The Pros And Cons Of Alternative Schools

When it comes to high school dropout rates, there are many factors that need to be considered before attempting to suggest a reason, and a solution to the issue. One of the first

Journal One in The Alternative by Galen Leonhardy, tells the story of a teacher who helps open an alternative school in Kozol Creek, Idaho, and the struggles he faces in attempting to implement a collaborative education process. The author writes of teachers who let students run free through the halls or simply ignored kids because they did not know how to handle them. He also writes of teachers who strive for a more personalized education by learning who their students are and understanding the environment from which they come. I have also dealt with both kinds of teachers in my educational experience, as I was a student of an alternative school. Mr. Lamar, to me, represents what a teacher should be. His personal dedication to making a difference in students’ lives and his willingness to go the extra mile by empowering students to take responsibility for their education changed how I perceived my own education. Mrs. Patton, on the other hand, is a teacher I would much rather forget. Her militarized style of teaching made learning an afterthought to the daily complications we encountered in the classroom. Both Mr. Lamar and Mrs. Patton taught me the importance of being included in your own education.

In the first journal of The Alternative, Galen Leonhardy journals his daily experiences as a teacher for an alternative school is Kozol Creek, Idaho. He describes the students in his classes and discusses his teaching methods to aid these students academically and socially, in order for them to transfer back into public life. The goals that he sets for himself regarding assisting the students are encountered by obstacles such as uncooperative colleagues and a local community that is ripe with preconceived stereotypes, poverty, and systematic neglect. The stark contrast between Leonhardy’s teaching methods and those of his unaccommodating coworkers reminds me of the disparity between some of the teachers that I had in middle school, some utilizing effective methods to encourage students and others employing unproductive methods of disparaging students.

Most people believe that residential schools does more harm than good to First Nations. They have all the means to believe that, since stories like Chanie Wenjack’s death and many more reveals the brutal ruthlessness of some residential schools, but is there another side to this story? Residential schools are built to assimilate First Nations culture. They certainly achieved that, but were residential schools such a horrible place? Were residential schools the only schools that abused children?

After reading this article I am not a fan of charter schools, I think they are run by selfish people who only worry about their income. The schools have a different way of teaching. The charter schools are forcing public schools out of low income areas where they are truly needed because families can not afford private schools.

For reasons unknown, some students simply cannot or choose not to behave during class. Caroleo opens her article, “An Examination of the Risks and Benefits of Alternative Education”, with the claim, “One size education does not fit for all children and youth” (35). It is true that blanket instruction does not work for most at-risk students. A specialized educational setting results in an increase in supervision and guidance. Specialized settings lower the possibility of frequent outbursts; therefore, placement into a smaller class would benefit the disruptive student. In most alternative classrooms, the student-teacher ratio is low. In a local alternative school hosted by New Brockton High School, the class roster rarely reaches above ten students. Smaller settings allow teachers the chance to minimize down time and focus on individuals. Increased one on one time allows students to find more productive outlets for their excess energy. In addition to being beneficial for the troublesome student, alternative schooling would allow other members of the class a productive environment in which to learn. Students’ outbursts are detrimental to not only the other students’ education but also the education of the delinquent as well. Placement into an alternative school will allow typical students to attend class uninterrupted and encourage the cause of distraction to focus on continuing their education. If the disruptive student is removed from the classroom, then it is likely that all students’ grades will flourish accordingly in the now positive

The expression “separate but equal, ” is the philosophy in which was the foundation of racial segregation in the late 19th and 20th centuries and is commonly referred to the Brown v. Board of Education case. “Separate but equal” is the process of granting all citizens of the state the same rights and freedoms but finding ways around the law that would allow racial discrimination to be applied in all situations. However, “separate but equal” is not always a problematic circumstance, as the Africentric Alternative School located in Toronto Ontario is an institution that was developed in order to cease the trend of African descent students dropping out of school. This institution is not an issue of segregation of African children as all races and religions are allowed to

The traditional idea of schooling has evolved throughout the course of history. Our diverse world commands alternative ways of organizing education. These alternative measures are designed to meet the needs of students who may not have an opportunity to be successful within the traditional school setting. Although, students are the primary constituents of education, they are not the sole culprits of reform in education. The needs for alternative educational programs include aspects such as population decline, economic issues, and the need for better learning experiences. Therefore, alternative methods are designed to meet the needs of particular groups of students in various ways that might be difficulty to meet in the traditional setting.

Quebec needs to initialize the process of removing the label of at-risk, which focus on weaknesses rather than the realizing the individual’s strengths within the education context (Philpott, 2007). A student who is at-risk is an individual who presents factors that are deemed vulnerable or abnormal within the social context they live in. At- risk children are often recognized as students who exhibit violent behaviours as a result of living in poor neighborhoods that are involved with drugs, gang activity and loose family ties (Hall & Bacon, 2005). In turn, they become at risk of falling behind academically or socially within the school environment (Government of Quebec, 2007). The government of Quebec has categorized at-risk students as including those who live within a low-socioeconomic status group and children with learning disabilities (Durand & Guay, 2011). This categorization can lead to the false belief that those who are defined at risk above require the same intervention strategies within the school curriculum. The attached marginalization and stigma of the label at-risk, divides the preschool and care center’s structure into two main groups, those who will be academically and socially successful and those who will not fulfill the socially defined life achievement (Philpott,

The second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” This phrase has become the motto of all people concerned with equality, and is a major cornerstone of our government. Our education system is subject to this principle of equality, as reflected in the federal mandates of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law. The government recognizes that it must provide free and appropriate education for all students. All citizens, including those with disabilities, must be given

When parents sign their child up for school they expect for their child to be on their best behavior and to bring home good grades. In order for that to happen the child's should listen to the teacher and develop strong skills in their weakest subject in class. If the teacher feels that the child should be in an after school program to have one on one time with the child than the teacher needs to speak to the parent to recommend that the child needs after school help. Why do the faculty members feel that no child should be left behind?

This article is discussing the impact that Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) group counseling can have on adolescents in Disciplinary Alternative Education Program (DAEP). The results show an overall reduction of student behavioral distress. As school counselors can only notice the augmentation of troubled students on campus, it is important to find school-based interventions, theoretically grounded, with a demonstrate efficacy to help them manage this issue.

Along with the progression of time and age, more and more students and their parents are expressing their dissatisfaction and vexation with the American public school system. Turning towards alternative methods ranging from private institutions, to removing their children from public schooling altogether and homeschooling instead, this leaves a multitude of people questioning, what is the problem, why is it present, and what is it stemming from? The answer is simple. The problem with America’s public school system is the inability of institutions to accurately see and meet the true needs of students.

Going through school and especially high school, I would hear things having to do with what regular public school teachers think of charter schools, both good and bad. The majority of what I heard was along the lines of charter schools being proper education or if they even constituted as proper education. Do they have the same or at least some of the same standards, educationally or not, to give students a well-rounded learning experience? Being a future teacher, I just want to know more about them and how they work in depth. I am genuinely interested in this topic because I could possibly be an employee at a charter school one day. Even if I am not an employee of a charter school, I can still benefit from knowing more about the topic.

As a result, it is a challenge to provide appropriate services to them and their families. Dropping out of school, however, is only the end of the more general process of school disengagement, a process that typically begins earlier in the educational career. A strategy is needed to recognize early school disengagement and potential dropout (K. k. h. c. e. Henry, Knight, & Thornberry, 2012).