Fast facts

90% of philadelphia students who had a juvenile justice placement during high school dropped out.

African american students are suspended 2.3 times more often than white students.

Every child has the potential to succeed in school and in life. Too many children, however, are failing or dropping out of school because they are poor, disabled, homeless, in trouble with the law, or have been neglected. Students in foster care and those involved in the justice system have especially high dropout rates. During the 2003-2004 school year in Philadelphia, for example, 90 percent of students who had a juvenile justice placement during high school ultimately dropped out. Compared with an overall dropout rate of about 40 percent, this is a staggeringly high rate.

Young people who are in foster care or who might be involved in the justice system also are more likely to have physical or mental health problems than their peers who are not agency-involved. Studies of the health status of children in out-of-home care, for example, show higher rates of special needs, particularly a learning disability, emotional disturbance, or speech impairment than the general population of children.

School zero tolerance policies often dictate students be suspended for misconduct. Yet often the misconduct is triggered by the student's own health problem or learning disability. Many of these students never receive the learning support or behavioral treatment they need, and to which the law entitles them. So how can they succeed in school when their untreated physical and mental health problems cause behaviors that violate school policy?

Through the work of its fellows, Stoneleigh Center is interested in helping to address these and other challenges facing school-age children and youth. One solution lies in bridging the boundaries between the education system, the juvenile justice system, and the child welfare system to help troubled kids get back to school and stay in school. There are many other possible solutions, and we award fellowships to talented individuals with innovative ideas of their own.