Truancy is a widespread problem across the United States after the COVID-19 pandemic. Mervosh and Paris shared, “Before the pandemic, about 15% of U.S. students were chronically absent, and by the 2021-22 school year, that number had skyrocketed to 28%.”[1] Truancy programs, whether at a school level or county, focus on youth behavior and primarily place support around youth.

 

The Katallasso Group's "RESTORE FOCUS PROGRAM" takes a family systems and restorative conflict resolution approach to engage youth and families struggling with chronic absenteeism to guide the transformation process. A family systems approach evaluates the family as a whole and narrows the focus to the parent leadership responses to influence a youth's behavior.

 

After successfully developing our program across 16 school districts, we've determined that local communities and our alumnus are best positioned to adopt their local schools. Today, we offer our exact program and lessons learned in our COMMUNITY DRIVEN RESTORE FOCUS TRAINING PROGRAM to anyone across the United States. The need is great and schools are actively looking for effective ways to address the issue. You've already completed RFM training and all you need are the program implementation tools and coaching to hit the ground running! Refresh your skills by volunteering within our RESTORE FOCUS PROGRAM and also get a reduced cost for the annual fee. We'll provide ongoing support as coaches and consultants. Annual renewal fees for programming continuing education also applies to remain certified in our program.

 

Our two day training, volunteer opportunities, and ongoing coaching give you practical hands-on experiential learning with effective program strategies we’ve developed and tested attendance outcomes in 16 school districts designed for parents and youth ages 12-18. You will feel ready and energized to implement this simple yet highly effective program designed to support your local schools and address the needs of chronically absent youth.  After your Program Implementation training day, you'll be plugged into ongoing monthly coaching and development (during the school year - 2 hours a month over a lunch break), providing you with the support and reassurance you need to ensure your effectiveness is "on point." At the end of the initial 12 months of training support (paid as a flat fee upon registration), you will be required to maintain annual continuing education to meet our standards for Rule 114 Code of Ethics and Continuing Education hours for family mediation, program fidelity at a community-driven level, and advanced mediation skill development. 

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What sets our program apart? We offer four unique and critical elements that make our training stand out.

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• The most critical element of our Restore Program success is the role of neutral mediators, who act as impartial facilitators in restorative conversations and are responsible for drafting plans/agreements with youth, parents, and schools. These mediators ensure that all parties are heard and that the resulting agreements are fair and beneficial to everyone involved. 

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• Our model takes a restorative leadership approach to model and support "parents as providers" and influencers with their teens. Addressing and encouraging parent leadership and responsibility, when youth are struggling, is a core feature of our program and training.

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• School culture and entrenched disciplinary practices can often hinder the implementation of Restorative Leadership™ in educational settings. We help you overcome these challenges by  equipping and building self-awareness in your facilitation team in "taking a nap" - a Non-Anxious Presence. Schools are oftentimes overwhelmed and stressed, you'll become the trusted ally to both schools and parents. You'll work through your default responses in conflict, stretch your capacity and navigate complex dynamics with greater grace and ease.

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• We want our Restore Program implementers to feel confident about their new skills and adhere to model integrity - ultimately leading to local success in students and schools - and helping you grow your practice. You will never walk alone as you implement programming, but instead, have a trusted coach and ally supporting your success!

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• We will set you up with a "Restore Program in a Box" including handouts, parent letter templates, restorative session road maps/guides, truancy information, Memorandums of Agreement, parent and youth agendas, how to track and measure changes in attendance, and best practices! We've placed all of our knowledge working with 16 school districts into one big box for you to run with.

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You'll glean the wisdom of our team's learnings working with 16 different Minnesota school districts, how to effectively connect with parents, accept referrals from schools, and build a simple localized program that is easy to implement and track success!

 

 

[1] Sarah Mervosh and Francesca Paris, ​“Why School Absences Have ‘Exploded,’ Almost Everywhere,” New York Times, March 29, 2024, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/03/29/us/chronic-absences.html.