THE CONTINUATION / ALTERNATIVE HIGH SCHOOL

Today was one of those trying days at Hillcrest Academy (continuation high). I know that I have mentioned continuation high schools and educators propensity for creating "interesting" names for programs. Well, many years ago educators and parents noticed that students were becoming less interested in completing high school. They noticed that they had second and third year students that had only first year "credits" and being able to earn approximately 60 "credits" per year would push the student's graduation date toward their 21st birthday. So in an attempt to curb the drop out rate, someone came up with the idea of creating a special school that would allow the students to earn more that 60 "credits" in a school year. This way the student could "catchup" with his or her class and graduate close to "on-time". During the planning for these schools, someone must have mentioned that these students tended not to want to stay in school for entire regular school day. No problem, they came up with the shortened school day. This would encourage the students to stay in school and keep the ADA (average daily attendance) up. In case you didn't know, ADA is how the states determine how much money to pay for the student to attend school. Of course there had to be a name for such a program.... How about "Continuation High School" someone must have said. Why not? Later someone coined "Alternative High School" so now both are used to describe the school with the shortened school day that allowed the students to catch - up.

Now I know that having read all that I have written to above, you might conclude that I am totally against the concept. I must admit the when I first heard about Continuation High Schools I thought that the entire concept was insane. Well after working and consulting at Hillcrest for the past 8 or 9 years, I have a different view of Continuation Schools.

During my many moons of working and reading and going to different self-help classes on the job, I came across the concept of "learned helplessness". Using animals (dogs and lab rats) the "peabodies or brainacs" determined that by putting the dogs or rats in a situation where they saw not chance of escaping from whatever pain or bad situation that they were in, they would eventually not try to escape when there was an obvious way to escape or stop the pain. What does this have to do with Continuation schools? Imagine, you are a young boy or girl that have for various reasons, found yourself in your third year of high school with a 60 "credit" deficiency. Or worse yet, found yourself at age 16, in the seventh grade. What do you do? Sixteen in the 7th, seventeen in the 8th, eighteen in the 9th....twenty-one in the 12th? I don't think so!! The system kicks you out at 18. (Unless you fail to pass the state exit exam). I have seen these situations and continue to see them. I have also seen students come to Hillcrest with severe credit deficiencies and earn sufficient credits to graduate and attend a junior college and graduate from a 4 year university. I saw a young man come to Hillcrest and actually got accepted to Tuskegee School of Engineering and went to work for IBM. Many of these students are very capable to superior academically. Poor family situations, lack of guidance and support, parents deciding to go back to Mexico for two to three months and then returning.... you name it; have put these students in the situations that they are now trying to cope with. Don't get me wrong, and overwhelming number of them are just spoiled, undisciplined, ungrateful, disrespectful SH__S!

So I will continue to try to help a few youngsters not "learn to be helpless"... to try and show them a way out.. to find the right button to push to stop the electric shock or to release the food or water.

My dad often said in tough situations " It's a hard game, but it's gotta be played"

This game is LIFE...