Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs in Texas - Dissertation Example

The paper tells that the adoption of the Texas Safe Schools Act in 1995, stipulated that all public district schools in Texas provide Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs (DAEPs). The main idea behind the introduction of the DAEPs was to provide an alternative education program for the students who had been temporarily removed from the normal educational setting for disciplinary reasons as explained by. The agency further points that Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs offer different environment for the students who commit criminal offenses outlined in Chapter 37 of the Texas Educational Code (TEC) or almost any disciplinary violation.

These are in line with recommendations of Federal Gun Free School Act of 1994 which required all states in the country to implement zero tolerance policies to contain the perceived increased violence in schools across the country. Introduction of DAEPs in Texas as explained by was aimed at providing an alternative to suspension or expulsion of students involved in indiscipline cases at school. Suspension as asserted by (Levin, 2006 p. 5) is highly disruptive of the learning of students. DAEPs provide a temporary stay for student to help in behaviour change through mandatory or discretionary referral.

Although mandatory placement is in line with the provisions of Chapter 37 of TEC, discretionary placement as argued by is usually a violation of the school districts’ code of conduct. . Discretionary placement records the highest number of students in the program with (Reyes, 2007) reporting that in 2004, 82 percent of the referrals into the program was discretionary while 18 % were mandatory placement. Currently, the student population in Texas has risen to 4.8 million students which have also been reflected in changed number of students in DAEPs.

This has created constrains in the effectiveness of the program since the student to teacher ratio is not favourable. To effectively discharge the envisioned mandate, DAEPs needs to implement some best practices and observe some standards as explained by (Texas Education Agency, 2007). The agency argued that a relevant curriculum should be adopted to guarantee the educational and social needs of the students. Moreover, (Texas Education Agency, 2007) recommends that these programs must have adequate and dedicated teachers coupled with parent involvement.

In addition, the program offers counselling to entrants and their families. This paper will basically set to answer the question of how the population of DAEPs changed between 1999 and 2000 and evaluate whether these changes reflect changes in the broader student population. It will also review literature on the advent of DAEPs and the policy framework governing DAEPs in Texas. The paper will also explore the best practices for DAEPs and the impact of the program on the referrals. It will then propose changes that could be implemented to the program to make it a success in transforming the lives of the entrants.

Definition of Disciplinary Alternative Education Program As early as 1970s, district schools in United States started offering alterative education programs for students perceived to be at a high risk