ABSTRACT
Educational aptitude and graduation rates continue to be an area for improvement for Colorado youth who encounter the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. The decline in education and graduation is directly proportional to the barriers these youth face upon systems entry, which unnecessarily promotes recidivism. The US Departments of Education and Justice state as a guiding principle that streamlining procedures to promote effectiveness across all systems is at the core of improving educational outcomes for court-involved youth. Founded on best practices in other states and within Colorado, this guide is a three-phase framework system that will aid in alleviating chronic barriers for youth. For juvenile justice youth, literature also indicates the need for consistent, dependable information sharing with schools. In certain states, the issue of school discipline reform is addressed to help keep youth engaged in school with the intention of a preventative impact on youth not entering the court system as a result.
