Kristine Jolivette

School Characteristics Related to High School Dropout Rates

A B S T R A C T Dropping out of high school culminates a long-term process of disengagement from school and has profound social and economic consequences for students, their families, and their communities. Students who drop out of high school are more likely to be unemployed, to earn less than those who graduate, to be on public assistance, and to end up in prison. The present study examined dropout rates in Kentucky high schools (N = 196), using both quantitative and qualitative procedures. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients were computed to identify those school-level variables that showed strong relationships to dropout rates. A sample of 20 schools with the highest dropout rates was compared to a sample of 20 schools with the lowest dropout rates using a multivariate analysis of variance. Furthermore, 4 schools from each group were selected as case examples. Information gathered from administrator surveys, staff interviews, and on-site observations provided detailed descriptions of the characteristics of schools with high and low dropout rates. The findings of this study demonstrated that a number of school variables are differentially related to dropout rate. Implications of these findings for school reform are discussed.

Efficacy Beliefs of Special Educators: The Relationships among Collective Efficacy, Teacher Self-Efficacy, and Job Satisfaction.

In order to examine the relationship between reported levels of teacher self-efficacy, collective efficacy, and job satisfaction in special educators, teachers in one school district completed three surveys measuring these constructs. The results indicated that teacher self-efficacy had a direct effect on job satisfaction. It was further found that collective efficacy directly affected teacher self-efficacy but that it did not have a direct effect on job satisfaction. No significant differences were found in reported levels of these areas across subgroups of teachers categorized by teaching level (elementary, middle, and high), teaching setting (self-contained, resource, or inclusion), and certification type (highly qualified, not highly qualified, or emergency).

The Effect of Teacher Coaching with Performance Feedback on Behavior-Specific Praise in Inclusion Classrooms

This study extends teacher coaching with written performance feedback as a means to increase behavior-specific praise statements (BSPS) in inclusion classrooms at the high school level. Three inclusion math teachers increased their use of BSPS during mathematics instruction. On-task intervals and frequency of BSPS were measured throughout the study. The study provides support for teacher coaching with performance feedback as an effective method for teacher training. Favorable teacher responses indicate it may be an acceptable source of professional development. Future researchers may explore introducing other teaching strategies and feedback on other dependent variables into the teacher coaching sessions. Limitations are inconclusive findings on the effectiveness of BSPS to influence student time on-task. Future research should include a more sensitive, systematic measurement of on-task and disruptive behaviors.

Adapting Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports for Secure Juvenile Justice Settings: Improving Facility-Wide Behavior

The popularity and success of positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) in public schools across the United States has led professionals to advocate for its implementation in secure juvenile settings. Statewide implementation efforts have been mounted in several jurisdictions, and a number of secure facilities are applying it with success in specific programs within facilities or across entire facilities. However, information regarding the issues faced when attempting to adapt PBIS for secure 24/7 settings, and strategies for addressing these, is not widely available. In this article, we initiate a discussion of this process as a means to improve youth behavior.

Using Choice to Increase Time On-Task, Task- Completion, and Accuracy for Students with Emotional/Behavior Disorders in a Residential Facility

Choice-making of task-sequence was implemented to determine the effect on the percentage of time on-task behavior, task-completion, and accuracy for five students with E/BD served in a residential setting. An ABAB design was used to examine a potential functional relation between choice-making and the dependent variables. All sessions were conducted by the classroom teacher during independent academic tasks in math and language arts classes. Results suggest that choice of task-sequence had an overall positive effect for time on-task and task-completion but little effect on accuracy. Limitations and future directions for choice-making are discussed.

Meeting the Needs of At-Risk and Adjudicated Youth with Behavioral Challenges: The Promise of Juvenile Justice

The current status of at-risk and adjudicated youth with behavioral challenges provides a context for addressing needed future directions for research and practice in fields that impact this population. This context includes the myriad characteristics and complex needs of these youth, the programs and services currently available in communities and secure settings, and youth outcomes following incarceration. Recent and emerging national, state, and local initiatives and the benefits that have been realized or are anticipated from their application are presented. The challenges to achieving and sustaining these systems changes are then discussed. The paper concludes with recommendations for future research and practice, based on the issues raised in this special issue and elsewhere.

Barriers and Facilitators to Providing Incarcerated Youth With a Quality Education

The authors aimed to compile a list of barriers and facilitators to providing incarcerated youth with a quality education. They asked 78 teachers in the juvenile justice system what they perceived to be the top 3 barriers and facilitators to providing incarcerated youth with a quality education. The authors used the constant comparative method to analyze the data, and they developed the following 9 themes: personnel concerns, academics, student concerns, discipline, materials and supplies, parental involvement, funding, communication, and facilities. These themes serve as a foundation for discussing how to improve the quality of education for incarcerated youth. The authors discuss results in terms of what teachers and administrators can do to improve the quality of education of incarcerated youth.

Use of the Structural Analysis Hypothesis Testing Model to Improve Social Interactions via Peer-Mediated Intervention

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of a structural analysis model as a vehicle for improving social interactions via peer-mediated interventions. Nondisabled peers were employed during structural analysis assessments to examine the predictive utility of this process for peer-mediated social interventions for students with disabilities. Five elementary-age students diagnosed with moderate disabilities served as the participants. Five elementary-age general education students were used as assessment and treatment agents in an effort to determine the viability of nondisabled peers in the assessment process. Assessments and treatment protocols were completed in the special education classroom. Generalization probes were then obtained in the general education classroom. Variables identified during assessment as conducive and not conducive to heightened levels of appropriate behavior and social interactions were combined into preferred and nonpreferred treatments. These treatments were evaluated using an alternating treatments design. Data were obtained using partial interval recording. The results of this study demonstrated that structural analysis can be conducted to include nondisabled students to successfully identify antecedents of appropriate social behavior from which effective peer-mediated social interventions can develop. This study supports previous research findings that peer-mediated strategies can serve as a framework from which to fine-tune social skills interventions through the use of structural analysis for students with moderate disabilities.

Secondary Prevention Efforts at a Residential Facility for Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders: Function-Based Check-in, Check-out

Check-in, check-out (CICO) is a secondary-tier intervention with proven utility for reducing problem behaviors and increasing responsiveness to primary-tier expectations of positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS). CICO has been investigated at the elementary and middle school levels in traditional school settings with students both with and without disabilities. This study seeks to extend this literature base by (a) investigating the utility of CICO in residential settings for students with emotional and behavior disorders, (b) investigating the role of function in responsiveness to CICO intervention efforts, and (c) using direct observation data and a multiple-baseline design to measure responsiveness across participants. Limitations and future directions also are discussed.

Positive Behavior Support in Alternative Education, Community-Based Mental Health, and Juvenile Justice Settings

Schoolwide positive behavior support (PBS) is implemented in more than 6,000 public schools, preschools, alternative education (AE), and juvenile justice programs across the United States (Danielson, Cobb, Sanchez, & Horner, 2007). Among the beneficial outcomes reported by these schools are dramatic reductions in office discipline referral rates, increased instructional time for students formerly removed for disciplinary reasons, and improved academic performance (including gains in academic year achievement test scores). As documented elsewhere in this volume, the success of PBS has led to the mobilization of efforts to bring this multiple-systems approach to scale at the school district and state education agency levels.