The National Evaluation and Technical Assistance Center for the Education of Children and Youth Who Are Neglected, Delinquent, or At Risk (NDTAC)

Merging Two Worlds (M2W) is a transition and career exploration and planning curriculum developed under a grant from the Arizona Department of Education/Exceptional Student Services Division (ADE/ESS) by the Pima County School Superintendent's Office in Tucson , AZ. This project was coordinated, directed and facilitated by the statewide Secure Care Education Committee convened by the ADE/ESS. In the fall of 2004, the Arizona Juvenile Detention Education programs began collaborating with the Corrections Learning Network (CLN) to produce the M2W curriculum in video format for nationwide delivery. Located in Spokane , Washington , CLN is a nationally recognized distance learning initiative administered by Educational Service District 101 (ESD 101), providing relevant educational life and transition-based broadcasts for confined audiences and professional staff in correctional facilities.

The Merging Two Worlds Curriculum is designed to help students prepare for reintegration into the community, school or world of work upon release from a secure care environment, and is adaptable for both adult and juvenile audiences. It is based on the concept that resiliency (the ability to come back from and successfully adapt to adversity) is critical to a student's successful reintegration into the community. Entitled "Merging Two Worlds" (M2W), the curriculum emphasizes the interconnection between the "worlds" of secure care and the community. Each of the curriculum's forty lessons utilizes instruction in life skills, career development skills, resiliency skills and social skills to meet the Arizona K-12 Academic Standards and the Arizona Adult Learning Standards as well as current national academic and learning standards.

The curriculum is divided into four chapters of ten lessons each. It is research-based, student-centered, flexible and practical. The format allows instructors to adapt and personalize the material to meet both the student's needs and the requirements of their respective secure care facility. Each lesson activity helps the student develop his own resource portfolio, My Resource Guide (MRG), the purpose of which is to help the detainee/inmate think about what they personally will require when "out", and to plan while "In" how to meet these requirements. A student may decide to include information about education, medical care, local transportation, support groups, employment, money and time management, recreational activities, parenting, goal setting or housing in the MRG. Upon enrollment with CLN, the curriculum and instructional materials are provided to you from CLN via CD or can be downloaded from the CLN website. In addition, the entire curriculum and other instructional resources are accessible at the Arizona Department of Education/Exceptional Student Services, Secure Care Education Web site: http://www.ade.az.gov/ess/SpecialProjects/securecare/.

For more information, contact:

Exceptional Student Services
Arizona Department of Education, Secure Care
1535 West Jefferson Street, Bin #24
Phoenix, Arizona 85007
Phone: (602) 542-3005
Fax: (602) 542-5404

Published May 2004

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