The Ecological and Developmental Role of Recovery High Schools

Abstract

Recovery high schools are secondary schools designed specifically for students recovering from substance use or co-occurring disorders. Studies have affirmed the chronic nature of substance use disorders and the developmental value of social supports for adolescents. As part of understanding human growth and development, training programs for human service professionals (teachers, counselors, and social workers) emphasize comprehension and application of developmental theories. Recovery high schools provide the opportunity to apply developmental constructs to support adolescent students as they learn to live a life of recovery in the midst of chronic challenges. Earlier articles in this issue have offered descriptive, evaluative, and applied analyses of recovery high schools. This article adds to the practical understanding of recovery high schools by providing a synthesis of how developmental concepts form a foundation for recovery high school environments and cultures. Four theories—Bronfenbrenner's social ecology, Bandura's social cognitive learning theory, Vygotsky's sociocultural theory, and Kegan's constructive developmentalism—are applied to a case showing how recovery schools can and do utilize concepts from these theories.