This report presents an approach to evaluating networked improvement communities (NICs) and describes the tools used to apply the approach to a formative evaluation of the Minnesota Alternative Learning Center Networked Improvement Community (Minnesota ALC NIC). In fall 2019 leaders at the Minnesota Department of Education requested support from…

The West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) is committed to offering alternative educational opportunities to ensure student success, decrease the dropout rate and increase the graduation rate. Each of these opportunities includes a blend of Career Technical Education (CTE) and traditional core academic opportunities or a WVDE approved high…

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) alternative educational options. The WCPSS options are similar to those in other North Carolina districts. WCPSS student outcomes based on state assessments and federal standards are also equivalent or higher than other districts, although the capacity for WCPSS…

In 1990, Kent-Meridian High School in Kent, Washington, decided to implement four schools-within-schools, each with its separate academic and career focus. The first school, focusing on the area of health science, was implemented in 1992. A second school-within-the-school, the International Business and Global Studies (IBGS) School, was…

A 1987 evaluation of the Brisbane College of Advanced Education's external studies operations was conducted using a survey instrument sent to a sample of 397 external students, not including dropouts or those who have temporarily withdrawn. The survey was designed to collect information about the college's external students, their pattern of use…

The Roving Leaders Center, one of the Dade County (Florida) Public Schools' Educational Alternative Outreach Programs, is designed as a last resort beyond the opportunity schools. Although it originally involved counselors who visited the schools, it now consists of a classroom, recreation room, offices, and reception area. It is staffed by a…

This report documents a 3-year evaluation of Georgia's CrossRoads alternative education program. It focuses on the direct benefits to regular classrooms of removing disruptive students, the effectiveness of services rendered to those removed students, the success with which they are returned to the regular classroom, and the projected costs and…

In 1983, the Des Moines (Iowa) Schools applied for approval to use the allowable growth funding provided in Senate File 2168 to expand and create additional programs for the prevention of dropping out as well as programs for students who had dropped out but were returning to school. The original proposal included the following: (1) an expansion of…

An evaluation of an alternative program for at-risk high school students offered in the Porter County (Indiana) school system is described in this report. The evaluation was based on student assessments of the program, obtained through use of an interview format. The program, which provides instruction in basic subject areas required for…

The Student Assistance to Further Education (SAFE) Alternative School was designed to provide academic and support services to eligible Houston Independent School District (HISD) (Texas) elementary school students at risk of expulsion. Students are referred to the school by school staff at participating schools or their parents. The program, which…

The primary purpose of El Paso Community College's (EPCC's) Women in Technology (WIT) Program is to recruit women into nontraditional occupations through technical/vocational education and training. Credit training areas include automotive technology, drafting, electronics, fire technology, heating/ventilation and air conditioning, and welding.…

In 1986, the Appalachia Educational Laboratory (AEL) established a minigrant program to foster collaboration between K-12 schools and colleges of education. Between 1986 and 1991, AEL minigrants offered seed money for 63 college-school partnership projects in Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia. Prior to 1991, college-school…

The effectiveness of a secondary alternative school for at-risk students was studied with respect to the development and implementation of certain components that are generally thought to be critical to the success of at-risk education. The Hamilton Optional Program for Education (HOPE) school of Hamilton (Ohio) was the study site. Twenty percent…

An alternative high school program was evaluated. In 1990 the Program for Alternative Comprehensive Education (PACE) enrolled 40 students in grades 9 through 12 from 20 school districts in Nassau County (New York). Students had been assessed as being at risk for dropping out. The curriculum emphasized self-paced learning in an individualized,…

An evaluation is reported of an intensive 15 month non-traditional certification program for secondary teachers in the fields of mathematics, physics, chemistry and earth sciences. The program integrated pedagogical content from empirical, experiential and theoretical perspectives. The rational for developing the progam was that in order to be…