Academics for at-risk students tout success

Students at risk of dropping out of Chicago?s schools are the jury, dishing out punishment to peers who act out.

Giving students control over their situation is one reason the dropout rate for students who have fallen behind two grades or more and attend Chicago?s achievement academies is much lower than the rate for other overage students. For academy students, the dropout rate is 49 percent; for other at-risk students, it is 88 percent.