Many factors cause student disengagement from school that subsequently result in high dropout rates. Alternative education (AE) programs provide a different pathway for at-risk youths who do not meet the goals, standards, and requirements of traditional educational settings. However, educational agencies have vastly different interpretations…

This guide is designed as a reference for District and School personnel working with English learners (ELs). The content of the guide represents a compilation of information, examples, and resources. This guide is a living document and subject to frequent updates. It is recommended to review the document online rather than printing a hard copy.

Explains the issue theme, which is alternate delivery systems for vocational education. Somewhat fewer delivery systems were identified than was anticipated. (CH)

The author applies a morphological analysis to the problem of creating alternatives for gifted programs. It is explained that four parameters (people, places, processes, and products) must be identified, and alternatives appropriate for each parameter must be listed. (SBH)

City-as-School (CAS) is an alternative high school linking students to various out-of-school learning experiences throughout New York City. In 1985, the CAS was awarded a National Diffusion Network (NDN) four-year replication grant, given to exemplary programs to enable them to disseminate their model to other interested schools and districts…

The author proposes a model that uses the due process and alternative education features of special education to maximize the likelihood that there will be a match between educational programs and the youth in juvenile correctional institutions that are to be served. (Author/CT)

The advantage of a multi-cultural program is that it can avoid the risk of ethnocentrism and provide for the self-worth of each individual in the student population. However, before proceeding to develop such a program, it must be determined if such a program will meet the needs and desires of the students and the community. (Author/NQ)

This paper discusses the instruction of adult performance outcomes and life skills in classes for students with mental disabilities. Basic considerations in teaching life skills include teaching for lifelong learning, teaching for relevancy, and teaching beyond textbooks and classrooms. Several strategies have contributed to the success of…

Presents an overview of correctional education programs at the Bexas County Adult Detention Center. Analyzes its institutional systems model and describes problems encountered by the program, including funding and administration. The success of the program in changing attitudes and skills remains to be seen. (JAC)

A new paradigm for putting school choice into perspective is offered in this paper, which argues that the administrative model of setting standards and increasing funding is not working for American schools. Choice, based on the market model, is advocated as a way to provide incentives and opportunities for change. Although choice programs take…

This paper describes the changes in American society which are initiating the need to develop programs aimed at new audiences with diverse needs and interests. The reaction of continuing education units to these needs is discussed and the importance of an interdisciplinary approach is emphasized. The authors describe their use of the Education…

This guide deals with various areas of alternative education programs, including current practices and different options available to school and community personnel. Steps are outlined to assess present educational settings, design new programs, select the participants, and implement and evaluate the new program. The first appendix contains…

Alternative schools in public school districts and private institutions offer a choice of more than one educational option to students. These schools usually have some of the following characteristics: voluntary participation, distinctiveness, nonexclusiveness, comprehensive objectives, and a supportive learning environment. Instructional styles…

Presented is the report of the Adaptive Education Task Force in Madison (Wisconsin) Public Schools which followed an investigation of the need to broaden the scope of physical education and recreation services to handicapped students. The work of the task force is reported in summary form in three parts: a position statement, assessment of needs,…

This report presents a model that describes the logical steps that should be implemented to maximize self-renewal in a rapidly changing social environment. The model, which uses a systematic approach to the problems of change and accountability, is designed to assist educators in the continual definition, selection, and implementation of viable…