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Researchers have found the following with regard to Check & Connect implementation:
94 students in special education who had received Check & Connect for 2 years in middle school were randomly assigned to treatment and control groups upon entrance to 9th grade. By the end of 9th grade, treatment group students were significantly more likely than control group students to be enrolled in school (91% vs. 70%), to have persisted in school with no periods of 15-day absences (85% vs. 64%), and to be on track to graduate within five years (68% vs. 29%) (Sinclair et al., 1998Sinclair, M. F., Christenson, S. L., Evelo, D. L., & Hurley, C. M. (1998). Dropout prevention for youth with disabilities: Efficacy of a sustained school engagement procedure. Exceptional Children, 65(1), 7–21). Tip: hover mouse over link to view full citation; click to view all references.
175 9th grade students with emotional/behavioral disabilities were randomly assigned to treatment and control groups (11 did not participate due to mobility or other factors) and received the intervention for 4-5 years. Check & Connect treatment students were less likely to drop out of school than students in the control group at the end of 4 years (39% vs. 58%) and at the end of 5 years for a subsample of students (42% vs. 94%). The effect size for treatment and control student differences for a 5-year graduation rate was significant and moderate (ES = .53). Students in the treatment group were more likely than those in the control group to be enrolled in an educational program (e.g., alternative, GED), to access relevant educational services (e.g., alternative programs), to be involved in their IEP transition planning, and to demonstrate persistent attendance. (Sinclair et al., 2005Sinclair, M. F., Christenson, S. L., & Thurlow, M. L. (2005). Promoting school completion of urban secondary youth with emotional or behavioral disabilities. Exceptional Children, 71(4), 465–482). Tip: hover to view full citation; click to view all references.
The effect of the mentor-student relationship on student engagement was examined for 80 elementary students who received Check & Connect for at least 20 months. The mentor perspective on the relationship predicted teacher-rated academic engagement, while the student perspective on the relationship approached significance as a predictor of teacher-rated academic engagement. Neither the mentor nor the student perspective on the relationship was a significant predictor of teacher-rated social engagement (Anderson et al., 2004)Anderson, A. R., Christenson, S. L., Sinclair, M. F., & Lehr, C. A. (2004). Check & Connect: The importance of relationships for promoting engagement with school. Journal of School Psychology, 42, 95–113. doi: 10.1016/j.jsp.2004.01.002) Tip: hover to view full citation; click to view all references.
In a pre-post intervention design and replication study, 147 elementary students who were absent or tardy to school 12% or more of the time received Check & Connect for 2 years. At the end of 2 years, about 40% of Check & Connect students were engaged and regularly attending school (the equivalent of 0-1 day absent per month), an improvement of 135% over baseline behavior. Incidence of tardiness to school declined. About 86% of Check & Connect students were engaged and arriving to school on time (the equivalent of 0-1 day tardy per month), an improvement of 104% over baseline behavior (Lehr, Sinclair, & Christenson, 2004Lehr, C. A., Sinclair, M. F., & Christenson, S. L. (2004). Addressing student engagement and truancy prevention during the elementary years: A replication study of the Check & Connect model. Journal of Education for Students Placed At Risk, 9(3), 279–301.). Tip: hover to view full citation; click to view all references.
87% of parents of Check & Connect students in grades K-8 were rated by teachers as more supportive of their children’s education (defined as parental follow-through, communication with school, and homework completion). Teachers’ perceptions of students’ behavior were positive — 90% indicated that students in grades K-8 were showing improvement in homework completion, interest in school, and attendance. Teachers’ observations of students who received 2 years of sustained intervention were very positive; teachers rated these students significantly more likely to be eager to learn, follow school rules, think ahead about consequences, get along with others, show respect for others’ rights and feelings, and persist when challenged by difficult tasks, all critical competencies for school success (Lehr, Sinclair, & Christenson, 2004Lehr, C. A., Sinclair, M. F., & Christenson, S. L. (2004). Addressing student engagement and truancy prevention during the elementary years: A replication study of the Check & Connect model. Journal of Education for Students Placed At Risk, 9(3), 279–301.). Tip: hover to view full citation; click to view all references.
In a pre-post intervention design, 363 chronically truant secondary students showed improved attendance and academic performance as well as a reduction in the number of skipped classes and out-of-school suspensions. About 65% of Check & Connect students who were referred before their absences exceeded 25% of the school year were successfully engaged (defined as less than 0-1 days absent per month), with no incidences of course failures (Sinclair & Kaibel, 2002Sinclair, M. F., & Kaibel, C. (2002). Dakota County: Secondary Check & Connect programs: School Success Check & Connect program evaluation final summary report. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, Institute on Community Integration). Tip: hover to view full citation; click to view all references.
