The purpose of this study was to identify students' reasons for choosing to participate in the San Joaquin County Office of Education's Alternative Programs. The major areas studied were (a) curricula, (b) teacher instruction, (c) teacher and student relationship, (d) school climate, and (e) teacher and student ratio. The study also examined the relationship between these areas and their importance in contributing to students attending and remaining in school. Data were gathered from two different sources: (a) student surveys of 104 randomly selected students who have been enrolled in the alternative program for a period of six months and had the opportunity to return to their school district of residence; (b) interviews with 20 randomly selected students who participated in the student survey. Analysis of the data suggested that factors such as subject matter, teacher instruction, teacher and student relationship, school climate, and class size are influential in students choosing to attend and participate in the alternative education program. Evidence supported the notion that many of these factors are interrelated. Data supports the research regarding factors within the classroom that influence students, decisions to attend and participate in school. In addition, data supports the need to provide options to a diverse school population. The study provides recommendations for administrators and teachers of the alternative education program to continue promotion of a positive school culture which may result in positive student outcomes.

The purpose of this study was to provide data that could be used to improve staff development in Virginia's Regional Alternative Education Centers. Characteristics of participants and of centers were identified as factors to investigate. The personal characteristics of the participants were age, gender, position, attitude toward staff development, and total years of experience in education. The center characteristics were location, age of center, grade levels served, number of staff employed, number of students served, number of special education students served, budget for staff development, pooling of resources, center leadership, number of certified general education teachers, and number of certified special education teachers. Quality of staff development was measured on the following dimensions: learning environment, time for learning, planning, evaluation, materials, techniques, funding, content, rewards for participation, use of adult learning principles, and transfer of learning. The design was both quantitative and qualitative. A questionnaire was mailed to 99 administrative coordinators, teachers, and counselors in 26 participating regional centers. Quantitative responses were analyzed with descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and multiple regression. The qualitative phase involved three focus groups with four participants in each group " one administrative coordinator, one counselor, and two teachers. Three centers were chosen at random from three different geographic regions in Virginia " urban, suburban, and rural. Nominal group techniques were used to create a prioritized list of recommendations for staff development at the centers. Factors that best predicted the quality of staff development were the quality of center leadership, attitude toward staff development, and grade levels served. The prioritized lists of strategies from the focus groups included funding for inservice travel, providing training during workday, using teambuilding techniques, working with stakeholders, increasing number of staff employed, and having stakeholders provide timely services. A major implication of the study was that one theory with independent predictor variables did not relate to the quality factors. A more accurate description evolved"a family of theories. The family consists of three separate theories, with each theory identified by the predictor variables that were found to be associated with specific quality variables. / Ed. D.

The purpose of study was to identify the perceptions of school leaders regarding the effectiveness of an alternative education transformative day program following the first year of implementation. While some divisions were dissolving their alternative education programs, the school division highlighted within this study prioritized and revitalized the division's alternative education program from a behavior-based night program to a transformative-based day program. The goal of this study was to collect and analyze data that could present next steps for the transformative-based alternative education program in order for division and school-based leaders to continue refining and improving upon the existing foundation established during its inaugural implementation year. The selection of a purposeful sample was used to meet the objective of the study. The sample size for this study included a combination of up to 15 alternative education teachers, principals, and central office leadership members. The research interventions and investigational agents for this study included approved web-based surveys via Qualtrics and virtual interviews for data collection. The study's survey instrument included one twenty question survey session, and voluntarily respondents participated in a ten-question virtual interview via Google Meetings. Interview questions probed beyond the survey questions in order to provide qualitative data obtained from division and school-based alternative education leadership. The findings of this study, which include the value of stakeholder perception, alternative approach, climate and culture, and alternative course offerings/credit recover, could provide alternative education leaders with tangible next steps for program development by identifying elements necessary for growth and program success as noted by the stakeholders themselves. By analyzing the perceptions of alternative education teachers, principals, and central office leadership, data presented can lead to intentional measures for revising, growing and furthering the existing success of the transformative-based program. Additionally, recommendations for future study, such as how to increase the program's perception to stakeholders of the transformative-based program, could be used to inspire subsequent studies and to support division leadership when finalizing decisions regarding funding, program implementation, and professional development. / Doctor of Education / By prioritizing alternative education, a small rural school division has reconstructed its former behavior-based night program into a transformative-based day program in order to best combat the difficulties that plague the alternative population in America today. The history of alternative education in contrast to the needs of today's alternative education learners has been presented within the Literature Review. The perceptions of the transformative-based alternative education program were the target audience for this research study. This study was designed to examine the perceptions of alternative education teachers, principals, and central office leadership regarding the development of a transformative, alternative education day program in a small rural Virginia school division. These data were obtained throughout the survey completion and virtual interviews of 15 stakeholders of the transformative-based program. The study revealed four findings and four implications. One limitation to the study was the small sample size. A suggestion for future study would involve obtaining permission to conduct student research participants in order to explore data from the student perspective for the purpose of restructuring the program's needs as based upon student data.

