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Over the past seven years, HFI researchers have worked closely with alternative education programs. While each of these programs has been tested according to scientific criteria, long before the data were collected and crunched, there were tangible signs of how these programs helped to change lives. One such school was in Springfield, Ore.

The middle school served a high-risk neighborhood with high rates of poverty, domestic conflict and drug and alcohol abuse. Its students, not surprisingly, had high arrest rates. HFI researchers established a school-within-a-school for the most at-risk students. For them, the school provided a very structured educational program that addressed students' specific emotional, behavioral and academic needs. A limited enrollment allowed one-on-one instruction from teachers.

One student referred to the program faced unbelievable challenges. His mother was a drug addict and prostitute. The family of four was essentially homeless, but a friend allowed them to stay together in a single room in the back of the house. Often this child’s mother would ask him to take his younger siblings and leave the house while she “turned tricks” to raise money. The child had incredible anger issues as a result of these conditions and past traumas. But, by the time he left the program, he had passing grades and was attending school on a regular basis. For the first time in his life, he’d been able to build important social relationships with other students and his teachers and learned trust. The program's staff even helped him to find a job.

“Another student we had was with the program in sixth and seventh grade,” one teacher said. “She was hardly attending school because of a case of chronic head lice. She was homeless, and her mother, who had a drug problem, left the care of her two youngest siblings to the sixth grader.

“When she was referred to the program, she was failing everything. The first few months, the teachers in the program turned their attention to working to help heal the child’s scalp, which had gaping, open sores. They also worked on teaching her social skills and basically had to deal with her on a ‘crisis control’ basis.”

Health codes prevented the girl from attending school unless she was treated for lice each morning — something her regular teachers would not have been able to do. Through these efforts, the program’s teachers were able to slowly gain the student’s trust. They advocated for her with social services and were able to get her medical attention when she needed it. She was very likeable and, once they got her medical needs under control, she quickly made friends. She started to set goals for herself and achieved them. Had it not been for this program, she would not have been permitted in school.

In another case, a sixth grade boy was referred to the class after threatening a group of friends with a butcher knife. His mother was single, working full time and had been having a difficult time controlling his outbursts. A very bright child, this boy was identified as being an underachieving Talented and Gifted student.

“By working to give a very emotionally stretched mother some support and giving him some structure,” the program facilitator said, “the teachers in the program have been able to help get his attendance up." As an avid bike racer, the teachers used the student's passion for bicycles to help motivate him to succeed in school. They helped him get a job he loved at a bike shop but established a few basic rules: (1) He couldn't go to work if he got a referral at school and (2) He had to attend school. He’s in eighth grade now, and has had no more violent incidents since he joined the program two years ago.

Evaluations of student academic records and behavior data show that the program is a success, but, more important, the students like it. It’s now being made available to other schools in Oregon and other states.