NCJ Number
153494
Journal
School Safety Dated: (Winter 1995) Pages: 7-10
Date Published
1995
Length
3 pages
Annotation
Alternative educational programs for students in Kentucky, Texas, Louisiana, and Virginia are described that feature a low student-teacher ratio, additional support staff, strong leadership, and community involvement.
Abstract
The public school system in Jefferson County, Kentucky, has created an alternative school for students in grades 6 through 12 who are suspended or expelled from regular school due to disruptive behavior. The challenge of changing disruptive students is met by providing a highly structured, disciplinary program with clearly defined and consistent consequences for inappropriate behavior. Buechel also offers students various incentives and field trips for improved attendance, grades, and behavior. The Buechel program is effective because it incorporates discipline, positive reinforcement, community involvement, and attitude change. In Texas, the Houston Independent School District (HISD) strives to stem the dropout rate, raise academic achievement, and meet the needs of students with special interests and skills. The John Martyn High School in Jefferson, Louisiana, is an alternative school for behaviorally disordered adolescents. The school uses a behavior management system to provide a safe learning environment and allow students to obtain prosocial skills. The system includes a point system to reinforce academic achievement and appropriate behavior, level review meetings to help students internalize appropriate behavior, contracts, discipline, vocational opportunities, and crisis management. The Raymond Telles Academy, an alternative disciplinary school in El Paso, Texas, is comprised of students who have been recommended for expulsion from regular schools. It operates on a strict point and level system. Students can earn points and move up from level one to level four. When students reach level four, they are eligible to be reconsidered for return to their assigned schools. The program is bolstered by intensive counseling and parental involvement. Fairfax County, Virginia, has 28 alternative programs located in county agencies that deal with at-risk students. In addition to providing an academic challenge, alternative schools in Fairfax County stress fundamental social skills and study habits that prepare students to succeed.