NCJ Number
165937
Date Published
1996
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This paper provides suggestions and program examples for the development and adopting of policies and programs designed to serve as alternatives to suspension and expulsion from school.
Abstract
The 1992 reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 added Part E, State Challenge Activities, to the programs funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. The purpose of Part E is to provide initiatives for States participating in the Formula Grants Program to develop, adopt, and improve policies and programs in one or more of 10 specified Challenge areas. This paper focuses on Challenge Activity H, which involves the development and adoption of policies and programs to serve as alternatives to suspension and expulsion from school. Such programs are advocated due to research that shows students who are suspended or expelled from school are at risk for dropping out of school permanently and for becoming involved in more delinquent activities outside the school. Challenge Activity H aims to assist schools in the development of programs that remove problem students from the mainstream classroom but focus on increasing social involvement in and attachment to school. This paper describes 11 programs that are examples of school alternatives to suspension and expulsion. The programs have the following characteristics in common: lower student-to-staff ratio, carefully selected personnel, strong leadership, early identification of student risk factors and problem behaviors, districtwide support of the programs, intensive counseling/mentoring, pro-social skills training, emphasis on parental involvement, strict behavior requirements, and curriculum based on real-life learning. A 22- item bibliography, 11 resource organizations, and 24 notes