Alternative Education

Alternative Education

Lisa Barfield-McCarty

HIS 324: History of American Education

7-11-2010

Alternative Education

            For as long as public schools and mainstream forms of educational instruction have existed it seems that alternative educational resources have been sought after by parents, communities, and educators alike. Ideas about school format and methods of instruction have varied among those seeking alternatives, but the desire for more individualized and specialized instruction remains a notable commonality. Alternative education refers to any of the non-traditional or non-mainstream school instruction programs which serve to provide opportunities of better learning for students who demonstrate some sort of need or desire for alternative methods of instruction and guidance. Such special instruction may be based on a number of things such as demonstrating giftedness toward certain areas of advancement, demonstrating a need for more closely guided instruction, having a desired emphasis toward certain moral or religious callings, or desiring an atmosphere which provides either more freedom or structure in classroom settings. 

So, falling under the label of alternative education we find charter schools, magnet schools, holistic schools, private schools, and many others including private tutoring and home schooling. And there are of course those schools known as alternative schools which specifically exist to provide another option for at risk or developmentally challenged youth. When all of these options are listed, one would be inclined to think that there exist many available alternatives for students today which bring choice in education. Sadly however, many of these options remain unavailable to lower and middle class families due to tuition factors. And surprisingly, many of these options remain unavailable and even unknown within many areas throughout the country. 

            Alternative education is a topic which has persisted as a widely and commonly desired goal but remains an elusive option for many families. The traditional public school option actually remains the only option for many people, and yet public schools often do not offer the sort of instruction or support that many families long for. Although public schools are government regulated they are really controlled and supported by individual states and communities as are any available alternatives. Charter schools, for instance, are a form of free public education but are geared toward providing more freedom in administration and instruction. (Pulliam & Patten, 2007) They exist to fulfill a specific need within a community, whether it is to offer emphasis on specific areas of study (such as Magnet schools) or to simply offer a better alternative to the local public school. But in order to exist within a community at all, it must first receive state and community support and financial backing. Therefore, although charter schools are actually quite popular in many places and continue to grow in number, and although they are popular enough to have waiting lists and host application based lotteries where students can win admittance, there are still many states and communities which do not offer such an option. Some of this is due to each state having various laws or regulations set in place determining how or if charter schools may be formed altogether. 

            Private schools, also known as independent schools and sometimes parochial or faith schools, are much more commonly present within communities as they are most often supported by their religious affiliations and/or commonly shared ideals for academic and moral standards. One reason for this is because private schools have the added advantage of not being subject to many of the confines of academic instruction that public schools must abide by. (Pulliam & Patten, 2007) They have this freedom because although they may receive grants they are not specifically funded or instituted by federal or state sources. They are financed mostly by private organizations and through charging tuition fees per student and semester. And, because private schools regulate their own admittance policies and guidelines they can determine eligibility for admittance based on certain criteria such as proven academic achievement, religious affiliation, and ability to afford tuition payments. They also tend to have stricter guidelines for their students as they expect and demand a certain behavior or attitude among students and there are always other potential students waiting to be approved for admittance in many cases. Due to these aspects of how private schools are able to operate, they tend to have high achievement rates and greater support from upper class families. So, although private schools are more widely available and considered an alternative in education they still tend to be more of a mainstream option and remain unobtainable by many in search of alternatives. 

            Those institutions known specifically as alternative schools have very specific purposes or functions and are often not found to be an available option in many areas, much like charter and magnet schools. In some cases these alternative schools are either free to attend, but require some show of need or tuition is based on some type of a sliding scale. To attend some alternative schools which are offered as a choice, one must submit an application and many times there are waiting lists. Others are considered reform schools and admittance is based on poor conduct in one school and automatic transfer to the alternative school under certain circumstances so that they may remain there until certain reformation measures have been met by the student. As can be seen, these alternative schools exist for differing reasons and have various types of structuring. Sometimes they are specifically designed to provide an education alternative to those youth which are considered to be at risk for behavioral and achievement problems. In this case, those most likely to be admitted may be those whose options have run out due to past delinquencies and expulsions. In many cases, the alternative school option represents a last ditch effort to improve a student’s behavior, social outlook, and academic achievement in hopes of rescuing the young person from further disturbances and allowing them an opportunity to graduate with a high school diploma or equivalent. (Aron, 2006)

