South Carolina: Environment-Based Education Improves Adolescents' Classroom Behavior

In a 2005 study of ten South Carolina middle schools that use the environment as an integrating context, academic progress was observed. For example, one school that offers academic incentive cards noted that 64 percent of its seventh-grade EIC students achieved the 3.0 GPA. The previous year, only 28 percent of the same students as sixth graders—who were not EIC participants then—reached the same level.

On the subject of adolescent behavior the study found:

"The following are the first-year results for seven of South Carolina’s EIC programs:

At school A, EIC students decreased their absenteeism by 22 percent and their suspensions by 36 percent from the previous year. All these students were academically low performing, and many of them had serious past behavioral issues.

At school B, EIC students had half the amount of discipline referrals that the non-EIC students had. Interviews showed that EIC students had an increased interest in learning and an increased respect for their teachers.

At school C, the entire student population of one grade participated in EIC. These students’ records were compared with their records from the year prior to the implementation of the EIC program: their total number of behavior referrals had decreased by 56 percent, their total number of in- and out-of-school suspension hours had decreased 75 percent, and their absences had decreased by 16 percent.

At school D, EIC students—who comprised 31 percent of the students in their grade—accounted for only 3 percent of all the behavioral referrals and only 22 percent of the absentees. Sixty-four percent of the EIC students received academic incentive cards (which require a 3.0 GPA), compared to 28 percent of these same students the previous year.

At school E, EIC students—who comprised 35 percent of the students in their grade—accounted for 25 percent of the students disciplined, 18 percent of the in-school suspensions, and 14 percent of the out-of-school suspensions.

At school F, EIC students—who comprised 37 percent of the students in their grade—had only 20 percent of the in-school grade-level suspensions and only 8 percent of out-of-school suspensions.

At school G, EIC students—who comprised 19 percent of the students in their grade—had only 4 percent of the behavioral referrals, 4 percent of the in- and out-of-school suspensions, and 12 percent of the absences."

Academic progress also depends on a quality class environment.

See full study.