Young people in recovery from substance use disorders: an analysis of a recovery high school's impact on student academic performance & recovery success

Abstract

The purpose of this dissertation was to produce knowledge on the academic performance and recovery success of students enrolled in a Recovery High School. The study site was Hope Academy, located in Indianapolis, IN, and at the time of this publication, one of just five schools in the U.S. accredited by the Association of Recovery Schools. Students enrolled between Fall 2010 and Spring 2017 were evaluated using academic test scores (NWEA-MAP), a measure of recovery success (GAIN-SS), as well as key informant interviews with 13 students and five staff members. It was concluded that recovery school students displayed similar levels of academic growth when compared to a nationallyrepresentative matched Virtual Comparison Group, t-stat = +0.849 (p=0.397). This finding provides evidence that even after experiencing a relapse, recovery school students were capable of achieving similar levels of academic growth as their peers not in recovery from substance use disorders. Interview participants provided more context to the quantitative findings with first-hand accounts of the impact the recovery school had on students.