Alternative education as defined by Sable, Plotts, and Mitchell (2010), is "a public school that addresses needs of students that typically cannot be met at in a regular school" (p. C-1). In many public alternative schools, the individuals chosen as leaders are licensed, certified school principals. Research focusing on alternative education is emerging yet, there is limited research directly devoted to alternative school leadership (Price, 2010). With the knowledge that students attending alternative schools have needs that cannot be met in traditional school settings, what specializations can leadership preparation programs and school division sponsored professional development offer to prepare secondary alternative school principals for alternative school leadership? Utilizing a phenomenological qualitative-based research design, secondary alternative school principals across the Commonwealth of Virginia were asked to participate in a study which employed semi-structured surveys to explore their perceptions of leadership preparation programs, division level professional development, and the impact of specialized training on leadership. The results of the study indicated that secondary alternative school principals in the Commonwealth of Virginia perceive that specialized leadership preparation is needed to effectively lead alternative schools and they were not adequately prepared by their leadership preparation programs to lead alternative schools. / Ed. D.

Research has shown that students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) typically have poor life outcomes. Students with EBD who are placed in an alternative education setting are likely to continue a path toward failure without carefully designed effective services. Existing studies have independently examined resilience in children and youth and alternative education settings. However, there is a gap in research examining resilience in students who have graduated from alternative education settings. Using semi-structured interviews, the present interpretive and descriptive qualitative study sought to explore factors of resilience in individuals who graduated from alternative education settings. The study sought to identify elements, specific to alternative education settings, that have contributed to resilience in young adulthood and to further our understanding of how alternative education placements have contributed to the participants’ current life status. Findings revealed three themes specific to alternative education settings that contributed to participants’ resilience: teachers who show that they care about their students, a positive learning environment, and a small student-teacher ratio where participants were able to get more one-on-one instruction. Additionally, two other themes arose from the data: having a supportive family and an innate sense of self.

Students are referred to alternative schools such as the Disciplinary Alternative Education Program (DAEP) for violations against the student code of conduct. Students who are referred and attend DAEPs are more likely to make failing grades and drop out of school permanently. However, a lack of understanding existed about why some students repeatedly receive referrals to the DAEP.The purpose of this case study was to gain an understanding about why some students are repeatedly being sent to the DAEP in a school district in north central Texas. The conceptual framework was based on Catalano and Hawkins' social development theory which posited that through consistent socialization, children learn prosocial or antisocial behavior patterns from the social units to which they are bonded. In this study, 14 purposefully selected classroom teachers participated in one-on-one conversational interviews to explore teachers' perceptions about why some students are repeatedly sent to the DAEP. Inductive analysis was used for coding and identifying emerging concepts, themes, and events. Six major themes emerged from analysis of the data: school structure, classroom/behavior management, class size, student labeling, extracurricular activities, and teacher-student relationships. The results illustrate the need for changes to disciplinary policies, new transition procedures, and improved staff training. This study may contribute to positive social change by suggesting strategies that schools could use to decrease the number of referrals to the DAEP. In turn, by decreasing the number of referrals school failure and dropout rates would decrease and as a result enable youth to eventually become productive members of society.

