Antisocial, Aggressive, and Violent Behavior in Children and Adolescents Within Alternative Education Settings: Prevention and Intervention

Abstract

The display of antisocial behavior by children and youths in America is recognized as one of the most pressing concerns facing educators today. To meet the educational needs of these students while maintaining safe school environments, school districts across the nation have increasingly looked toward alternative educational programs. Approximately 2%, or roughly 280,000 youths, attend alternative schools in the United States (J. A. Grunbaum et al., 1999). For the most part, these students are at high risk for school failure or display significantly challenging behavior so that school officials have sought to have them educated in classrooms or facilities away from other students. As a result, students with significant behavioral concerns or educational disabilities are clustered together into alternative educational programs. The author explores alternative education programs serving students who display antisocial behavior and discusses research on the impact of alternative school placement on the display of antisocial, violent, and aggressive behavior within these settings. The author also focuses on the social context of the alternative school that might exacerbate the development of antisocial behavior and highlights empirically validated prevention and intervention efforts.