This poster details the challenges with an alternative school designed to support behaviorally challenged students. The poster outlines some flaws in the design of such efforts and how such schools amount to an academic death sentence for many of the students who end up there. Recommendations outline how the general concept for the intervention could be strengthened for a much better outcome for the students.
1. INSTITUTIONAL INTERVENTION
Alternative School + School-based mental health services:
Well intentioned intervention or resegregation or academic
death sentence?
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PROBLEM EQUITY
STATEMENT IMPLICATIONS
ïAlternative school has 80% Â Policy
black male students who have _____________________________________________________ ïDemystify the role of
significantly inferior academic
interpersonal and institutional
experience.
DISPROPORTIONALITY OF PLACEMENT bias in disproportionate
ïPlacement criteria is based on multiple suspensions, chronic suspension and placement of
ïMental health interventions absences or significantly low grades black males in alternative
not enough to prevent ïStudents usually referred because of behavior incident schools.
increase of suspensions for
students. _____________________________________________________
ïReframe the issue by
FLAWED DESIGN examining the pathologies
ï Students are placed at inherent in the institution of
ïAcademic, behavioral, and SES varied greatly but the most
increased risk of suspension,
common demoniator was race American education, not black
expulsion and drop out.
ïSubstandard facility male behavior.
ïInexperienced leadership & staff
ïThis is a race-based issue, ïStigma of placement Practice
an equity issue, and a civil ïDiscover important links
rights issue ïLack of support and resources for overwhelming need
ïCross purposes of education and mental health between caring relationships,
_______________________________________________________________________
_ culturally responsive classroom
management, and the
CRITICAL elimination of disproportionate
QUESTIONS suspension and placement by
ïHow do district leaders and
mental health directors more
âItâs because bias.
accurately identify and
address the problem? Iâm black!â ïConnect effective classroom
strategies with eliminating
ïWhoâs problem is being disproportionate suspension and
addressing? placement by bias.
_____________________________________________________
ïWhatâs the motivator for
addressing the problem? Â ADDRESSING INSTITUTIONAL RACISM
ïAddressing institutional racism can be overwhelming and must be
ïWhat is the goal? precisely identified: Suspension & placement.
ïInterventions should aim at leveraging resources and opportunities
to simultaneously reduce the immediate impact on students and
begin longer term sustainable change
_______________________________________________
CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE INTERVENTION
ïPrioritize and invest heavily in the most marginalized
students.
ïRecruit and incentivize appropriate leadership & staff that
are best able to work with these students.
ïImbed these interventions within the current institutions.
ïDeliberately overlap and align education and mental health.
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