Successful Schools May Help Keep Kids Out of Trouble

HealthDay News, April 9, 2011 "Students who go to schools that achieve better-than-expected academic results may be less likely to use drugs or alcohol, steal or fight, finds a new study. University of Florida researchers looked at academic achievement scores at 61 inner-city middle schools in Chicago between 2002 and 2005. Seven schools did better than expected and the rates of drug and alcohol use and delinquency by students at those schools were as much as 25 percent lower compared to other schools. The study was published in the March issue of the journal Prevention Science. The schools in the study all had high numbers of students from ethnic minorities and poor homes, factors that are often associated with lower achievement in school, noted lead author Amy Tobler, a research assistant professor of health outcomes and policy at the University of Florida College of Medicine." Read More