelli Blazic, SSW, PBIS Coordinator, Great Prairie Area Education Agency
With the support of the state PBIS consultant, a total of 16 trainers representing all nine Iowa Area Education Agencies (AEA) began the process of becoming certified Check & Connect trainers in March 2014. This session will describe how Check & Connect is currently being supported at the state and AEA level as a tiered intervention for PBIS. Find out how Iowa AEA Check & Connect certified trainers are meeting the needs of their member districts to support the implementation of Check & Connect.
W. Carl Sumi, Ph.D., Senior Education Researcher, SRI International
Nicole Fabrikant, MSW, Researcher, SRI International
Darcy Cabral, MSW, Program Coordinator, SRI International
Effective mentors are essential to successful implementation of C&C and high turnover can negatively affect student outcomes. This presentation will describe a 3 year study of C&C where all the original mentors were retained for the entirety of the project. We will discuss procedures and processes that include hiring, training, supervising, and supporting the mentors over the course of the study. We also will share data that illustrate the effectiveness of the mentors in the project.
Richard Krueger, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, University of Minnesota
This hour will be jam-packed with tips about how to listen to key people: staff, volunteers, clients. How do you create an environment that says “we want to hear what you think and feel”? How do you create opportunities for people to share? How can you set up informal and formal ways to listen? How do you listen when people are emotional? How do you make sense of all this information? How can you help others on your team to become better listeners? These topics and more will be covered in this session.