Alternative Schools for Troublesome Secondary Students

Results of a field experiment indicate that a certain kind of secondary school program reduced the disruptive behavior and improved the scholastic performance of students who were about to be suspended or expelled from their conventional schools. The research indicates that the program was demonstrably effective only with those students who were not at the outset extremely depressed and anxious. The essential characteristics of the program are described. The findings document the social psychological processes by which the program achieved its goals. Implications are drawn for a typology of delinquency; causes of delinquent and disruptive behavior; stigmatization; the possibility of an educational program being effective without the direct involvement of disruptive students' families or friends; and for some recurring questions regarding the design of alternative educational programs.