“Why don’t you want to attend school?” 

The Office of Youth and Community Restoration (OYCR) is encouraging county education offices and probation departments to ask students who are incarcerated this one very simple but often overlooked question.   

As part of its mission to provide trauma-responsive care that prioritizes accountability and healing over punitive measures, OYCR is working with California counties to approach chronic absenteeism among youth who are incarcerated with the same restorative mindset. For Alameda County, this new method has yielded encouraging results.  

Defined as missing 10% or more of school days regardless of reason, chronic absenteeism has been a persistent issue for students incarcerated in California. The state suffers from some of the highest rates of chronic absenteeism within juvenile justice court schools in the country. Counties like Alameda, however, are turning that around. In 2021, 63.9% of students who were incarcerated in Alameda County were considered chronically absent. By the end of 2023, that rate dropped to 6.4%. 

“Chronic absenteeism is a symptom. It is our job as educators and partners of juvenile justice to understand the root cause of why a particular student isn’t attending school and address that.” — Senior Chief of Schools for the Alameda County Office of Education and OYCR Education Advisory Committee member Monica Vaughan  

Vaughan explained that chronic absenteeism is often a result of fear, trauma, sleep disturbance, illness, or mental health challenges. Alameda County has found it key to address these obstacles as soon as a student chooses not to attend school. 

“We worry each and every time a student misses school while in our care. Because there is a small set of students, we can zero in on each individual and understand the reason they aren’t in school. Then we work to tackle any challenges right then and there by providing the support they need.” — Monica Vaughan 

The county has been able to efficiently address students’ needs and reduce its rates of chronic absenteeism, due to increased collaboration across the county’s juvenile justice system, particularly between the education and probation departments. Both groups participated in training that focused on leveraging restorative and trauma-informed practices in their everyday work. This helped the departments develop stronger relationships with youth, making it easier to communicate, support, and engage students in the classroom and beyond. Additionally, more consistent probation staffing led to less turnover between the probation staff working with each youth and helped build stability, and routine for students in Alameda court schools.  

The addition of a counselor dedicated to working with youth at the county’s Juvenile Justice Center has also been instrumental in efforts to lower absenteeism rates. The counselor meets with each youth who enters the center within their first five days to develop an Individualized Learning Transition Plan. In addition to academic planning guidance, the counselor is available to provide wellbeing support for students if an urgent need arises. Once they’re released, the counselor aids each student in transitioning back to a school in their community.  

Alameda County also focused on showing students what’s possible for them and providing the opportunities they need to get there. It improved its educational programming, putting an emphasis on inspiring, motivating, and cultivating self-confidence for incarcerated students in academic settings. Vaughan said that honoring each student’s efforts—bigger graduation ceremonies, instituting a student honor roll, celebrating a “student of the week”—helped youth who are incarcerated engage more deeply in school. Community college and dual enrollment programs allowed students to earn associate’s degrees while living in a facility, setting them up to attend four-year institutions upon returning to their communities. 

“Seeing kids in a similar position to themselves succeed academically helps many understand it’s possible to follow in their footsteps. By celebrating academic accomplishments, we’re showing youth who are incarcerated that they can thrive in the classroom, which can change the mindset many have about what potential their futures hold.” — Monica Vaughan 

Vaughan also noted that improving the county’s record keeping on student attendance at court schools, ensuring they are updated and accurate, helped lower reported rates of chronic absenteeism.  

According to Vaughan, moving youth from state care and into communities as part of California’s re-evaluation of its juvenile justice system was transformational for education in court schools. A new emphasis on healing and support has given counties like Alameda the opportunity to work more closely and for longer stretches at a time with students.  

“At OYCR our mission is to help cultivate a more vibrant future for youth who are incarcerated and the communities they are a part of. Education is core to that goal, and ensuring students are attending school is the first step. Working with Alameda County to provide youth who are incarcerated the attention and support they need to put their best food forward in the classroom has been incredibly rewarding.”  — OYCR Education Subject Matter Expert Dr. Michael Massa 

The Alameda County Office of Education is continuing its efforts to increase instructional quality in every court school classroom and ensure youth are engaged in their schoolwork in meaningful ways. The county remains committed to ensuring every youth who enters the care of its juvenile justice center receives wraparound support that sets youth up for a thriving future.