NCJ Number
97249
Date Published
1982
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This report summarizes the results of the first 6 years (1973-1979) of a school-based, combined education and mental health program implemented at Stemmers Run Junior High School (SRJH), located on the urban fringe of a large east coast city.
Abstract
Background information on programs for disruptive students is presented, and the (SRJH) program for multisuspended students is described. Grade levels and subject selection are considered, and staffing coordination and supplementation are addressed. The practice of testing enrolled and available program and control students on the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT) at the beginning and near the end of the school year is reported; a followup study of students from the 1973-74 and 1974-75 program, conducted in 1978 and 1979, is discussed. Annual results indicate that school behavioral suspensions for program students ranged from 0.2 to 1.5 per year, compared to 1.9 to 2.9 per year for control students; moreover, the program maintained a high rate of grade promotion since its inception in 1973. Additionally, yearly absence rates for program youth averaged 27 percent from 1973 to 1979, compared to the control average of 32 percent. Analysis of followup results indicates that 80 percent of the program students entered senior high school compared to 40 percent of the control students. Program students have attended high school for a significantly greater number of days than control students; both groups achieved nearly identical grades. Finally, the benefits of the comprehensive, behavioral in-school programs are emphasized. Included are 22 references and 2 tables. For a more detailed description of the program, see NCJ 97248.