On this page... - Guidance for Evaluating Alternative Education
Programs & Schools Although some alternatives, like East
Harlem's famous Central Park East Secondary School, are explicit
in saying "it is our school and its way of teaching that is
alternative, not our students," alternative education means
different things to different people. The definitions can range
from a different approach to education that meets the needs of
youth at-risk and increases their chance for success in learning
and school, to the last ditch opportunity for students who have
been suspended or expelled or a re-entry to school after a
release from the juvenile justice system. In Iowa, alternative
education is a perspective not a procedure or a program, It is
based upon a belief that there are many ways to become educated,
as well as many types of environments and structures within
which this may occur. Further, it recognizes that all people can
be educated and that it is in society's interest to ensure that
all are educated (Morle