The Tough, Often Lonely Job of Teaching Incarcerated Students :: Education Week

Teaching Vulnerable Students

The Tough, Often Lonely Job of Teaching Incarcerated Students

Education Week: 3.06.2018 by Denisa R. Superville

Incarcerated youths are more likely to need special education services, have gaps in their schooling, and require extra academic support than their peers attending schools in the community.

But schools inside juvenile justice facilities struggle mightily to get teachers who have the specialized skills necessary to deliver a meaningful education to some of society's most at-risk students.

Finding and holding onto teachers who can teach students of different ages and proficiency levels, manage classrooms while focusing on students' academic, social-emotional, and behavioral needs, and work in a restricted environment are challenges that bedevil the field of educating incarcerated youths.

"It's not a slam dunk by any means to get great teachers. Sometimes we are just lucky," said Brad Monks, the principal of Slate Canyon School in Provo, Utah, about 50 miles from Salt Lake City. The school is housed inside a detention facility for youths between the ages of 12 and 19, who have already been sentenced or who are still waiting to be adjudicated. "We do sometimes get into a head-to-head battle with one of the traditional schools," he said of competing for teachers. "We've won a couple, and we've lost a few."

For many teachers entering the profession, educating incarcerated youth is not something they consider.

Other hurdles to recruiting include: overcoming the negative image about what it's like to work in a secure facility; the correctional centers' often remote locations; and the dearth of relevant professional development or on-the-job supports.  READ MORE >>

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Teaching—and Reaching—Students Behind Bars

The Tough, Often Lonely Job of Teaching Incarcerated Students

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Map: Time Spent in Class at U.S. Correctional Schools

Blueprint for Change:

Education Success for Youth in the Juvenile Justice System