May 2004

Q: I am interested in exploring alternative high school programs for my son. What are the current trends in alternative education? What are the best practices in alternative high school education? Do any such programs that place special emphasis on collaboration among families, communities, and multiple agencies exist?

A: Over the last two decades, the United States has seen the proliferation of alternative schools and education programs for youth. Alternative schools have been established as an option or service for students having difficulty succeeding in a traditional high school for any number of reasons, including poor grades, disruptive behavior, truancy, suspension, and pregnancy. The increase in such schools and programs resulted from concern over maintaining order and discipline in conventional schools, as well as a desire to engage students at risk of dropping out of traditional schools and to provide these students with education alternatives to succeed. Furthermore, many different types of alternative schools have been established as a means of meeting the diverse needs of youth and families.

Similar efforts have occurred in our Systems of Care initiatives. The principles and values of Systems of Care stress the importance of child and family centered and community based services. In many examples, children and families recount their experiences of being excluded from their community schools and sent to alternative programs, sometimes a great distance from their community. In many of these situations, appropriate placements for these children did not exist within the community. However, the trend is improving in many of our communities. Collaborative efforts have created a variety of options ranging from neighborhood school-based alternative programs, to community-based programs set up in churches, businesses, or youth centers. For more examples from our communities, you can access a copy of "The Role of Education in a System of Care" Promising Practices Series, 1998 at http://www.air.org/cecp/promisingpractices/1998monographs/vol3.pdf.

To date, there have been few national-level measures with regard to access and enrollment in public alternative schools and programs for students at risk of failure in a traditional education setting. The 2001 "District Survey of Alternative Schools and Programs," conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) through its Fast Response Survey System (FRSS), is the first national study of public alternative schools and programs for to provide data on the availability of public alternative schools and programs, student services, and staffing. Results from this survey found that in 2000-01, 39 percent of public school districts offered alternative schools and programs, serving approximately 613,000 students in about 10,900 alternative schools and programs nationwide. Public alternative schools and programs are most common in school districts with large enrollments (10,000 or more students), in urban areas, and in the southeast. Additionally, in 2000-01, districts with the largest percentages of children in poverty were more likely than districts with the smallest percentages of poor children to enroll 3 percent or more of their students in alternative schools and programs (NCES, 2003).

Effective alternative schools have been shown to help students reduce truancy; improve attitudes toward school ; accumulate high school credits; and reduce behavior problems (Cash, 2004). Additionally, s tudies have revealed several key elements of research-based, effective strategies in alternative education, including:

• Low ratio of students to teachers

• Highly structured classroom with behavioral classroom management

• Positive, rather than punitive emphasis in behavior management

• Adult mentors at school

• Individualized behavioral interventions based on functional behavioral assessment

• Social skills instruction

• High-quality academic instruction

• Involving parents (Sprague & Tobin, 2000)  

The National Dropout Prevention Center developed a database of successful dropout prevention programs, which contains descriptions of many of the alternative schools located throughout the United States. These schools vary in regard to the students they serve, the curriculum offered, and how they are administered. Listed below are some examples of alternative schools outlined in the National Dropout Prevention Center database:*

•  Charter Schools : designed as an autonomous educational entity operating under a contract negotiated between the state agency and local school sponsors

•  College-based Alternative Schools : designed for students in need of high school academic credits; operated by public school staff; uses a college facility to offer alternative services to students

•  Magnet Schools: designed to focus on selected curriculum areas with specialized teachers, and with student attendance usually by the student's choice

•  Residential Schools : designed for special needs students, usually placed by the courts or the family, with emphasis on special counseling and educational programs

•  School Within-a-School : designed for students needing a separate location within the traditional school, usually in a separate wing of the school with different staff leading academic, or social behavior and character development programs

•  Schools Without Walls : community-based program designed for students requiring educational and training programs delivered from various locations within the community and usually requiring flexible student schedules

•  Separate Alternative Learning Centers : designed for students in need of a special curriculum, such as parenting skills or special job skills, and a separate location from the traditional school (e.g., business environments or churches).

•  Summer Schools : designed to offer remedial classes necessary for academic credits, or to supplement a student's special interests in a particular academic area

•  Second-chance Schools : designed for students who exhibit disruptive or troubled behaviors and are placed in the school by the courts or the school district as a last chance before being expelled or incarcerated

Informative Links to Alternative Education Resources:

•  The National Association for Secondary School Principals: www.nasp.org/

•  The National Dropout Prevention Center: www.dropoutprevention.org

•  The Alternative Schools Network Resources: http://www.asnchicago.org/about_asn/index.asp

The Alternative Schools Network (ASN) is a not-for-profit organization in Chicago working to provide quality education with a specific emphasis on inner-city children, youth. and adults. Since 1973, the ASN has been supporting community-based and community-run programs to develop and expand training and other educational services in Chicago's inner-city neighborhoods. In addition to supporting direct services, ASN advocates for community-based, comprehensive services in which the youth and adults involved are active participants in developing and running the programs. The Alternative Schools Network has identified and supported several alternative education programs in Chicago, which can be found on the ASN Web site.

•  The National Coalition of Alternative Community Schools: http://www.ncacs.org/ncacs.htm

The National Coalition of Alternative Community Schools is a nonprofit educational organization. Since 1978, the Coalition has supported the work of students, parents, teachers, and others in the field of alternative education, while informing the general public about its benefits and successes. The NCACS mission is to unite and organize a grassroots movement of learners and learning communities dedicated to participant control, liberation from all forms of oppression, and the pursuit of freedom. The NCACS' first goal is to connect people interested in alternative learning theories and/or practices. NCACS' contact base includes more than 250 schools, home schooling families, communities, and individuals who support and practice nonconventional learning throughout the United States and in 10 other countries.

Sources:

Cash, T. (2004). Alternative schooling. In Smink, J. & Schargel, F. P. (Eds.). Helping students graduate: A strategic approach to dropout prevention . Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education .

Kleiner, B., Porch, R., & Ferris, E. (2002). Public schools and alternatives for children at risk of education failure: 2000-01. (NCES 2002-004) . Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics.

Raywid, M. (1994). Alternative schools: The state of the art. Educational Leadership , 52 (1), 26-31.

Sprague, J., & Tobin, T. (2000). Alternative education strategies: Reducing violence in school and the community. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 8: page number?

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (2003). The Condition of Education 2003 . NCES 2003-967. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.

* The National Dropout Prevention Center/Network: www.dropoutprevention.org