ABSTRACT
The barriers often range from child abuse/neglect, educational instability, trauma-impacting learning, parental neglect of education, challenging behaviors, learning disabilities, truancy, suspensions, and expulsions. In addition to the barriers presented with discipline, lack of academic skill, grade-level retention, and learning disabilities, existence of internal barriers must be acknowledged. Compounding individuals’ internal struggles with uncoordinated systems and services, the educational barriers for youth become insurmountable for a majority and the remaining minority struggles through the disjointed system to defy the odds and graduate high school. If the relevant educators have the appropriate background information on court-involved youth, they could be apt to address the behavior through a more productive approach rather than extreme disciplinary measures. “Maltreated youth have evidenced delinquency rates 47% greater than youth without at least one substantiated maltreatment allegation”. Court-involved youth often have a traumatic history of events that directly impact their ability to function appropriately in a learning environment.
