Candace A. Mulcahy

Detained and Committed Youth: Examining Differences in Achievement, Mental Health Needs, and Special Education Status

Currently, there is limited research about the relationship between academic, mental health needs, and special education status among populations of incarcerated youth. Additionally, little is known about differences between special education and general education students, or about differences between detained and committed populations. This article reports the results of an investigation of the academic achievement, mental health history, and special education status of 555 detained and incarcerated boys in one mid-Atlantic state. Descriptive data and results from a logistic regression analysis are reported. We found that mean standard scores of participants on standardized achievement tests were one standard deviation below the population mean. We also found high rates of participants with disabilities, and high rates of participants reporting prior therapy and prior use of psychotropic medication. In addition, we found that student academic and mental health characteristics obtained through an intake screening protocol were predictive of special education status, but not of placement in detention or commitment settings. Finally, we found that African American students had a significantly higher risk of being committed than Caucasian students. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Lessons Learned: Barriers and Solutions for Conducting Reading Investigations in Juvenile Corrections Settings.

Few research studies have investigated the effectiveness of instructional strategies for students in juvenile corrections. The dearth of research on effective instruction for this population may be due in part to difficulties encountered in carrying out methodologically rigorous studies in these settings. This article reports barriers and challenges we experienced while conducting a multi-site intensive reading intervention study in juvenile corrections. We discuss the issues we encountered, including adequacy of collaboration with administrators, facility staff, and research staff; defining roles and responsibilities of research staff; sampling and attrition; securing appropriate instructional settings; and identifying instrumentation and materials. For each area, we discuss the outcomes and make recommendations for future research.

Literacy and Delinquency: Current Status of Reading Interventions With Detained and Incarcerated Youth

This article presents the findings of a literature review of reading research investigations in juvenile corrections settings. Six studies met criteria for inclusion in the review and were examined for methodological rigor and the importance of the findings. Authors of two of the articles reviewed demonstrated adequate experimental control, and concluded that intensive, empirically validated research programs can improve reading outcomes for incarcerated youth. The remaining studies had methodological shortcomings that limited the interpretation and generalization of the findings. Recommendations for future research are provided and discussed.

Racial Disparity in Administrative Autism Identification Across the United States During 2000 and 2007

Evidence of disparate identification of autism at national and local levels is accumulating, but there is little understanding about disparate identification of autism at the state level. This study examined trends in state-level administrative identification of autism under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Prevalence rates and odds ratios were calculated for each state using enrollment counts for years 2000 and 2007. Results indicated increases in administrative prevalence of autism for all racial groups from 2000 to 2007, but increasing underidentification of Black and Hispanic students in 2007 compared with White students. Variability existed in the identification of autism among Black and Hispanic students across states over time. Implications for the findings are discussed in the context of the field’s need to establish rigorous policies and practices for eligibility determinations due to autism and equitable access to evidence-based intervention practices.

An Examination of Intervention Research with Secondary Students with EBD in Light of Common Core State Standards for Mathematics.

In this review, the authors offer a critical analysis of published interventions for improving mathematics performance among middle and high school students with EBD in light of the Common Core State Standards. An exhaustive review of literature from 1975 to December 2012 yielded 20 articles that met criteria for inclusion. The authors analyzed the body of research for the nature of participants, settings, interventionists, interventions, and alignment with Common Core State Standards. Despite limitations with the body of research, the results of the review indicate a number of promising practices exist for secondary students with EBD in mathematics, including: (a) peer-mediated approaches, (b) interventions that address academic performance as well as behavior, (d) use of technology, and (e) use of strategy instruction to support conceptual understanding. Implications for research and practice are provided.

Teaching Mathematics to Secondary Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders: Challenges and Practical Suggestions for Teachers.

