Helping Girls Get Back on Track An Implementation Study of the PACE Center for Girls. Executive Summary

Date

2017

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

MDRC

Abstract

When young people drop out of school or become involved in the juvenile justice system, the consequences can extend far into adulthood. Thus, there is a compelling policy need to under-stand how to support young people who exhibit warning signs of academic failure and delin-quent behavior. Such behavior is often a symptom of other challenges in the lives of girls and boys — and girls face their own distinct challenges. Girls in the juvenile justice system are more likely than boys to have experienced sexual abuse and maltreatment as children, and their responses to trauma differ from those of boys. MDRC’s evaluation of the PACE Center for Girls offers a valuable opportunity to understand how the gender-responsive approach translates into actual program operations. PACE takes a preventive approach, aiming to help troubled girls ages 11 to 18 stay in school and avoid involvement, or deeper involvement, with the juvenile justice system. At locations across the state of Florida, PACE provides academic and social services during regular school hours in a safe, supportive environment tailored to girls’ needs, with an emphasis on relationships, relevant life skills, and the cultivation of girls’ strengths. This report describes the implementation of PACE at the 14 centers that are participating in the evaluation. The research found that PACE successfully implemented its unique model as planned in multiple locations. Besides detailing the program’s dissemination of its gender-responsive culture and services, these findings provide useful information to social service providers who seek to replicate their own programs. In addition, the study has found that, after 12 months, girls in PACE were more likely than girls in a control group to have received academic advising and mental health counseling and to have been enrolled in school. The final report, due in 2018, will provide experimental evidence of the impact of this gender-responsive program on girls’ well-being, along with a cost-effectiveness analysis. (Author Text)

Description

Keywords

child abuse, psychological effects, intervention, program evaluation, key findings, research

Citation

Treskon, Louisa, Millenky, Megan , & Freedman, Lily. (2017). Helping Girls Get Back on Track An Implementation Study of the PACE Center for Girls. Executive Summary. New York: MDRC

DOI