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Annual Report on School Safety--October 1998
The Alternative Education Program, for grade 9, is a promising model at Minnie Howard School in Alexandria, Virginia. An alternative team was formed for the population designated at-risk of dropping out and developing behavior problems. The Alternative Education Program teaches the content of courses to students using a high degree of individualization while addressing skill development gaps. In addition, the program infuses violence prevention into the curriculum, provides a welcoming climate to improve student motivation to attend school, and provides genuine school-to-work opportunities for each student. Regular home visits deliver parent education and support. This program is currently being evaluated.
Contact: Margaret Walsh, Principal, Minnie Howard School, 3801 West Braddock Road, Alexandria, VA 22302, 703-824-6750
The Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program, for middle and high schools, is a demonstrated model that pays students who are behind in grade level or have been retained for one year or more to tutor elementary school children. The tutors receive extra academic help in preparation to tutor the young children on an ongoing basis. The major goals of the program are to teach the tutors the value of education and increase their bonding to the school. Researchers have found that after two years, only one percent of the students in the program had dropped out of school, whereas 12 percent of the comparison students had dropped out.
Contact: Linda Cantu, Communications Manager, Intercultural Development Research Association, 5835 Callaghan Road, Suite 350, San Antonio, TX 78228, 210- 684-8180, Fax: 210-684-5389
Help One Student To Succeed (HOSTS),for grades 1-10, is a promising dropout prevention program in which students who are one year (or more) behind in their reading skills are mentored by trained adult volunteers. In order to develop individualized learning plans around state and/or local objectives, teachers have access to an electronic database of teaching materials. Students may leave the program when they are able to read at or above grade level. An evaluation involving 6,621 students during the 1995-96 school year found an overall gain of two reading levels and reported that 51 percent of students met the exit criteria.
Contact: Bill Gibbons, HOSTS Corporation, 8000 NE, Parkway Drive, Suite 201, Vancouver, WA 98662-6459, 800-833-4678, Fax: 360-260-1783, Web site: www.hosts.com
Project Helping Hand, for grades K-8, is a promising model to reduce truancy. Key components include referring youth who have 5 to 15 days of unexcused absences to a community-wide center, up to eight sessions of family counseling, home visits if the family does not show up for sessions, and three followup sessions to ensure that truancy does not start again. Child study teams and tutoring are also available. Project staff reported that 84 percent of youth were not truant after participating in the program.
Contact: Atlantic County Division of Intergenerational Services, 101 South Shore Road, Northfield, NJ 08225, 609-645-5862
Reconnecting Youth, for grades 9-12, is a demonstrated model for students showing signs of poor school achievement, multiple problem behaviors, and the potential for dropping out of high school. Key elements include social support and skills training, personal growth classes, and social activities to promote school bonding. Two studies have found improvements in school performance and reductions in substance use and suicide risk. In addition, the Texas Education Agency has recently approved Reconnecting Youth for use as a for-credit class in Texas public schools.
Contact: Derek Richey, National Education Service, P.O. Box 8, Bloomington, IN 47402-0008, 800-733-6786,
Web site: www.nesonline.com
The Stafford County Alternative Education Program, for high schools, is a promising initiative that gives students two options for successfully completing high school. The first option is a regional education center for violent, weapons-carrying, or controlled-substance-carrying students. It offers academic, counseling, family, and transportation services in order to help students complete the school year and successfully return to their regular schools. Turning Point, the second option, is a school for members of the community (primarily those ages 17-21) who have not completed high school and for high school students with a very high risk of dropping out. Program staff report that success depends upon providing students and staff choices regarding their placement, written expectations or contracts that students sign, teaching teams, a small student population, and flexibility with a focus on meeting student needs. No evaluation data are available.
Contact: G. Scott Walker, Director of Alternative and Adult Education, Stafford County Public Schools, 35 Potomac Creek Drive, #97, Falmouth, VA 22405, 540-659-9899
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McNair Elementary School
Demographic Information:
Contact Information: Dr. Peggy Dolan, Principal After the 1991-92 school year, McNair's administration decided to try a new approach to preventing fights and aggressive behavior in school. Although the number of fights was not extremely high (55 fights and 27 suspensions) in that year, the staff felt that suspensions and detentions were not changing student behavior. McNair borrowed from the Safe and Drug Free Schools strategy and initiated the Fight Free School Program 6 years ago. It has since been adopted by schools in other areas. The mission statement of the Fight Free School Program is "To teach the youth of today, the future leaders of our nation, appropriate interpersonal behavior skills. The focus is to provide an improved school environment which will enhance the learning process and allow our children the optimum advantage to excel in their academic careers." In order to fulfill this mission, the program sets clear expectations for students and parents, provides students with social skills training, and teaches students to resolve conflicts peacefully. Offering daily positive reinforcement for good behavior through strategies such as declaring fight-free days over the public address system and flying a fight-free flag over the school when there are no fights is also central to the program. McNair Elementary School has reported a drastic decrease in fights and suspensions since the inception of the program: 55 fights and 27 suspensions in1991-92; 3 fights and 2 suspensions in 1992-93; and only 5 or 6 fights per year from 1993-94 through 1997-98. To obtain a Fight Free School Manual (School Violence. . .Calming the Storm), call 800-524-2813. |
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