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Impact of Substance Use and Violence/Delinquency on Academic Achievement for Groups of Middle and High School Students in Washington, May 2002

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Contacts:

Sheri L Hill, Ph.D., Assistant Director
Washington Kids Count, U.W.
Wk: (206) 616-1506
sheri@u.washington.edu

Kenneth D. Stark, Director
Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse
Wk: (360) 438-8200, Hm: (206) 824-8073

Factors outside the classroom dramatically affect middle and high school achievement

U.W. report examines impact of violence, delinquency and substance use on academic performance; findings suggest early prevention programs are needed to fight widespread problem

SEATTLE - A study released today by the University of Washington shows that academic achievement is closely linked to substance use and violence and delinquency in the students' social environment.

According to the study, groups of middle and high school students with even moderate involvement with substance use and violence/delinquency have dramatically lower academic achievement than groups of students with little or no involvement in these behaviors. Factors such as poverty, community risk, absence of social skills, and a lack of commitment to school also contributed to lower academic performance among groups of students. "The Impact of Substance Use and Violence/Delinquency on Academic Achievement for Groups of Middle and High School Students in Washington" report was funded by the Washington Department of Social and Health Services' Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

"If we expect most students to achieve our state's learning goals, we need prevention programs that target the social environment and that are extensive enough to reach all students in all schools. Our efforts should engage schools, parents and the community and focus on factors outside the classroom," said Dr. Sheri L. Hill, assistant director of the U.W.'s Washington Kids Count project. "Intervention needs to start when students are young and continue through high school."

The 2000 Washington State Survey of Adolescent Health Behaviors found that 20 to 40 percent of middle and high school students are involved with substance use and violence/delinquency. This means a significant proportion of children age 10 and older are exposed to risky attitudes and behaviors in their everyday social environments. For the U.W. study, moderate involvement in middle school was defined as engaging in one to two violent or delinquent acts in the past year, having ever tried alcohol or drugs, and endorsing attitudes favorable to substance use and violence/delinquency. In high school, moderate behavior was defined as having tried alcohol or drugs in the past month, or participating in one to two violent or delinquent acts in the past year. Groups were defined as students of the same gender and race-ethnicity in the same school and grade.

"We have to approach student learning from the perspective of the whole child," said Terry Bergeson, state superintendent of public instruction. "We've known about the individual effects poverty, substance use and violence can have on young people. Today's study takes that knowledge one step further by demonstrating their collective effects on the entire school community," she added. "The way to influence student success includes strong schools, parental involvement and community participation. It must be a shared responsibility."

According to Dennis Braddock, secretary of the Department of Social and Health Services, "Additional belt-tightening is necessary in providing state services to the public, but we must do all we can within our reduced revenues to place a priority on prevention and treatment."

Below are other key findings from the study:

  • Poverty significantly influences student behavior, attitudes and academic achievement: The percentage of low-income students in a school directly affects test scores. Poverty also increases levels of community risk, which can lead to harmful behaviors and lower achievement.
  • Academic achievement and risky behaviors show a close association by middle school: This relationship is also present in high school. This implies that prevention programs should begin prior to 6th grade and continue through high school.
  • Social and moral beliefs, risk in the community, and commitment to school influence substance use and violence/delinquency: In both middle and high school, these factors directly impacted substance use and violence/deliquency. In high school, some of these aspects of the social environment also directly impacted achievement.
  • Attitudes and behaviors are closely related: In middle school, groups of students that think it's O.K. to use alcohol or drugs, know where to obtain them, and think they are unlikely to get caught, are also using them. Groups with antisocial and rebellious attitudes are also involved in violent/delinquent behaviors. In high school, groups with favorable attitudes toward risky behaviors also tend to engage in those behaviors.
  • Substance use is closely related to violence/delinquency: The strong association between these factors suggests that prevention programs should address violence/delinquency and substance use together.