36 VIOLENCE AND SCHOOL FAILURE

Abstract

Recent evidence in the pediatric and psychological literature suggests a strong link between poor academic performance and delinquency. The present study examined biological, psychological and sociological correlates of achievement and delinquency collected prospectively from birth to age 18 on a sample of 987 black youths whose mothers participated in the Collaborative Perinatal Project (CPP) in Philadelphia. Multivariate analyses showed that violent and persistent offenders of both sexes scored significantly lower on high school achievement test scores. However, no significant differences were found among offender groups in intelligence scores at early ages or enrollment in programs for the mentally retarded during adolescence. Violent offenders were disproportionately enrolled in programs for the remedial disciplined, however. Analyses of different biosocial variables across ages suggested that socioeconomic factors were the strongest predictors of delinquency for both sexes. It appears that low achievement test scores may be related to behavioral disorders which occur during adolescence and impede learning ability. In terms of policy, school programs geared toward decreasing delinquency should concentrate on disorders associated with behavior and hyperactivity, while encouraging the normal intellectual capacity of most problem adolescents.