They also talk to counselors. It's not school counseling. Aggression vs. assertiveness. Dealing with children in their own environments, instead of sending them to a special school, is one way educators nationwide are trying to solve problems of violence, unruliness and student failure. There are districtwide programs to keep students from dropping out.
Local districts are among schools that have developed other approaches.
The district also has a program at Buckeye Ranch for students who cannot cope in a regular classroom. Districts using alternative programs say such approaches must be tailored to the students' problems. At Harborside Middle School in Milford, Conn., sixth-graders who are chronic troublemakers get special attention. The program started in 1996. You can identify these kids right off the bat.