The purpose of this research was to ascertain the characteristics of dropouts, their rationale for reentry, and what constituted effective practices within a Texas alternative education program (AEP). While, a number of studies have been conducted to explain why students drop out of school, more research was needed in the area of students that reenter to complete their studies (Fernandez, Paulsen & Hiranko-Nakanishi, 1996; Krashen, 1998; NCES, 1981; Pirog & Magee, 1997; Ramsey, 1988; Rumberger, 1995; Warren, 1996; White & Kaufman, 1997). The study utilized qualitative methodology with a case-study approach by utilizing small groups within the context of an organization (Miles and Huberman, 1994). The study site was purposely selected (Kuzel, 1992; Morse, 1989) using low-socio-economic criteria, ethnic representation, an AEIS rating of Commended, and a high graduation rate. Site participant selection included comprehensive sampling (Goetz and LeCompte, 1984) of the AEP personnel and random sampling of the student participants and their respective parents. The primary data was collected using a modified three-interview method (Dolbeare and Schuman, 1982) with corroborating document review and focus groups. Findings indicated that research participants could identify seventeen different characteristics for returning high school students. Some of the characteristics describing these students also reflect their motivation or rationale for returning back to complete their high school studies. The study revealed four major practices within the AEP that supported the program and its students towards their mission of graduating. These were: hiring the right personnel, monitoring academic progress, providing student support services, and maintaining a safe school climate. A resultant theme indicated that there was a need to promote a positive image of the value of the AEP. Since only ten participants and five students were included in the study, the findings can only be tentatively generalized. Finally, suggestions are made for AEP programs to be designed to entice students not only to return back to school, but to remain until their goal to graduate is realized. / text

The current program evaluation of school-wide positive behavior support (PBS) in an alternative education setting was conducted in three phases (Phase 1: initial evaluation; Phase 2: intervention; Phase 3: follow up evaluation). The purpose of the evaluation was to identify strengths and weaknesses of the PBS program and to implement changes to improve program effectiveness and positive outcomes for students. An exploratory case study design was used to achieve an in-depth understanding of the program through the use of quantitative and qualitative data collection. The evaluation was completed within one school year, between November 2007 and May 2008. The participants in this evaluation were the students and staff of the alternative school. Quantitative data included behavioral data on the students, inter-observer agreement data, and survey data; qualitative data included survey data and data from student and staff focus groups. Overall, the evaluation was successful in that the evaluators were able to identify strengths and weaknesses, and areas of concern to be addressed through interventions. The evaluators were able to implement a variety of interventions, and received feedback that the interventions were successful. Although student behaviors were not effectively changed as a result of this evaluation, the evaluators did develop a plan for ongoing evaluation, future trainings and program modifications, to be implemented over the course of the 2008-2009 school year.

Doctor of Education / Department of Educational Leadership / Mary Devin / David C. Thompson / School districts throughout the United States have continuous concerns about how to meet the needs of high school students who are at-risk of dropping out of school. Despite multiple resources available for addressing this concern through alternative education schools and programs, there continues to be an unacceptably high number of students who do not graduate from high school. While knowledge about what is working in alternative schools and the students they serve is progressing, additional research is still needed. In Maize USD 266, Complete High School Maize is an award-winning and nationally recognized dropout prevention program that has, over a fifteen year span (1999-2014), helped reduce the dropout rate in Maize. The intent of this qualitative historical analysis was to serve two purposes. First, it delineated the historical evolution of Complete High School Maize as a model for school districts to emulate in an effort to reduce the number of high school dropouts. Secondly, this study provided historical documentation to help preserve and share in the history of the program for future generations of students. This study examined the factors and circumstances present in Maize USD 266 that resulted in the creation of an alternative school for its students. This study also narrated the structural evolution of Complete High School Maize from 1999 to 2014 and examined the conditions and factors that resulted in the progressions. The findings of the study showed that Complete High School Maize had successfully helped reduce the number of dropouts in Maize USD 266.

