This brief overview of the growing alternative school movement emphasizes those features of alternative schools that are of most interest to school administrators. There is some discussion of different forms of alternative schools that have been tried, but attention is mainly focused on the general characteristics common to most alternative schools and on how alternative schools differ from conventional schools. Short sections are devoted to discussions of finance, pupil selection, instructional objectives, curriculum programs, staffing, and pupil evaluation. Administrative needs, school governance patterns, and school facilities appropriate for alternative schools are discussed, and the relationship of alternative schools to nearby conventional schools is considered. Brief descriptions of the alternative school programs underway in six U. S. cities and a bibliography of recent publications dealing with the topic are included. (JG)