Research and Articles

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‘‘When You First Get There, You Wear Red’’: Youth Perceptions of Point and Level Systems in Group Home Care – Child welfare involved youth are frequently referred to group home care. One common intervention utilized in group home care is behavior management systems. This intervention is operationalized as points, token economies, and level systems. Grounded in social learning and behavioral theories, the objective is to reinforce-prosocial behaviors and to provide mild negative consequences for undesirable behaviors. However, little is known about how child-welfare involved youth perceive these kinds of interventions and whether they believe them to be effective. Focus groups were conducted with 40 young adults known to independent living services and formerly in group home placement. The qualitative findings reveal that while youth felt structure was needed, how it was operationalized in group homes was  restrictive, non-normative, and non-individualized. Implications for social work practice and further research using an attachment perspective are discussed.

“Scared Straight” Programs are Counterproductive – The Pew Charitable Trusts, a non-profit, non-governmental organization, recently reported on the mixed results of “Scared Straight” programs, which are intended to deter juveniles with a history of bad behavior from entering the criminal justice system by having them visit prisons or jails to see first-hand the consequences of breaking the law. Several studies maintain that such programs may actually increase the probability of offending by participating youths.

2015-16 Civil Rights Data Collection – School Climate and Safety – The 2015–16 Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) is a survey of public schools and school districts in the United States. The CRDC measures student access to courses, programs, staff, and resources that impact education equity and opportunity for students.The CRDC has long provided critical information used by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights in its enforcement and monitoring activities.

2017-18 Civil Rights Data Collection: The Use of Restraint and Seclusion on Children with Disabilities in K-12 Schools – The 2017–18 Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) is a survey of nearly all public schools and school districts in the United States. The CRDC measures student access to courses, programs, staff, and resources that relate to Federal civil rights laws. The CRDC has long provided important information used by the U.S. Department of Education’s (Department) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in its enforcement and monitoring activities. As a collection, the CRDC is an aggregate of self-collected and self-reported data. Almost all reporting entities are school districts, and the district superintendent or an authorized designee certifies that the data they submit are