No Brasil verifica-se um movimento de escolas que estão sendo chamadas alternativas. Essa pesquisa teve como objetivo descrever e caracterizar uma escola cadastrada no Mapeamento Coletivo de Educação Alternativa, plataforma virtual, na qual são encontradas tais instituições. Para tanto utilizou-se a abordagem qualitativa da etnografia em educação, com os instrumentos da observação participante, entrevista e análise documental. Na escola, os alunos são reconhecidos como educandos e os professores e funcionários como educadores. Foram realizadas 53 visitas, 15 entrevistas (duas gestoras, sete educadores, três educandos, dois funcionários e uma mãe) e análise documental do Regimento Escolar, Projeto Pedagógico e Carta de Princípios. Com fundamentação teórica em Gilles Deleuze, Félix Guattari e Michel Foucault, observa-se que na escola pesquisada há diferenças no plano molar, comparadas às escolas tradicionais: denominação dos educadores e educandos, divisão dos educandos por núcleos de aprendizagem (iniciação, consolidação, desenvolvimento), ensino por projetos, pesquisas, roteiros e oficinas, dispositivos de assembleias, grupos de responsabilidade e grupos de discussão, pautados em valores (autonomia, responsabilidade, afetividade, solidariedade e respeito), etc. No plano molecular, a disciplina e a vigilância permanecem. Poucos foram os momentos observados em que a aprendizagem inventiva aparece. Os membros da escola não a consideram alternativa, mas compreendem a educação de maneira coletiva, através das relações com a Comunidade de Aprendizagem. As práticas pedagógicas da escola, segundo as gestoras, precisam ser sempre discutidas com as instâncias formais de educação, pois há resoluções que impedem o pedagógico de acontecer, mas a escola segue seu Projeto Pedagógico, documento autorizado, que valida a concepção e prática escolar. Propõe-se pensar esse Movimento da Educação Alternativa como o momento em que teorias pedagógicas voltadas para a Nova Educação ou com princípios diferentes ao da pedagogia tradicional começam a ser aderidas por mais escolas e, assim, colocadas em prática. Por fim, convida-se a pensar em transformações educacionais não mais em termos pedagógicos, mas em termos relacionais que afirmem a diferença. / In Brazil, it\'s possible to see a movement of schools that are being called alternative. This research had an objective of describing and characterizing one school registered at the Alternative Education Collective Mapping, an online platform, where such institutions are found. For this, a qualitative approach of ethnography in education was used, with the tools of participative observation, interview and documentary analysis. In the school, the students are recognized as learners and the teachers and staff as educators. A total of 53 visits and 15 interviews (two school managers, seven educators, three learners, two staff members and one parent) were made, as well as a documentary analysis of the School Statute, Pedagogical Project and Principles Statement. With a theoretical foundation based on Gilles Deleuze, Félix Guattari and Michel Foucault, its observed that in the institution that was researched, there are differences in the molar level, when compared to the traditional schools: in the denomination of educators and learners, in the division of the learners by learning core (initiation, consolidation, development), in the use of projects, research, scripts and workshops for teaching, in the devices of assemblies, responsibility groups and discussion groups, based on values (autonomy, responsibility, affectivity, solidarity and respect), etc. In the molecular level, discipline and vigilance remain. There were few moments where inventive learning appeared. The school members don\'t consider it alternative, but understand education in a collective manner, through the relationships with the Learning Community. The pedagogical practices of the school, according to the school managers, need to be discussed always with the formal instances of education, since there are resolutions that prevent the pedagogical from happening, but the school follows its Pedagogical Project, an authorized document, that validates the school conception and practice. It is proposed to think this Alternative Education Movement as the moment in which pedagogical theories focused on the New Education, or with principles that differ from the traditional education principles, start to be embraced by more schools, and therefore put into practice. Finally, an invitation is proposed to think about educational transformations no longer in pedagogical terms, but in relational terms that affirm the difference.