Giving Compass' Take:

· Education Dive explains that more juvenile facilities are moving toward online teaching methods and blended learning to help students earn a degree.

· How does blended learning help youths in juvenile jails? What is different about this approach in comparison to traditional learning?

·  Here's an article about the secret element for success in blended learning.

While most schools are looking at alternative forms of discipline in efforts to disrupt the “school-to-prison” pipeline, such as restorative justice practices, there are still circumstances where time in a juvenile justice facility is warranted. Though these students may be paying for crimes they have committed, they need a quality education as well. In fact, the impact of a quality education may have even more impact on these students if it offers them a better way to navigate the world in the future. In the past, the quality of educational programs in these facilities has been questioned, and those questions continue in some states today.

States are dealing with improving the odds for these students in different ways. The Illinois Juvenile Justice Center has experimented with partnering with community colleges to offer summer courses. In California, some counties have hired juvenile detention transition specialists to help students ease into regular education or alternative programs after their sentence ends. The rules are changing again under the new Every Student Succeeds Act. These guidelines are designed to help improve instruction in juvenile justice facilities and aid in re-entry efforts afterwards.

Read the full article about blended learning by Amelia Harper at Education Dive.