Here's what we saw. Lawrence Hall Youth Services was founded after the Civil War as an Episcopal orphanage for boys. Today the agency serves more than 1,500 children and families through a variety of programs, two of which work with disruptive students from the Chicago public schools. At its therapeutic day school, situated in a grassy campus in Ravenswood, classes rarely exceed 8 students, and each class has both a teacher and a teacher assistant. Students follow a carefully designed behavior management program that awards points for completing assignments, following a dress code and performing other specific tasks.
Teachers constantly praise students to reinforce good behavior.
For example, art is taught by a Golden Apple Award winner. Unlike many alternative schools, this one is accredited by both the state and the North Central Association of Schools and Colleges. It's mighty fun. Meanwhile, in a downtown high-rise, Lawrence Hall's Project SKIL is struggling with discipline. The Project SKIL program was developed several years ago to offer wards of the state and Public Aid recipients GED preparation and job training, but it now accepts disruptive referrals and others as well.