A Comparison of School Climate Ratings in Urban Alternative and Traditional High Schools

We investigated whether there are significant differences in ratings of school climate from the perspectives of students, parents, and school staff across four types of urban secondary schools. Data originated from a school climate survey administered in a large urban Midwestern school district to students attending traditional and alternative high schools. We coded all high schools in the sample district into four school types, including traditional, innovative, behavior-focused, and academic remediation-focused. We analyzed data using linear mixed-model regression. Results showed statistically significant differences in specific dimensions of school climate across stakeholder groups and the four school types. Analysis of student data indicated ratings of Learning-Focused Environment are significantly lower in traditional schools. Analysis of parent data indicated ratings of Academic Preparation and Community Engagement are significantly higher in innovative alternative schools. Analysis of staff data indicated ratings of Staff Engagement are significantly lower in traditional schools. These findings suggest discrepant educational opportunities related to specific dimensions of climate according to school type.

School-Level Efforts to Address Sexual Health and Risky Sexual Behavior Among Students in Texas Alternative High Schools

We compared sexual/reproductive health services and sexuality education topics provided in Texas alternative high schools (AHSs) with the prevalence of sexual risk behaviors among students in AHS. Using cross-sectional data from convenience samples of 14 principals, 14 lead health educators, and 515 students, we calculated descriptive statistics for 20 services and 15 sexuality education topics provided by AHSs and seven sexual risk behaviors among students in AHS. AHSs provided few sexual/reproductive health services and limited educational content, despite high levels of sexual risk taking among students. For example, no AHSs taught students about proper condom use, yet 84% of students have had sex. Findings provide preliminary evidence of unmet needs for school-based sexual/reproductive health services and comprehensive sexuality education in AHS settings. Future investigation with larger, representative samples is needed to assess the provision of sexual/reproductive health services and sexuality education in AHSs and monitor sexual risk behaviors in the AHS population.

The Effect of E-cigarette Commercials on Youth Smoking: A Prospective Study

Objectives: In this study, we assessed whether commercials for electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) influence the use of e-cigarettes, cigarettes, and cigars among high-risk youth in southern California. Methods: We recruited students (N = 1060) from 29 alternative high schools into a prospective cohort study. We used multilevel Poisson regression models to examine whether exposure to e-cigarette commercials and perceptions of their appeal predicted increased use of e-cigarettes, cigarettes, and cigars one year later. We also tested the potential moderating effect of gender and ethnicity. Results: Models with and without covariates suggest that exposure to e-cigarette commercials is a statistically significant predictor of increased use of e-cigarettes. When gender was added to the models as a moderator, the relationships between commercial exposure and future use of e-cigarettes and cigars were found to be stronger among females. Unadjusted and adjusted models also indicated that students with favorable perceptions of e-cigarette commercials reported greater use of e-cigarettes, cigarettes, and cigars one year later. Conclusions: E-cigarette commercials may play an important role in persuading high-risk youth to use nicotine and tobacco products. Extending the Broadcast Advertising Ban of 1971 to include a broader range of products may be critical to preventing future generations from becoming addicted to nicotine.

Five Effective Ways To Support At-Risk And Wounded Students In Thriving At Alternative High Schools And Earning Their Diplomas!

Effective alternative high schools service the whole child - academically, socially, emotionally, and developmentally. It is critical to address the needs of the child through wrap-around support services that include Building Positive Relationships, Providing Supportive Safety Nets at School, Offering Counseling Services, Having a Food and Toiletry Pantry, Laundry Service and Bus Pass Bank and Focusing on Post-secondary Plans. A clear focus on these five wrap-around support areas will assist at-risk and wounded students to earn their high school diplomas - and level the students’ playing fields with an emphasis on building productive futures in college, military and/or career.

Progressive Education

Progressive education emerged from a variety of reform movements, especially romanticism, in the early nineteenth century. Reflecting the idealism of contemporary political revolutions, it emphasized freedom for the child and curricular innovation. The Swiss educator Johann Pestalozzi established popular model schools in the early 1800s that emphasized teaching young children through familiar objects, such as pebbles and shells, and not from textbooks. A German romantic, Friedrich Froebel, studied with Pestalozzi and invented the kindergarten, which spread worldwide. Progressive education mostly influenced pedagogy in the early elementary school grades. Over the course of the twentieth century, however, progressive ideals survived at other levels of schooling. Innovative teaching and curricular programs appeared in different times and places in model school systems, laboratory schools on college campuses, open classrooms, and alternative high schools. The greatest barriers to student-centered instruction included the widespread use of standardized testing and the prevalence of didactic teaching methods.