Education in the Juvenile Justice System

By Dennis K. Chaconas

We must concentrate on developing individual learning plans and assisting the youngsters most in need to transition back into the public school setting.

The Alameda County Office of Education (ACOE) is responsible for developing and operating programs for youth that have been expelled from the local school district and for youth that have become involved in the legal system through incarceration or probation. Currently the ACOE ranks among the lowest in the state for these academic efforts.

The vast majority of these youngsters have not been successful in their previous school experiences and need a personal educational intervention that is tailored to their individual needs. The ACOE must explore new staff development and training programs that update and reinforce their skills to insure that they are better equipped to assist this population. Learning plans, tailored to the individual's talents, interests and skill levels must be developed and implemented to excite them about learning.

The most recent research in reading and literacy has shown that students who have been removed from the academic setting causing an interruption in their education, need a completely different kind of instruction if they are going to be successful at restarting their educational achievement. Teachers and instructors need to become familiar with this research, and its suggested methods, to equip these youngsters with new skills so as to provide a smooth transition back into their local, public school districts.

In addition, the ACOE must develop an Ombudsman Program that works with parents and students to insure that their re-entry back into the public school system works smoothly and seamlessly. Too often, a child is released back into the public school system and left to find their own way through the bureaucratic maze that stands between them and the classroom. We need to insure that the student, and their parents, are prepared with the proper documentation (transcripts, shot records, etc...), an individually tailored learning plan and that the school they are entering is notified and prepared to receive them.

The Ombudsman position would be tasked with working with youth on an individual, case by case basis so as to insure that they receive the education they deserve while they are under ACOE's jurisdiction and that they do not fall through the cracks as they transition out of that jurisdiction back into the public school system. There is no doubt that this re-entry is difficult and traumatic, but with the investment of personalized attention the odds of a successful re-entry into the public school system will increase dramatically.