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Friday, May 16, 2008
Teaching teenage parents
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Aileen Dodd wrote about a program at Dacula High that aims to prevent teenage pregnancy. Her story made me wonder what schools should do for pregnant students and teenage parents.
There’s little research showing what’s the best way to serve these students. Walk around some metro high schools and you’ll see that something must be done.
Several alternative high schools in the area - including Crim in Atlanta and Phoenix in Lawrenceville - provide child-care for students’ children.
Some districts opened special schools for pregnant students and teen parents. The Marian Pritchett School in Boise has taught pregnant teens for nearly 50 years. Others - such as New York City schools - have closed schools for pregnant teens after concluding the programs were inferior.
What should schools do for teenage parents? Schools may not want to condone teenage pregnancy, but how far should they go to make sure these kids don’t drop out?