            There are many reasons why certain youth may be considered to be at risk or have some need or desire to exit the traditional school atmosphere and enter an alternative school. They may be from a low income area whose school is underachieving or which does not offer much by way of special instruction or effective programs of counsel or guidance. They may be in a situation which requires a less strenuous schedule in order for them to succeed in an academic environment; perhaps teen pregnancy is the issue or perhaps they must work to support a household due to special circumstances such as caring for disabled parents or endangered siblings. They may themselves be afflicted with some type of health issue which requires much more of their time and focus. They may have experienced some sort of abuse or trauma which leads them toward a less formal and time consuming educational atmosphere. They may be in some way incompatible with the traditional school atmosphere and thus fail to succeed in that environment and perhaps even have truancy issues or plan to drop out. They may even be in substance abuse treatment programs or some form of behavioral or psychiatric counseling which may make the traditional school atmosphere less manageable or feasible. (Aron, 2006)

 

What is important to understand when evaluating the various reasons for alternative school admissions is that these issues, though more prevalent perhaps in some areas, are not unique to any one type of community; these issues may arise in any community and therefore such programs are useful and even necessitated in order to meet educational needs of the whole population rather than just the ones who manage to succeed beyond their limitations.

            Another specific function of some alternative schooling has to do with serving the needs of the developmentally delayed, emotionally disturbed, disabled, or otherwise handicapped student body through special education instruction. Many times the special education programs offered by public schools do not meet the special requirements of all their students and perhaps social needs are not met as well. In this case the alternative school which offers smaller teacher student ratios, individual attention and instruction, flexible curriculum, an absence of labeling as disabled or handicapped and hence an absence of separation from the rest of the student body, and in some cases provided therapeutic instruction and various forms of counseling services may be understandably preferred by students with such needs and their parents or families as well.  (Lange & Sletten, 2002)

 

These types of alternative programs which serve students with disabilities must meet certain criteria in order to appropriately function and help students with disabilities achieve beyond what may have been once expected. For instance, they must be certified to teach special education students. The teachers must be trained in various forms of special education instruction and have some understanding of the various types of disabilities that may present within their classroom. The facility must be properly equipped to handle any physical or special needs of their student body. And, there must be a focus on special educational services that help develop skills which may not be a significant focal point within traditional programs such as independent living skills or improvement of basic social skills. (Quinn, Robert B. Rutherford, & Osher, 1999)

 

            There are of course those alternative schools which provide special education instruction for students with specific disabilities, such as schools for the deaf and the blind. In more extreme cases such as these however, students have few choices to begin with and therefore rely on such institutions to help them develop their full potential. Aside from this type of school and the private school, most alternative schools tend to be geared toward secondary education or older students. Alternative education that does not require tuition for most elementary age students is virtually non-existent. The normal, most wide spread alternative educative solutions for parents of elementary age students are home schooling, private tutoring, and online elementary programs of instruction (many of which do charge tuition fees, as a public online school option is not available in all states). 

There is however an emerging alternative which is becoming more popular in some areas of the country and this is known as holistic schooling or integral education which takes a whole systems approach to educating children. These types of schools offer more flexible curriculum and diverse teaching methods which allow learners of all types to explore and think critically through hands on activities rather than focusing on memorization of repeated data and relying on other people’s interpretations of said data. These types of school atmospheres tend to honor cultural diversity and respect both the special gifts and limitations of students. Individual instruction as well as group supported learning activities is provided. Many of these programs are set up in such a way that allows for a smaller teacher student ratio per classroom but which also allows fewer teachers per student as they are not separated by subject matter. This allows for better teacher student relationships as the teachers are able to give the proper amount of attention and consideration toward each of their students. And since uniqueness and individuality is embraced rather than uniformity and the expectation of excelling in specific ways, peer relationships are also improved. (Forbes, Values in Holistic Education, 1996)

 

            Alternative schools which are designed with the holistic approach in mind are most often financed through private means such as tuition, foundation support, and community cooperatives, though some are formed as charter or magnet schools which are publicly funded. (Forbes & Martin, What Holistic Education Claims About Itself:An Analysis of Holistic Schools’ Literature, 2004) In the public school arena there are many teachers and school administrators within certain districts who have knowledge of holistic teaching methodologies, who see the benefits, and who do make an effort to integrate holistic education ideas into their public school instruction programs. Unfortunately the normal traditional education format continues to be based on compartmentalization and rigid structures which do little to support the educational and emotional needs of all students. Successes achieved through the implementation of alternative schools and holistic schools in particular seem difficult to pin down in certainty since definitions and incorporated standards are so varied and thus research into their structure or effectiveness is limited. (Forbes & Martin, What Holistic Education Claims About Itself:An Analysis of Holistic Schools’ Literature, 2004)

