The Future of Alternative Education

At the alternative school where I teach, I spoke to a young man, Brian*, about his upcoming college applications. He is 15 years old. An incredibly bright young adult, he is eager to begin college where he will be challenged even further academically. Sounds pretty amazing, right? Even more amazing is the fact that just three years ago, he was miserable in school – both socially and academically. What’s the reason for this transformation? The reason can be summed up in two words: alternative education.

According to a 2001 report by the National Center for Educational Statistics, there are approximately 10,900 public alternative programs and schools and many more private options. Defining alternative education proves to be difficult because of the variety of ways to structure alternatives in education. The most basic definition of alternative education is a program or school that falls outside of the traditional K-12 realm of public education. Characteristics of alternative education programs and schools typically include smaller teacher to student ratios and a comfortable, supportive learning environment, but can also include individualized education plans, internship experience in the community, remedial instruction, one-on-one tutoring, peer mentoring, parenting preparedness workshops for teenage expecting parents, more flexible school times for students that need to work, and behavioral, social, or emotional counseling. Many programs aim to serve students that are not being well served in a traditional program – this can include special education students, English as a Second Language (ESL) students, students that are high risk for dropout, students that need to work many hours outside of school, expecting teenage parents, or students that just simply do not thrive in a traditional learning environment. There is no one way to structure an alternative education program or school, which means that schools get the opportunity to develop the type of alternative that caters to their respective students’ needs.
 
Research on alternative education on student outcomes is mixed. There are several possible reasons for such ambiguous results. One is because of the broad scope of alternative education. The variety in alternative education makes it somewhat difficult to study. A program that works for one school may not work for another. Another reason is that different studies might be looking for different student outcomes. While some research might be looking at academic outcomes, other research might be looking for social and behavioral improvement. Another pressing concern is a lack of data. Almost all educational and policy research on alternative education cites the problem of the lack of data. If information on the alternative education student outcomes is not tracked, effective conclusions cannot be found.
 
States should consider taking initiative to collect more comprehensive data on alternative education programs and schools. The Indiana Department of Education, for example collects annual data on alternative education programs and outcomes alongside of their regular annual school and student data collection.  This enables the department to evaluate programs and determine what programs need additional help and resources, and what programs should be commended for their exceptional work. This information is made public, so other schools in the state can see examples of the states’ most successful programs. It also promotes accountability and transparency of alternative education programs.
 
Despite the mixed results in research, spending a day at any alternative education school or program will showcase the important work that is done. Seeing kids rekindle or develop a love for learning after enduring a troubling past is eye opening. Still, better data collection will allow for more and stronger education and policy research. This can only lead to more definitive conclusions about such educational alternatives and will give information to help improve and better target educational alternatives to the students that need them the most. Stronger alternative education programs means that more kids like Brian will not only graduate high school, but pursue higher education with a lifelong passion for learning.
 
*Name has been changed.

Picture: Tennessee Department of Education: Alternative Education in Tennessee