Nobodys Kids

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Nobodys Kids

• A look at Continuation High Schools in California
• Milbrey McLaughlin
• Jorge Ruiz de Velasco
• Stanford University
• Education Writers Association April 26 2008

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Continuation High Schools in CA Overview

• Provide an alternative path to high school
  graduation for students at risk of dropping out
• Enroll 116,000 students in 520 continuation high
  schools in every corner of the state- 16-18
  years old
• State imposes roughly the same graduation
  standards on continuation students (course of
  study exit exam mastery of curriculum
  standards)
• At local level, schools are highly variable in
  terms of their quality, focus and outcomes

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Students face many challengesacademic and
nonacademic

• Serve an extremely vulnerable student population
  who come both voluntarily and involuntarily.
• Credit deficient, chronically absent, lacking
  fundamental skills, disengaged from school
• English Language Learners concentration of
  ethnic/racial minorities
• Youth with behavioral challenges mental health
  issues, drug use, weapons, fighting, family
  dysfunctions
• System kids foster care, group homes,
  shelters, juvenile justice

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Continuation High Schools vary on key dimensions

• Size and physical spacesmall, poorly resourced
  to new, modern facilities
• Staffingdumping ground or committed staff
• Leadership benign neglect or commitment to AE
  student population
• Curriculum and instruction packets v.
  student-centered, rigorous instruction
• Supports few v. rich array of academic/non-academ
  ic resources
• Partnerships few v. variety of connections to
  work, the community, other youth-serving
  institutions

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How do Continuation High Schools perform?

• Difficult to ascertainlack of longitudinal,
  comparable or comprehensive data on outcomes
• Continuation students score lower on virtually
  all measures of academic performance STAR,
  CASHEE, API
• Some continuation high schools do better than
  others in terms of student retention, performance
  and graduation

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Qualities Practices of schools with good
student outcomes

• Serve 250 or more studentslarge enough to have
  academic depth
• Intentional focus on post-secondary pathways
• Student-centered instruction high expectations
  for students and teachers
• Use data to monitor student experiences guide
  change
• Provide range of academic and non academic
  supports

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Factors associated with strong continuation high
schools

• Leadership committed to alternative education at
  school and district levels
• Political support in the community school board
  members, county board of supervisors
• Active partnerships with youth-serving CBOs,
  county agencies, higher education and the private
  sector

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Issues of concern

• Little to no public accountability for these
  youththey too often are lost
• Students often are seen as Throw away kids
  Nobodys kidsfew effective advocates
• Negative public perceptions of both students and
  the schools constrain resources and opportunities
• Educational options are not really alternative
• Insufficient supports and opportunities both for
  youth and the adults who work with them

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Different district county contexts for
continuation high schools

• Benign neglect 10 acceptable loss kids v
  active political support for alternative
  education schools and students
• Conceptions of continuation students a problem
  to be managed or young people in need of
  different resources and opportunities
• Intentional youth development stance effort to
  coordinate services/resources across
  youth-serving institutions v. Balkanized youth
  policy context

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How different system contexts mattered for
continuation high schools

• Relationships with foster care, mental health,
  juvenile justice other youth-serving agencies
  proactive, supportive or siloed
• Level of resources and services available to
  continuation programs and students equitable or
  bottom of the food chain
• Coherence and articulation of resources and
  opportunities available to continuation high
  schools institutional train wreck or safety
  net?

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Factors affecting county district contexts

• Local economy
• Personal networks relationships
• Leadership political support for CHS mission
  and students
• History of collaboration
• Express commitment to a youth development stance
  and continuum of care

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State constraints on local action

• Accountability structures proceduresgoal
  ambiguity and weak school-level accountability
• School finance structure highly centralized,
  undifferentiated by school type
• Staffing and services staffing driven by PPE,
  undifferentiated by school type
• Continuation high schools treated as small
  traditional high school, not an alternative
  educational setting
• No youth policy or data system

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What do we need to know?

• What happens to young people who enter
  continuation schools?
• What academic supports do these students need to
  succeed? Quality? Sufficiency? Targeted?
• What non-academic resources are needed by youth
  in continuation high schools? Local/regional
  exemplars?
• How does demand for alternative education square
  with supply? Targeted age group? Older and
  younger youth?
• What resources are needed/available to faculty
  and leaders at continuation high schools?
• Is the state sufficiently clear about the goals
  held for continuation schools and the vulnerable
  students they serve?

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Want technical reports?Visit the John Gardner
Center Websitehttp//jcg.stanford.eduHave
Questions? Contact us

• Milbrey McLaughlin Milbrey_at_stanford.edu
• Jorge Ruiz de Velasco jvelasco_at_law.berkeley.ed
  u