"If there is a silver bullet for dealing with delinquency, it's education...mental health services, counseling services and security ought to support the basic foundations...education."
-Orlando Martinez, Commissioner, Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice, Atlanta, Ga., Summer 1999 Georgia Academy Journal
Four years ago, Commissioner Martinez laid out plans for reducing Georgia's incarcerated juvenile populations by making changes and improvements in the current system. A major component of his overall plan for the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) was reorganizing and strengthening the office of education. Under the leadership of Dr. Tom O'Rourke, associate superintendent of education, academic and technical education would play a major role in the overall plans outlined by the commissioner.
The plan called for incarcerated students admitted to the long-term institutions to have individualized options relating to educational opportunities. They could enroll in a middle or high school program of study that would lead to a college prep diploma or enroll in a tech prep program of study that would lead to a tech prep diploma in their chosen field. Some students would be eligible for both. The GED program and test would also be available for selected students. One other option was available for students enrolled in technology/career education: selected students could dually enroll in high school and technical college programs. To make the above options available to students, change was inevitable.
What prompted the need for change? For one thing, citations handed down as a result of a federal review. One of the citations mandated the development of curriculum, both academic and technology/career prep. In February 1999, a needs-assessment study was conducted in the area of technology/career education. The study identified 23 areas that needed improvement, with recommendations being made to correct them.
The recommendations included deleting or updating existing programs and adding new technology-related programs. This meant building new and renovating old facilities, purchasing updated equipment, and training competent staff members. Last but not least was the need to develop a structured curriculum. The needs assessment confirmed the findings of the federal review. Very little, if any, structured curriculum was found in the existing vocational programs. The study went on to make several other recommendations. In a sense, if technology/career education was to be an effective part of the overall plan outlined by the commissioner, this meant starting all over.
Where did we start? We started by appointing an advisory committee that could give us valuable input in developing meaningful timelines, goals and objectives. The committee was made up of members from the business community as well as members from secondary and postsecondary education.
Cooperative working agreements or contracts with postsecondary technical colleges would play a major role in the future success of our programs and our students. A meeting was scheduled in September 1999 to discuss the feasibility of a partnership between the Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education (DTAE) and the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice. At the meeting, a Statement of Agreement was signed by Commissioner Martinez and the commissioner of Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education, Dr. Kenneth Breeden.
The agreement was to collaboratively explore the options available in providing postsecondary education to incarcerated youth located at selected youth development campuses around the state. These opportunities would not only provide the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary for successful transition from secondary education to postsecondary education and beyond, but also provide our youth with access to the job market and serve as a deterrent to delinquent or criminal behavior and recidivism. Eventually, the agreement signed by the commissioners paved the way for our first contract between the Augusta Youth Development Campus and Augusta Technical College. The contract was approved on September 5, 2000.
The contract was essentially an agreement between the two institutions, and within the 55-page document, both parties outlined mutual covenants. For instance, the DJJ agreed to provide the laboratory space, equipment, instructional materials and supplies, and DTAE agreed to provide the instructor and a curriculum that would enable students to receive both high school and post-high school credit.
Where are we now? Over the past two years, we have entered into contract agreements with four additional technical colleges that include 22 postsecondary instructors who teach in 11 different programs. At the end of the 2002-03 school year, a survey was completed at five of the long-term centers to determine program participation, enrollment patterns, completion rates and students who had successfully completed the GED test and had been awarded a GED diploma.
Some of the findings are listed below:
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Four hundred thirty-seven students in the five long-term institutions had enrolled and completed one full year or more in a program of their choice. These students received certificates of completion from a partnering postsecondary technical college at the end of the school year.
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Ninety-nine of the above students received their GED diplomas while earning postsecondary technical college credit.
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Thirty-five had completed one full year or more, received their GEDs, and were released to the community.
To determine placement and follow-up effectiveness of the students who have been released, we're working with the Georgia Department of Labor (DOL) and other agencies to develop an effective transition plan. Wayne Beaty, unit supervisor from Augusta DOL, has been a team member and a key player in developing this plan. A Workforce Investment Act Grant Proposal has been written and approved in the amount of $139,845. These funds will be used at Augusta Youth Development Campus to develop a model transition plan that will eventually be used at all of Georgia's Youth Development Campuses (YDC).
One important component of this plan will include the DOL Career Centers. The Employment Service Unit of the Augusta Career Center, under the supervision of Beaty, is already playing an important role with our students. The Career Center facilitates a job-readiness workshop once each month at the YDC. The workshop is for students soon to be released. This same group will be scheduled to visit the Career Center approximately one week later for a familiarization orientation with Career Center operations throughout Georgia. This orientation is hands-on after hours so that each student may receive individual guidance and counseling.
Are we there yet? Not really, but we know we're on the right track because of the success stories that have been documented. One student earned more than $3,000 while enrolled in a welding class at the Bill Ireland YDC and working part time off campus as an apprentice. Before his release, he earned certification as a welder at Central Georgia Technical College and plans to stay in school for additional training.
At the Augusta YDC, three students successfully passed the first of two CompTIA (Computing Technology Industry Association) A+ exams. The exams confer internationally recognized certification as a computer repair technician. The test certifies that the applicant has the equivalent of six months of full-time experience as a computer repair technician. Students who complete this program can earn $35,000 to $47,000 in Georgia as certified PC technicians.
The Augusta Youth Development Campus has enjoyed direct benefits of having an in-house repair program. According to program instructor Ken Hayes, approximately 200 personal computers, either malfunctioning or warehoused awaiting salvage, have been repaired and returned to service over the last 15 months. The average cost to repair each of these "dead" or "broken" computers was under $100. A further benefit is that repaired, older model computers can be placed into the students' housing units where the students can use them for both study and recreational purposes.
"Perhaps the most valuable benefit of this program is intangible-the development of a positive self-esteem," says Hayes. "A student arriving having never touched a computer, within a few months can enjoy a new sense of accomplishment. Suddenly the student has the respect of peers, and even facility staff alike when he can competently diagnose and repair a computer. He becomes a valued, 'in demand' technician, with PC users across the campus seeking him out for his skills.
"Rather than relying on the derivative, anti-social and hollow self-esteem from gang or other criminal associations, the student independently builds self-esteem based upon his own tangible skill."
It will be very difficult, if not impossible, to measure the total effectiveness of technology/career education in the plan for dealing with juvenile crime and delinquency in Georgia. We are convinced, however, that by providing our students with the skills and knowledge necessary to stay in school or be successful in the workplace, our goals in technology/career education will be accountable in the overall plan outlined by the commissioner.
Radford Talley is a contract consultant for the Department of Juvenile Justice and works with technology/career education. Coy Satterfield is director of student support services for the Department.
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