Study found lower-income kids at challenging high schools less likely to engage in risky behaviors
Low-income teenagers who get into a more rigorous high school may take fewer health risks than their peers at other schools, a new study suggests.
The study, of low-income Los Angeles teens, found that those who attended "high-performing" high schools were less likely to carry a weapon, binge-drink, have multiple sex partners or take certain other health risks.
And it wasn't just a matter of "good kids" being more likely to go to good schools, researchers said.
The study included teens who had applied to one of three top-performing charter schools in Los Angeles. And those schools used a lottery system to offer admissions -- which is similar to a scientific study where people are randomly assigned to an "intervention" or not.
"We think this is an effect of the schools themselves," said lead researcher Dr. Mitchell Wong, of the University of California, Los Angeles.
Many studies have suggested that kids who go to safe, higher-performing schools fare better -- and not just academically. They also tend to have fewer behavior issues and better mental health.
"But the question has been, is it really the schools or is it all the other things that go with education?" Wong said. Among those "things," he noted, are supportive parents, and friends who care about school and stay out of trouble.
So for the study Wong's team took advantage of what they call a "natural experiment." They surveyed 521 students who had gotten into a high-performing charter high school by the luck of the draw, and compared them with 409 students who had applied to the top schools but didn't win the lottery.
Good Schools May Be Good for a Teen's Health, Too
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