Texas Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs: An Empirical Basis for Effective Practices and Support Systems

• In Event: Exclusionary School Discipline: Impacts and Alternative Policy Options

Abstract

Across the country, schools have responded to delinquency and other disruptive behavior through exclusionary discipline practices more often than through traditional measures (e.g., detention or counseling). Some of the more commonly known forms of exclusionary discipline include suspension or expulsion. However, of great concern is the use of Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs (DAEP), which have resulted in the quarantine of the most at-risk youth. Because exclusionary school discipline practices are associated with negative outcomes for students (e.g., dropping out and involvement with the criminal justice system), it is necessary to identify the most effective practices that reduce recidivism of further delinquent or negative behavior and facilitate a successful transition back to the home campus. The first aim of this study addresses the need for an updated and expanded knowledge base of practices or support systems that are provided to students in Texas DAEPs. Second, this study provides an evidence-based system of practices that lead to positive student outcomes by examining the relationship between program characteristics of a DAEP and its impact on recidivism or return rate to a DAEP.

Author

• Kathy Erin Martinez-Prather, Texas School Safety Center at Texas State University