The Youth Violence Prevention Program:Preventing High School Dropouts

Natalie Doss, University of Chicago

The Ciy of Chicago should implemen a pilo program, he Youh Violence Pre-venion Program, which pays youh during heir 8h and 9h grade years foratending and doing well in school and exracurricular aciviies, and punishesyouh for failing a class, skipping class, and gun and drug possession by akingaway paymen and requiring communiy service.

The Green or Grades program is a Chicago pilo program ha ries o increase he valueo school in youh eyes by paying youh a dieren incremens or good grades. I is oneo several programs across he counry ha EdLabs a Harvard Universiy has helpedo design and will evaluae as par o ongoing research on innovaive new programs ineducaion. Many ciy school disrics have implemened similar programs. The resulsshow improved perormance and ineres in school, bu policymakers have no collecedresearch on hese programs’eec on youh crime raes.Over he pas 50 years, manyLack o eecive evaluaionhas limied he success ocurren programs inended oreduce youh violence. TheYouh Violence Prevenionprogram inroduces measur-able poins o success or ail-ure by which o deermine issuccess and value.

Analysis

This program will begin asa pilo program and will beevaluaed o see is successbeore implemening i on a large scale. I will operae on he same level as he piloGreen or Grades program—serving 5,000 13-14 year-old sudens in schools randomlyseleced rom he Chicago school disrics in which youh are mos a-risk or urning ocrime. Since each suden has he opporuniy o earn up o $4000 or earning goodgrades, and $350 per year or paricipaion in an exracurricular all year, he oal coscomes o $23.5 million or he wo-year pilo program. This could be paid or hroughRace or he Top money, ederal simulus dollars, and privae grans in addiion o disricsuppor.

Key Facts

A oal o

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510 people were murdered in Chicagoin 2008, and nearly hal were beween he ageso 10 and 25.Research suggess ha violen crime coss he

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ciy o Chicago $2.5 billion per year; his includesdirec and indirec coss o violen crime.Sudies show ha young criminals are overwhelm-

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ingly high school dropous; hey are mos likely obegin engaging in violen aciviy during heir 8hand 9h grade years.Research also shows ha mos people who com-

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mi crime will no be criminals heir enire lives.