While the Common Core State Standards and state learning standards guide teachers in what mathematical content knowledge should be addressed as well as the processes and proficiencies necessary for developing mathematical competence, several student- and teacher-related factors may hinder student access to the general education curriculum for secondary students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Consequently, secondary students with emotional and behavioral disorders often fail to receive equitable, high-quality mathematics instruction that is age-appropriate. The authors identified the challenges associated with teaching mathematics to secondary students with emotional and behavioral disorders and provided practical suggestions, on the basis of the limited existing research base, to help special educators understand how to teach mathematics to secondary students with emotional and behavioral disorders.

Building Adaptive Expertise and Practice-Based Evidence: Applying the Implementation Stages Framework to Special Education Teacher Preparation.

Preparing pre-service special educators to meet classroom demands requires teacher preparation programs to design experiences for students to demonstrate routine expertise, while also building adaptive expertise. In this article, the authors describe a capstone project that meets these needs and prepares pre-service special educators for their role in the development of practice-based evidence. These aims align well with the Council for Exceptional Children’s Professional Standards. To describe this project and how it meets these aims, we used the Implementation Stages framework. Outcomes reflect an increase in pre-service special educators’ ability to research and design usable interventions based on evidence-based practices. Implications for special education teacher preparation programs include the need for faculty to provide instruction in a wide variety of interventions, and to provide channels for the pre-service special educators to disseminate their research within the field.

Ensuring that They Learn

With few exceptions, youth in juvenile corrections in the USA do not receive education services commensurate with those received by youth who are not incarcerated. Education services in many juvenile correctional facilities fail to meet minimal standards associated with quality education programs and they fail to use evidence-based practices. In spite of a history of school failure and educational disabilities, youth in juvenile corrections are capable of learning new skills and leaving juvenile corrections more competent and capable than when they entered (Leone et al. 2005). This chapter examines the association between education attainment and successful life experiences of adults, reviews the current status of education services for youth in juvenile corrections, and describes administrative structures and instructional practices associated with quality education services for youth.

Disparate Disciplinary Confinement of Diverse Students in Juvenile Corrections

Abstract Youth in juvenile corrections settings have significant academic, behavioral, and mental health needs. Additionally, a disproportionate percentage of them are identified with a diagnosed disability, with Emotional Disturbance (ED) as the most common diagnosis. Despite these facts, appropriate education and intensive mental health care is often lacking in these settings. Furthermore, there is evidence to suggest that some facilities use methods such as disciplinary confinement as a response to behavioral infractions; a practice that is not only counterproductive to rehabilitation, but violates federal education law and established legal standards. This study examined the use of disciplinary confinement in a juvenile justice system and investigated factors associated with frequency of this practice and time spent in disciplinary confinement. Participants were 2,353 youth with and without identified disabilities at state-run juvenile corrections facilities. Results indicated that students with disabilities spent considerably more time in disciplinary confinement than students without disabilities. Students with ED spent considerably more time than students in other disability categories and students without disabilities. Additionally, Black students, Black students with ED, and Hispanic students with ED spent considerably more time in disciplinary seclusion than other groups. The authors discuss results with respect to disproportionate use of disciplinary confinement and provide subsequent recommendations including the reexamination of disciplinary confinement practices by leaders in juvenile corrections.

Mathematics in Secondary Psychiatric Schools: Curricular and Assessment Policies and Practices

The current study focuses on results from a national survey of special education mathematics teachers in secondary psychiatric schools. A total of 115 (33.04%) respondents completed a mail or online survey concerning school-level mathematics curriculum and assessment policies and practices. No statistically significant differences existed between respondent and nonrespondent schools on demographic variables. Results indicate a disconnect between the mathematics curriculum and state assessments. Approximately half teachers responded that their school relies on standard district or state curriculum, and the curriculum and instructional materials are aligned with assessments to a great extent. Only about 40% and 30%, respectively, reported that schools are supervised and teachers are provided professional development to facilitate the alignment of curriculum with state assessments to a great extent. Additional results and implications are discussed.