Right Back on Track in Dropout Prevention

There is no single approach to tackling truancy and school dropout. We know that it takes a concerted response from family, school, legal, and other community resources to help stem the tide of truancy. However, what is clear is that making connections with youth is vital to helping youth stay in school. The Right Back on Track Mentoring Program (RBT) makes connections with youth and helps them gain skills to be successful.

RBT couples electronic monitoring with mentoring and coaching to help youth stay in school and succeed in meeting their goals. RBT uses cellular location technology to track the student. Students carry a loose cellular device that offers location verification data as well as voice capabilities. The cellular unit can call school, home, 911, and in some cases a homework hotline. Location verification lets the youth know that he or she is being monitored for compliance in school attendance, which can be reported to parents, school counselors, judges, and other people working for the welfare of that youth. Monitoring helps adolescents know that they aren’t going to slip through the cracks and that adults really do care about where they are. At first, these adolescents may not like the monitoring or believe that adults really care, but when the adults in their life are actually working together, this consistency of response helps establish trust and safety.

The voice communication capabilities of the cellular device are what help set RBT apart from other truancy intervention programs. RBT employs mentor/coaches to help the youth be successful in the program. While monitoring a youth’s whereabouts is helpful, it is the human contact and interest in the youth’s development that makes a lasting difference for these youth. Mentor/coaches are able to maintain ongoing phone contact with these adolescents and help them develop goals and the skills to reach these goals. By establishing a positive relationship with the youth, the mentor/coach can help youth find the solutions they need to be successful in school and in life.

The program is a critical tool as we seek ways to combat the dropout crisis.