|
|
 |
TRANSITIONS TO COMPLETE EDUCATION
New Hope Charitable Foundation
Thought drives belief. Belief drives behavior.
What people believe about themselves they become.
The numbers of incarcerated Americans, including juveniles, is astounding –
over 6 million. It’s estimated that 60-80% of offenses are drug or alcohol related. Some studies report that over
20 million Americans are addicted to drugs or alcohol.
So what is behind the need to anesthetize oneself? Many factors come into
play, but one that’s often overlooked, despite its prevalence, is the physiological inability to succeed. Despite
effort on the part of a juvenile, if he or she is literally unable to concentrate,
learn, or read, they will not succeed in the traditional school setting. Worse yet, having actually tried, they may conclude that they are stupid,
inferior,
or not “cut-out” for school. The emotional and behavioral consequences of this disengagement are devastating.
|
|
|
Facts about Juvenile Delinquents |
* Juvenile
delinquents have a very high percentage of illiteracy or “functional
illiteracy” – meaning they performed far below grade level in school. According to the U.S. Department of Education, 85% of incarcerated youth have reading problems.
* Juvenile
delinquents have low self-esteem.
* Juvenile
delinquents have tested positive for a high percentage of "learning disabilities." Note: If a learning problem can be addressed, it is not a permanent condition, and therefore by definition NOTa learning "disability." Many
learning problems are sensory deficits that mimic disabilities, yet can be effectively addressed.
|
Juvenile Delinquents & Vision
A research study conducted at the San Bernardino juvenile hall by Dr. Stan Kaseno found visual processing problems
among inmates at 70-75%. When a group of inmates was given vision development activities to correct convergence, tracking,
and other “processing” problems, their recidivism, or return to incarceration, dropped to below 16%. The facility average is over 50%.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Act states:
“…existing
programs have not adequately responded to the particular problems of the increasing numbers of young people who are addicted
to or who abuse alcohol and other drugs, particularly nonopiate or polydrug abusers.”
“…juvenile
delinquency can be reduced through programs designed to keep students in elementary and secondary schools through the prevention
of unwarranted and arbitrary suspensions and expulsions.”
If you try and try in school, yet do not succeed, you will not be gaining your self-esteem
or self-worth from your academic successes or ability to please your teachers or parents. You become “at-risk”
for everything from dropping out, to teen pregnancy, to drug use, or involvement with gangs.
We know how to build more prisons, but have not
yet answered the critical questions behind the problems - How do we re-engage young people? How do we recognize and build
upon their strengths, as opposed to highlighting their weaknesses? How do we get to the root cause of their learning problems,
and address them, before they become labeled "learning disabilities"?
|
|
|
|
|
|
What This Means for Education
The
Reality
Depending
on geographic area and demographics, 20-50% of our young people drop out of high school, many due to a growing realization
that they CANNOT learn. When a young person has a sensory processing problem – visual, auditory or other – they
typically have no way of knowing it. They simply know that they have tried, and cannot perform as expected. Negative behaviors
often accompany their increasingly low self-esteem, and disciplinary actions begin. Once a student has been suspended from
school, their risk of dropping out rises significantly.
The Difficulty
When a learning problem remains hidden through the elementary
and junior high years, the interventions that prove most successful in high school address more than just the ability to learn.
They address the remedial education required to catch up to grade-level, and the emotional, psychological or social problems
that may have arisen from years of negative academic and social school experiences. Thus reaching a teenager is far more expensive
and complicated then addressing a problem in the early school years.
Best Practices
Aimed at keeping kids in school, innovative schools are developing intervention strategies focused on foundational
learning skill deficits for students who’ve been suspended. The goal is to look beyond the behavior that led to the
suspension to determine what has led to the frustration and anger-management problems. Studies frequently link anger issues
in teens to learning difficulties in school. Many judges and juvenile delinquent courts look past the initial crime committed
by a juvenile, to explore their academic history and learning problems. One example is the 4th district juvenile
court in Jacksonville, Florida under the direction of Judge Karen Cole. Other model prevention/re-entry programs are
being conducted by the San Francisco District Attorney, Kamala Harris. The re-entry initiative “works to get offenders off the streets through close supervision coupled with real employment and educational
opportunities. ... preventing them from committing additional crimes.” Separately, initiatives to prevent
initial crime are functioing, as SFDA Kamala Harris "believes our communities are best protected when at-risk youth
are provided with the opportunities and tools they need to succeed."
______________________________________
Awareness * Responsibility * Honesty
NewHopeCharitableFoundation.org
for EVERY child a life of meaning and hope Copyright 2005, 2006, 2007, New Hope Charitable Foundation
|
|
|
|