            Although conclusive studies may be difficult to conduct on the subject of alternative schools in general or even more specifically on the holistic school model, there remain some common points which each of these alternative models of education are based on or seek to implement through various methods. Firstly, this type of schooling is about freedom in educational choice and teaching methods. When a student attends a traditional learning facility there is very little room for deviating from the norm and this can lead to dissatisfaction in learning and an inability to think or act in a creatively functional manner. However, when a student attends an alternative education program or school that is better suited to their life circumstance and learning ability they find that their uniqueness and personal abilities are embraced by those around them and even integrated into their learning program. Creative thinking and questioning on all levels is encouraged rather than discouraged as some form of disrespect or disobedience. And, cooperative learning among students is strongly promoted and emphasized through the teaching methodologies utilized rather than competition as in most traditional institutions. 

            The traditional schools in many ways are designed to promote social efficiency, to overcome cultural diversity rather than embrace it, and to create a loyal workforce for the industries of a nation while nullifying uniqueness for the sake of commonality. (Miller, 2010) Through this model of education it can be said that many valuable thinkers and contributors to society have been formed. It can also be said that through this model many talents have been squashed and many possible great minds and achievers will never be known. There is a good portion of the population which emerges from public schools untapped of their true abilities and critical of a system that seemed to undervalue or ignore what they had to offer. Many people do well and may in fact excel in these public institutions of learning which embrace old classroom formats and methods of instruction. But the fact remains that there are many people who do not excel or even get by in these institutions, and for this reason options for alternative education should be widely available and embraced by every community.

References

Aron, L. Y. (2006, January). An Overview of Alternative Education. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from The Urban Institute: http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/411283_alternative_education.pdf

                The author, researchers, and publishers of this paper provide data concerning all major aspects of Alternative Education including a historical and current overview of definitions and educational needs being met by such efforts, policies and support affecting these initiatives, and the varied types of alternative programs in use.

Forbes, S. H. (1996). Values in Holistic Education. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from Third Annual Conference on ‘Education, Spirituality and the Whole Child: http://home.datacomm.ch/ganjavi/VALUES-IN-HOLISTIC-EDUCATION.pdf

                The author and presenters of this paper offer insight into the purpose and identifiable ideals or common values that exist within holistically guided forms of education or schools of instruction.

Forbes, S. H., & Martin, R. A. (2004, April). What Holistic Education Claims About Itself:An Analysis of Holistic Schools’ Literature. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from Holistic Education: http://www.holistic-education.net/articles/research04.pdf

                The authors and researchers of this statistical analysis research paper provide useful information pertaining to current trends in holistic education and its significance.

Lange, C. M., & Sletten, S. J. (2002, February 1). Alternative Education: A Brief History and Research Synthesis. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from Project Forum: http://www.projectforum.org/docs/alternative_ed_history.pdf

                                The authors, researchers, and publishers of this paper provides information regarding the complete spectrum of Alternative Education including its history, its service within and without the public school system, its relevance to special needs children as well as at risk youth, its effect on student outcomes, and its policy, practice, and effectiveness.

Miller, R. (2010). A Brief History of Alternative Education. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from Alternative Education Resource Organization: http://www.educationrevolution.org/history.html

                The author of this article provides a historical account of the Alternative school's function and why such systems are desired within the population, speaking of basic school design and purpose among traditional or mainstream schooling.

Pulliam, J., & Patten, J. V. (2007). History of Education in America (9th Ed.). Columbus: Pearson.

                                The authors of this textbook provide useful information regarding several supporting topics of this paper including various types of schools and instruction.

Quinn, M. M., Robert B. Rutherford, J., & Osher, D. M. (1999, November). Special Education in Alternative Education Programs. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from The ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education (ERIC EC): http://mnprojectseal.com/documents/sevenessentialelementsofeffectiveprograms.pdf

                                The authors and researchers of this publication provide information focusing on education for the disabled or gifted youth which speaks of the expansion of definitions regarding the mission of alternative programs and essential elements in creating successful alternative programs such as the functional assessment of student needs in developing special instruction programs and curriculum.