Workshop Title: Alternatives to Suspension- School Based Programs that Promote Positive Behavior Presenter: Pat Gorman, Youth Development Director, Advocates for Children & Youth, Baltimore, Maryland Description: Kicking students out of school is most often the strategy implemented to address disruptive behavior in the public schools. In 1997 in Maryland, one of every 11 students was suspended. The rates were even higher for African-Americans and students with disabilities, and these figures do not include increases that may have occurred since the tragic shootings at Columbine High School in April 1999. Suspending students does not prevent future disruptive behavior! There are no studies that demonstrate the positive impact of suspension and expulsions. To the contrary, research increasingly links suspension to future delinquency, substance abuse, and dropping out of school. If suspensions are not the solution, what are alternatives? Fortunately, there are two alternatives that not only work, but are cost-effective. Below is a list of the best strategies--divided into two categories: primary prevention programs that can prevent disruptive behavior from occurring in the first place, and secondary prevention programs that treat the first signs of disruptive behavior and prevent a reoccurrence. Strategy Cost Per Student Primary Prevention Programs Violence Prevention Curricula $11 Resolving Conflict Creatively Program $8 Anti-Bullying Programs $2 Comprehensive School Discipline Reform $6 Classroom Behavior Management Training for Teachers $2 Secondary Intervention Programs Mental Health Services $232 In-School Suspensions $500 Contact: Pat Gorman, LCSW, Youth Development Director, Advocates for Children & Youth 34 Market Place - 5th Floor Baltimore, MD 21202 (410) 547-9200 x 3019