Data Integration in the Evaluation of Juvenile Justice Education

Abstract

This article discusses the Juvenile Justice Educational Enhancement Program’s evaluation of juvenile justice education through the integration of multiple data sources. Validation of best practices and the corresponding effect of these practices on community reintegration require the development of a comprehensive database of program-level and individual-level idicators from several sources. These sources include the Florida Department of Education, the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Florida Department of Corrections, and the Juvenile Justice Educational Enhancement Program’s own educational quality assurance and pre-/posttest data. This article examines the methodological, political, and bureaucratic obstacles encountered in this effort. Evaluation research analyses are also explored with an emphasis on the meaning of outcome measures relative to causal issues of time order, the modeling of events, and analytic strategy. The article provides a framework for future juvenile justice educational evaluation and a critical examination of problems encountered in integrating data sources for the purpose of outcome evaluation.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Binder, A. , G. Geis , and D. D. Bruce Jr. 1997. Juvenile delinquency: Historical, cultural, and legal perspectives. 2d. ed. Cincinnati, OH: Anderson.

Brown, S. E. , F. A. Esbensen , G. Geis , and K. A. Verhegge . 2001. Criminology: Explaining crime and its context. 4th ed. Cincinnati, OH: Anderson.

Bryk, A. S. , and S. W. Raudenbush . 1992. Hierarchical linear models: Applications and data analysis methods. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

Cook, T. , and D. Campbell . 1979. Quasi-experimentation: Design and analysis issues for field settings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Davis, J. 1990. The logic of causal order. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

Goldstein, H. 1995. Multilevel statistical models. London: Edward Arnold.

Major, A. K. , D. R. Chester , R. McEntire , G. P. Waldo , and T. G. Blomberg . 2002. Pre-, post-, and longitudinal evaluation of juvenile justice education. Evaluation Research 26:301-321.

Menard, S. 1991. Longitudinal research. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

Rossi, P. 1988. On sociological data. In Handbook of sociology, edited by N. J. Smelser . Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

10.

Rossi, P. , and H. Freeman . 1982. Evaluation: A systematic approach. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.

11.

Sampson, R. J. , and J. H. Laub . 1993. Crime in the making: Pathways and turning points through life. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

12.

Smith, M. , and G. Glass . 1987. Research and evaluation in education and the social sciences. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

13.

Trochim, W. 2000. Research methods knowledge base. 2d ed. Cincinnati, OH: Atomic Dog.

14.

Yang, M. , J. Rasbash , H. Goldstein , and M. Barbosa . 2001. MLwiN macros for advanced multilevel modeling. London: University of London.