September 1997 Alternative Schools Benefit Troubled Students
School Districts from the most remote areas in the country to tree-lined suburban streets to densely populated urban areas are faced with the challenge of educating students who for one reason or another do not thrive in the traditional school environment.
Alternative schools have become a mainstay in districts nationwide and have a long history of serving the special needs of students. "In a society as diverse as that of the United States, it is difficult to see how education could thrive without numerous alternatives," note Jennifer Fager and Catherine Paglin, authors of Alternative Schools: Approaches for Students at Risk, the latest in NWREL's By Request series.
The booklet reviews the research on alternative schools for troubled students; addresses the benefits and challenges of such schools; looks at issues of funding, administration, and other characteristics; and provides profiles of several alternative schools in the Northwest.
Alternative schools have a varied and broad history in American education from magnet schools to publicly backed charter schools to schools that meet the needs of learning-disabled students. The booklet, though, takes a narrower view of alternative schools. It looks at those schools that see their mission primarily as dropout prevention and whose focus is on students who are behind in credits, exhibit behavioral or truancy problems, are pregnant or parenting, have learning disabilities, are involved in the court system, homeless, or in other ways experiencing obstacles to learning.
Among the advantages of alternative schools for students at risk of dropping out are reductions in truancy and drop-out rates, redirection of disruptive and inattentive students from mainstream schools into more productive learning environments, and re-engagement with learning and the community that can occur when students are in a more responsive and flexible environment.
Alternative schools are also marked by certain characteristics, among them a clear mission; lower enrollments and ratios of students to staff; staff committed to counsel, mentor, and tutor students; clear rules that are enforced fairly and consistently; student voice in school operations; a curriculum that connects the classroom and community; flexible schedules; an emphasis on individual accountability and responsibility; and high standards for behavior, attendance, and performance.
Research indicates that alternative schools that have failed did so for several primary reasons including inappropriate placement, lack of stable funding, loss of a charismatic leader, and a shift in the political or economic climate. The authors also site research that offers practical recommendations for establishing or maintaining an alternative school.
Alternative Schools: Approaches for Students At Risk also includes profiles of several schools throughout the Northwest and includes information for contacting school officials to learn more about their specific programs.
This publication is out-of-print and only available online. You can find it at www.nwrel.org/request/sept97/
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