Learning in a Corrections Facility: A Day at Wyoming Girls School

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A stay in a corrections facility鈥攐ften hours away from home, school, and everything that is familiar鈥攊s a shock to the system for any student. But show to enter the juvenile justice system with a history of all types of abuse and neglect鈥攊ncluding a four-times-higher risk of sexual abuse. Juvenile facilities like the Wyoming Girls School are exploring ways to reengage students both academically and emotionally, and help them think of themselves as students again.

Education Week reporter Sarah D. Sparks and photographer Kristina Barker profiled the Wyoming Girls School as part of a special report on teaching vulnerable students.

Here鈥檚 a deeper look at their reporting鈥�

The Wyoming Girls School, which serves court-ordered delinquent girls ages 12-21, works to avoid most visible signs of security. But it makes use of its rural location鈥攕et just beyond the center of town in Sheridan, Wyo., abutting the town鈥檚 small airport runway鈥攂oth for security and pedagogy.
Kristina Barker for Education Week

Dominique, grade 10, is seen here inside her dorm room at the Wyoming Girls School. As part of the school鈥檚 independent study requirements, modeled after Google鈥檚鈥�20 percent鈥� approach to setting aside time for personal research and innovation, Dominique dug into various nursing degree programs available in the area. 鈥淎t first I wanted to be a registered nurse, but then I decided to take it one step up: I want to be a psychiatric nurse practitioner or a family nurse practitioner. I want to go to college while I鈥檓 in high school,鈥� Dominique said. Teachers say Dominique arrived angry, but also determined, and she has been intensely focused on charting a path to nursing in her time at the facility. 鈥淒ominique, she鈥檚 so eager, so excited that there are some opportunities out there for her,鈥� said Rachael Ramsey, the teacher for Dominique鈥檚 favorite class, Independent Living. Dominique is scheduled to leave the school in May.
Kristina Barker for Education Week

The Girls School was among the first juvenile facilities in the country to adopt 1-to-1 tablets and smart boards, and teachers and administrators say technology has dramatically changed what courses and academic projects the school can offer students. From left, 18-year-old students Willow and Bailey, technology and psychology teacher Michelle Nielsen, and student Addie, 18, take photos of each other to explore works of art on the Google Arts and Culture Face Match during technology class.
Kristina Barker for Education Week

Sixteen-year-old Bridget, right, stretches out on an exercise ball during science class while beside her, classmate Nicole, 17, looks on. 69传媒 are encouraged to sit where they feel comfortable, and often times that may mean sitting on a desk, on the floor or on an exercise ball. 鈥淚 had to get used to not being distracted by their coping skills,鈥� recalled Alisa Tracy, an English and special education teacher. 鈥淥ne student learned best by sitting on the table by the window and staring out the window. Make her sit in a desk, she鈥檚 so anxious, can鈥檛 concentrate 鈥� but she could sit on the table with her notebook and just absorb everything; you ask her any random question and she would give completely thoughtful answers.鈥�
Kristina Barker for Education Week

Seventeen-year-old Atheina, left, and Luxxus, 16, practice memorizing a speech during class. 69传媒 are often seen with items like fidget spinners, modeling clay, or even moon sand and plush toys as pictured here. 鈥淲hen you are looking at trauma-informed care, a lot of what we strive to do is teach them how to regulate,鈥� said Christine Jones, the superintendent of the school. 鈥淎 lot of kids who have been traumatized are at a heightened baseline: Their heart rate is higher, you鈥檒l see a lot of girls jiggling their feet all day long. If you look at the crisis cycle, they are halfway up all the time. The stress toys, calming music 鈥� it鈥檚 all connected to help them keep themselves calm and focused.鈥�
Kristina Barker for Education Week

Paraprofessional Kim Wenger is seen waiting in the hallway outside the restroom to keep watch on a student at the Wyoming Girls School. The school does not use handcuffs or ankle alarms, but students are escorted nearly everywhere around the school, including to and from the restroom.
Kristina Barker for Education Week

