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NewsSchools help troubled teensMarch 7, 2007Bucyrus Telegraph Forum WASHINGTON -- The Jacksonville Marine Institute is not a bad place to get a high school education. Classes are small and rewards for neat appearance and good grades include overnight trips and scuba diving lessons. But only teenagers who commit crimes attend the school. For some, it's their last chance to get a diploma Contracted by the Duval County School Board and the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, the institute is a highly structured alternative school open only to students referred by the courts. With about a dozen students per class, teachers constantly monitor progress and grade on appearance, attitude and participation -- not just academics. "The kids can't hide from us," said Kevin Casey, executive director of the nonprofit program, which has about 70 students. "At a bigger school, a kid can fall through the cracks. Here, we don't give them that chance." There are an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 alternative schools in the United States -- about one for every school district -- although many exist to handle special education children who are not discipline problems. Alternative schools house mainly teenagers who struggle to learn in regular school and are close to dropping out or being expelled. They have small classes and programs designed to make learning more engaging. Their students are disproportionately poor and minority. More than 30 states allow districts to place expelled or suspended students in alternative schools. A few require it if the suspension or expulsion is a result of assault, a felony or bringing a weapon to school. Schools became more aggressive about placing disruptive students in alternative schools following the 1999 Columbine High School shooting in Colorado, said Terry Cash, assistant director of the National Dropout Prevention Center/Network at Clemson University in South Carolina Studies suggest districts increasingly are looking at alternative schools to teach unruly children, said Camilla Lehr, a researcher at the University of Minnesota. If so, the rise in suspensions and expulsions indicate the demand for such schools will continue, she said. Nationally, more than 3 million students were suspended -- about one of every 15 -- and nearly 100,000 students were expelled during the 2002 school year, the latest federal data available. Some researchers worry that lumping disruptive children together leads to more trouble. "The worse thing you can do for these kids is bring them together," said Joel Rosch, a researcher at the Center for Child and Family Policy at Duke University. But Casey said 75 percent of students who complete the JMI program don't re-offend. He thinks that will include a 16-year-old boy set to graduate from the program March 22. The sophomore, whom Gannett News Service is not identifying, was sent to JMI after he was arrested for robbing someone at his high school in October. Before his arrival, the student said, he was short-tempered, hung out with a fast crowd and didn't care about school. Now, he never misses a day and excels in his new surroundings, thanks to the constant supervision and reward system that form the backbone of JMI. Steve Young, principal of Jefferson High in Menan, Idaho, poses a larger question about alternative schools. "If I don't take them, where are they going to go?" Young has about 90 students in his alternative school, some as old as 21. During his five years as principal, Young has had students who have committed robberies, assaults and sexual offenses. Like the Jacksonville institute, Jefferson emphasizes structure. Students punch a clock when they arrive, submit to random drug tests and risk losing parking privileges for playing the car stereo too loud. Cell phones are banned and any student getting lower than a C grade must repeat the class. And if kids get out of line, Young is more than willing to call a probation officer who can send them to a juvenile detention center. Putting these students in an alternative program means they're no longer causing trouble at their home school. "Because of compulsory attendance, these kids would be forced to come to school and absolutely be disruptive," said Bill Bond, who counsels schools on safety practices on behalf of the National Association of Secondary School Principals. "Their goal is to jerk the teacher's chain and get as much attention as they can." ---- Contact Ledge King at lking@gns.gannett.com |
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