Building a “Prison-to-School” Pipeline.

All young people confined in juvenile justice facilities will eventually be discharged from confinement, re-entering their communities and, often, their schools. Importantly, only a small number of these returning youth graduate from high school—many drop out before returning to school and others drop out prior to completion. Given the negative outcomes associated with school dropout (e.g., unemployment, poverty, behavioral health challenges, legal system involvement), it is critical to support school reentry and successful graduation for this vulnerable group of students.

Supporting Students’ Return to School after Confinement​​

With support from the Spencer Foundation, the JJR&R Lab hosted a convening for experts in education, child welfare, and the juvenile legal system (i.e., practitioners, advocates, researchers, and individuals with lived experience). Together, these stakeholders discussed obstacles to youths’ successful return to school following release from juvenile detention or a post-adjudication commitment facility, with the goal of developing a prison-to-school pipeline model. Convening attendees identified several challenges that most hinder youths’ successful return to school; the Lab summarized these and other outcomes of the convening in three blog posts.

​To build upon the outcomes of the convening, the Lab obtained additional funding from the Spencer Foundation to empirically evaluate the challenges prioritized by convening attendees and whether they are statistically linked to youths’ school outcomes (i.e., attendance, discipline, dropout/graduation). Specifically, the JJR&R Lab is examining the impact of factors related to academic re-enrollment planning, school re-entry, record sharing across public agencies, identified needs, and referrals to services. Results should help inform data-driven investment decisions to address challenges and maximize benefits to these particularly vulnerable students.

Related Links