Comparing Outcomes of an Alternative School Program Offered with and without Intensive Family Involvement.

Abstract

Two cohorts of students referred to an Alternative School (AS) pro-gram for chronically disruptive youth received either the standard program (Year 1, Control Group, N = 95) or the standard program with additional intensive family involvement (Year 2, Experimental Group, N = 120). Outcome measures included self-esteem, locus of control, de-pression, grades, attendance, and eventual drop-out from school. Although demographically similar to the control group at pretests, the Experimental Group evidenced statistically significant improvements in locus of control, grade point averages, attendance, and reduced drop-out rate, relative to the control group. The results suggest the importance of family involvement in improving the school performance of chronically disruptive youth.