Reducing Disparities in Academic Outcomes Among Youth of Color: Evidence From an Alternative Education Program

The differential treatment of youth of color in schools perpetuates disparities in academic outcomes. Alternative education programs may represent a constructive approach to preventing or mitigating these disparities. This study examines the outcomes of an urban alternative education program in the United States. Secondary analysis of demographic, psychosocial, and academic data from all program participants ( N = 232) during a 3-year study period was conducted. Descriptive statistics summarize demographic characteristics, and bivariate analyses examine the strength of association and interrelationships among individual variables, program retention, and educational attainment. Results show grade-level advancement, employability, and, therefore, decreased risk for justice involvement, regardless of students’ histories of lower academic performance, unemployment, behavioral health conditions, and justice system or child protective services contact. This evaluation offers a framework for replication and recommendations for future research examining alternative education programs.

Alternative Education

Many students struggle with success in a traditional school settings. For that reason, alternative education programs exist to support these students through high school graduation and to post-secondary endeavors. Students in alternative education come from varying backgrounds and have differing needs; therefore, programs targeting these students need to meet each individual's needs. Students may have behavioral or emotional concerns, academic deficits, be pregnant or parenting teenagers, or have severe trauma backgrounds. Alternative education needs to focus on school culture, student engagement, academic interventions, behavioral interventions, and social-emotional learning. The ultimate goal of alternative education is to help all students succeed no matter their needs and ease their transition to a traditional school, post-secondary education, career, military, or other ventures. This chapter will outline alternative education and how to implement strategies in all settings.

Alternative Education Programs for High School Age Students in Chile

The provision of “alternative” education is increasingly common in the countries of the world, but highly varied in its forms and coverage. In its commitment to provide education for all to age 18, Chile recently expanded its system of schools for teenage dropouts and has funded research on how best to educate these youth. This article, based on data from a national sample of 18 recently established Second Opportunity Centers, describes student characteristics, their ambitions for their education and future, and their evaluation of their experience to date. Using a review of principally North American research findings as a guide, the study analyzes factors linked with grade repetition and withdrawal from school to suggest strategies that may be effective in increasing retention of students. This article concludes that, given multiple causes of school failure, reintegration into the education system requires multiple strategies.

The Experiences of Low German-Speaking Mennonite Men in Alternative Education Programs in Southwestern Ontario

The tradition of leaving high school and finding full-time employment after grade 8 has put Low German-speaking (LGS) Mennonites in rural Southwestern Ontario in a vulnerable economic position. Consequently, alternative education programs have been developed by Ontario public school boards in areas containing high numbers of LGS Mennonites. The programs strive to keep LGS Mennonite youth in school by creating spaces where primarily male LGS Mennonite students feel more comfortable and can pursue a high school diploma while maintaining their religious beliefs, cultural identity, and work responsibilities. This article draws from qualitative interview data and open-ended survey responses to explore perceptions of LGS Mennonite men’s experiences in alternative education programs, and it highlights factors that caused the men to avoid or leave the programs. This article offers recommendations on how to strengthen the programs to increase the number of LGS Mennonite students attending them. It emphasizes the importance of LGS Mennonite students receiving strong messages from educators that their language, culture, and religious beliefs are valued even if that means separating the youth from Canadian society rather than integrating them on equal terms to minimize their marginalization.

Perceptions of success factors in rural K-12 public alternative education programs

Alternative education programs for students in the rural K-12 public school setting are designed to fit the needs of the District due to the learning needs being accommodated through the program. This qualitative case study provided suggestions to rural K-12 public alternative education programs regarding success factors identified by teachers and administrators working in or who have worked in a rural K-12 public alternative education program in Northwest Missouri. The researcher used archival data, interviews with teachers and administrators, and a focus group of administrators to find common themes which were then viewed through the conceptual framework of Continuous Quality Improvement. Results suggest input, teamwork, accountability, good management, and continuous improvement are success factors of rural K-12 public alternative education programs. Key words: Continuous Quality Improvement, K-12 public alternative education

Imprisoning ‘Those’ Kids: Neoliberal Logics and the Disciplinary Alternative School

Despite a perceived retrenchment of exclusionary school punishment, the disciplinary alternative school has emerged as a space in which to enforce upon marginalized students the logics of neoliberal carcerality. This article draws on the code of conduct handbooks of 15 Texas Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs to illustrate how this space seeks to reaffirm social and economic marginality for certain youth. Specific processes in the alternative school prepare youth for a life of imprisonment, often characterized by criminal justice system involvement, but also precarious (un)employment. As such, this article situates the disciplinary alternative school as one of many ‘alternatives’ to carcerality through which the carceral state maintains its power.

Leadership

Recent school reform efforts have been dominated by discussions about getting the right people into the right jobs and holding them accountable for outcomes. Educators have paid less attention to the importance of developing human capital, a process that includes promoting adult learning and providing teachers and staff with the support they need to do their best work. The author’s experience at revamping alternative education programs in Montgomery County (Md.) Public Schools demonstrates how deployment and development can unite in support of what students need.

Enthusiastic Collaboration

Robert A. Gable is the Constance and Colgate Darden Professor of Special Education and Eminent Scholar at Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia. He earned his PhD from George Peabody College of Vanderbilt University and was on the faculty at Peabody–Vanderbilt and the University of Pittsburgh prior to his appointment at Old Dominion University. Dr. Gable’s career includes experience as a classroom teacher and as administrator of several alternative education programs. He has published extensively on a variety of topics including academic assessment and instruction, functional behavioral assessment and positive behavioral plans and supports, collaboration and consultation in the schools, and practical ways to differentiate instruction for children and adolescents with learning and behavior problems.