With more than 10% of all high school age students taking classes at a continuation school at some point in their high school career, this normally forgotten alternative learning environment is one that serves many of our most historically marginalized student groups: Black, Latinx, those with learning differences, and English Learners (Ruiz de…

This paper describes the methodological design of a qualitative research strategy that followed the bricolage approach. The research, a qualitative case study, followed the empowerment journey of 12 adult learners in a second chance educational programme, aiming at recording the mechanisms through which the learners were empowered or disempowered.…

Continuation high schools and the students they serve are often invisible and ignored to most Californians. However, state school authorities estimate that over 115,000 California high school students will pass through one of the state's 519 continuation high schools each year, to either graduate with a diploma, or to drop out of school altogether…

This qualitative case study examined the role of peer support in the college success of high school equivalency (HSE) students. While many students complete HSE credentials with postsecondary hopes and intentions, few studies have investigated how to effectively support HSE students on their pathways to and through postsecondary education. This…

The history of grading practices is riddled with inequities, dating to the inception of the traditional grading system, which was designed to rank and sort. Despite expanding public education to include all members of society, traditional grading practices have yet to evolve in response to the growing demand for equitable and student-centered…

This study centers the experiences of 9 Latinas enrolled in a continuation high school. This study attempts to understand how this continuation school engages with Latinas and attempts to improve their conditions and opportunities in this marginalized sector that is overrepresented with racially minoritized youth. Despite all the challenges they…

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the perspectives on engagement of students who had passed Model School Math (Integrated Math 1 or Algebra 1) and graduated within the years 2015 to 2019 from a Model Continuation High School in California. This study sought to discover the strategies, policies, and procedures which best…

Alternative education is one of the contexts that receives little attention in research and practice. This narrative inquiry study explores the narrative of a school counselor at a continuation high school to better understand his experiences, challenges, contradictions, and opportunities of serving in an unfamiliar educational sector. This paper…

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore educators' perceptions of the effectiveness of the PBIS framework in changing student behavior outcomes in a continuation high school setting. Theoretical Framework: Behaviorism is one of the main theories that encapsulates the PBIS framework. However, born out of behaviorism is…

California law requires that school districts create clear and consistent identification, placement, and intake policies for the voluntary transfer of students to the legislatively-defined continuation schools (Cal. Educ. Code §48432.3). The intent of the law is to ensure fair and equitable access to continuation school opportunities that provide…

Prior research on student voice shows that when adults genuinely listen to and value student input, students are more likely to feel they belong and can learn in their educational setting. Given this, the purpose of this research study was to evaluate if previously disenfranchised students would develop a greater sense of agency, academic identity…

Discourses about educators in continuation high school suggest that many of them are forced or pushed out to work in this educational sector by their school districts as a form of punishment. Yet, whether this still holds truth requires an examination of the experiences of educators in continuation high schools. This phenomenological study…

In California, dual enrollment refers to any high school student who enrolls in two systems at the same time, most commonly a community college and a high school--this student is thus concurrently enrolled in both high school and college. Students may receive credit from both systems for select courses. California Assembly Bill 288 (AB 288)…

Every year, continuation high schools in California serve more than 60,000 students who are in danger of not earning their high school diploma. Students attending continuation high schools have been labeled at-risk for myriad reasons including, credit deficiency, truancy, behavior and emotional issues, teen pregnancy, substance and alcohol abuse,…

Youth of Color sit at the intersection of multiple systems of oppression--classism, racism, and sexism. Too often, Youth of Color are pushed out of traditional schools and are further marginalized by being assigned to alternative education programs, including continuation high schools. To address a recurring issue of dynamic inequality in which…