JTC East High School
Restoring Academic Progress with a Trauma-Informed Lens
At JTC East, we specialize in supporting students who have experienced disruptions in their education due to emotional, behavioral, or mental health challenges. Our trauma-informed environment is designed to promote safety, consistency, and trust—foundations necessary for both healing and learning.
Credit Recovery & Academic Support
We help students recover lost credits through individualized academic planning and targeted instruction. Our educators meet students where they are and work to rebuild academic confidence while aligning with high school graduation requirements.
Social-Emotional & Coping Skills
We embed social-emotional learning and coping strategies into every aspect of the school day. Students are guided in managing emotions, building relationships, and developing healthy routines—skills essential for both school and life success.
Successful Transitions
Whether the goal is reintegration into a home high school or preparation for the next educational step, our team partners with students, families, and sending districts to ensure a smooth and supported transition.
Token Economies: One Tool in a Comprehensive Therapeutic Toolbox
Research continues to show that token economy systems can be highly effective in motivating students, especially in the short term—with potential for longer-term gains when used correctly. At JTC Academy, our students earn points based on positive behavior, academic effort, and treatment engagement. These points can be converted into immediate rewards or saved toward larger items such as PlayStations, electronics, or name-brand sneakers. Our student store features a wide range of on-site items and catalog options, giving students real choices in how they utilize their earned incentives.
But let’s be clear: while our incentive system is robust and engaging, it is just one component of our broader therapeutic approach.
Long-term student success requires more than just rewards—it demands individualized, trauma-informed treatment plans crafted by licensed clinicians, rigorous academics delivered at the student’s instructional level, and consistent instruction in coping and life skills. Token economies, when used in isolation, may generate compliance—but without a clinical foundation and appropriate academic challenge, that compliance is short-lived.
A word of caution:
Be wary of programs that promote cash or prizes as the primary draw. Incentives can be useful, but they are not a substitute for a comprehensive therapeutic and academic plan.
When evaluating a therapeutic day school or treatment program, we strongly encourage stakeholders to:
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Confirm that treatment plans are created and monitored by licensed clinicians
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Ensure academics are aligned with each student’s actual instructional level—not simply grade level or placement
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Tour the facility, meet the staff, and ask detailed questions about behavioral, clinical, and academic supports
At JTC Academy, we don’t rely on gimmicks—we rely on best practice, accountability, and a belief in every student’s potential.
Students appropriate for placement at JTC Academy East High School are typically those with a history of chronic, disruptive, and externally maladaptive behaviors that have significantly impacted their ability to succeed in traditional school settings. These students often demonstrate academic delays when compared to same-age peers, which reinforces the need for a highly structured, consistent, and trauma-informed educational environment. At JTC East High, we provide targeted behavioral support and academic interventions designed to reduce the learning gap and support long-term student success.
