One of the theories favoring alternative schools suggests that scholastic success and social support raise students' self-esteem and reduce their provocation to become delinquents. A longitudinal study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of three alternative secondary schools in improving the behavior of highly delinquent and disruptive…

Some research has theorized that the student role is a central part of adolescence, and that failure in this role threatens adolescents' self-esteem. Derogative self-esteem may provoke delinquency as a defensive response. To test this theory a longitudinal study was designed to compare the effectiveness of three alternative school programs that…