A student鈥檚 locker is decorated with sobriety tokens, a reminder of the trauma and challenges some of the students at the Wyoming Girls School have faced and are working to overcome during their stay at the school.
Kristina Barker for Education Week

69传媒 and teachers play a game of hockey at the Whitney Rink, a sports center located near the Girls School in Sheridan, Wyo. The Wyoming Girls School rents ice time from the center so students are able to participate in a sport that couldn鈥檛 otherwise be done on campus.
Kristina Barker for Education Week

69传媒 in biology class transfer plants for planting this spring in the on-campus greenhouse garden. They鈥檝e been tracking the winter seedlings for weeks, taking photos with their laptops to chart growth as part of science class. The hands-on activities give teachers the chance to teach through conversations with students as they work. During one class earlier this winter, teacher Nikki Collins wiped her pruning shears with alcohol between cuttings, and quietly asked Luxxus, 16, if she knew why. 鈥淭o stop from spreading diseases from the plant鈥檚 blood?鈥� Luxxus ventured. 鈥淓xactly like that, but do you know what the plant鈥檚 blood is called? Your homework tonight is to find out,鈥� Collins says.
Kristina Barker for Education Week

Student artwork hangs in a hallway at the Wyoming Girls School. The school reported that by the end of their terms at the school, students significantly improved on social-emotional inventories. For example, they were two or more times as likely to strongly agree that they felt safe, were comfortable asking questions in class, and 鈥渆njoy learning new things.鈥�
Kristina Barker for Education Week

School Principal Dixie Cooper, center, eats lunch with 15-year-old students Emily, sitting left, and Kaitlyn.
Kristina Barker for Education Week

12 Wyoming Girls School students cooks cafeteria — 69传媒 Madison, 18, who has completed her high school equivalency diploma, left, and graduate Marisa, 17, take a break to have their lunch after cooking for students and staff. 69传媒 all are expected to complete chores in the dorms, but some students who have already completed high school take part-time jobs in the school and in some places in the community to earn money or credit.
Kristina Barker for Education Week

Student Aeriel, 17, who is working towards her high school equivalency diploma, enjoys a light moment as she talks with family on the phone from a common area in a dorm at the Wyoming Girls School.
Kristina Barker for Education Week

From left, students Shantell, 18, Lacey, 16, and Luxxus, 16, follow along during a guided tapping class, a form of guided mindfulness, at a dorm at the Wyoming Girls School. Afternoons and evenings are dedicated to various individual and joint counseling groups, occupational therapy, and other activities. Dixie Cooper, the principal at the Wyoming Girls School, notes: 鈥淲e have about 25 percent with an active IEP鈥揵ut almost any of the kids would qualify鈥� for an individualized education plan, based on learning disabilities, emotional disturbances, or both. Only a student鈥檚 home school can start a new IEP, and while the Girls School can suggest additions to a student鈥檚 IEP, discussions about how a 16-year-old ended up reading at a 1st grade level can get diplomatically tricky.
Kristina Barker for Education Week

From left, intern therapist Kelly Johnson, student Latavia, 16, youth service specialist Megan Peak, and students Emily, 15, and Marisa, 17, gather together for art therapy in a dorm.
Kristina Barker for Education Week

69传媒 are escorted to and from all buildings around campus. It can be a tough transition for some students leaving the tiny classes and structured schedule of the facility to return to their old鈥攐r a brand new鈥攕chool. 鈥淚 know places like the Girls School help kids take the blindfold off and say, 鈥楬ere鈥檚 the path you are on; it doesn鈥檛 matter what happened before, you can move on,鈥� said Bernie Ourth, district attendance officer for the Natrona County school district in Casper, Wyo., who helps returning students make the transition back to school. 鈥淏ut these kids maybe struggled academically before they got in trouble; they are carrying a lot of luggage. I think the human connection with these kids is critical. If they don鈥檛 have a connection with an adult in that [school] building, their odds of success are greatly limited.鈥�

Kristina Barker for Education Week