Academic Potential Among African American Adolescents in Juvenile Detention Centers: Implications for Reentry to School

Abstract

The study explores Black adolescent detainees academic potential and motivation to return to school to inform best practices and policies for juvenile reentry to educational settings. Adolescent detainees (N = 1,576) who were recruited from one male and one female youth detention facility, responded to surveys that assessed post-detention educational plans, as well as social and emotional characteristics, and criminal history. Multivariate analysis techniques were used to compare factors across race and gender, and plot linear relationships between key indicators of academic potential with associate factors. Findings revealed that youth were more likely to evince academic potential when they had a healthy level of self-esteem, adequate future goal orientation, positive mood, family and community involvement, fewer traumatic events, and less delinquent activity.

Individual-Level Risk Factors of Incarcerated Youth

“…First-time female detainees had slightly higher GPAs (1.21 on a 4.0 scale) and higher educational aspirations than those who had been previously detained (0.65 GPA on a 4.0 scale). In their study of 1,576 participants, Toldson et al (2010) found an average self-reported GPA of 2.4.…”

“…Aside from indications of low achievement on standardized measures, incarcerated youth have relatively low grade point averages (GPAs;Ledermann et al, 2004;Toldson, Woodson, Braithwaite, Holliday, & De La Rosa, 2010). In their study of incarcerated females, Ledermann et al (2004) found that, overall, females reported liking school but had low GPAs and somewhat low educational aspirations.…”

A regulação da conduta delituosa pela escola: um estudo comparativo entre adolescentes judiciarizados e não-judiciarizados no contexto brasileiro

“…Tomando por base estas considerações, diversos trabalhos se propuseram a investigar as conexões existentes entre a evasão escolar e o envolvimento com a prática de atos infracionais (Blomberg et al, 2011;Chui & Chan, 2012;Cruise, Evans, & Pickens, 2011;Dembo et al, 2012;Estevam et al, 2009;Ford & Schroeder, 2011;Gagnon, Barber, Van Loan, & Leone, 2009;Geib et al, 2011;Hirschfield, 2009;Hjalmarsson, 2008;Li & Lerner, 2011;Liljeberg et al, 2011;Mallett, 2010;Mottus, Guljajev, Allik, Laidra, & Pullmann, 2012;Natsuaki et al, 2008;Rocque & Paternoster, 2011;Sabates, 2008;Shandra & Hogan, 2012;Suh et al, 2007;Toldson et al, 2010;Zhang et al, 2010;Zhang, Katsiyannis, Barrett, & Willson, 2007).…”

“…Dentre os fatores citados, a experiência escolar negativa prepondera como um dos mais importantes preditores do envolvimento infracional mais sério, na adolescência (Baerveldt et al, 2008;Geib, Chapman, D'Amaddio, & Grigorenko, 2011;Hjalmarsson, 2008;Janosz & LeBlanc, 1999;Toldson, Woodson, Braithwaite, Holliday, & De La Rosa, 2010;Zhang et al, 2010). Já na década de 90, LeBlanc (1994) destacava que variáveis escolares de regulação do comportamento se sobrepunham às de regulação familiar nas análises relativas ao nível de engajamento infracional.…”