Ensuring Practicality through Convergence of Practice Themes in Policy and Practice Scans

• In Event: How Research Was Synthesized and Translated into Guidelines for Juvenile Courts

Abstract

The purpose of identifying the convergence of practice for this project was to identify descriptive
evidence about how juvenile drug treatment courts operate (rather than focusing on what effects they have). For the guidelines initiative, identifying convergence of practice themes served two purposes: (1) to provide information related to the organizational structure of the guidelines document and (2) to identify gaps in the research needed for usable, actionable, and comprehensive guidelines. This paper will discuss how these practice themes were identified and applied in the process.

Authors

• Anthony Petrosino, WestEd

• Roger Jarjoura, American Institutes for Research