Educators from a rural school describe the alternative program their school developed to help students who were seriously isolated, anxious, and disengaged--some of whom were falling through the cracks. These students are placed in smaller ELA, math, and science classes (usually with two teachers) so they receive more attention. They also enjoy…

To improve outcomes for students in a high school alternative-education program, Jamel Adkins-Sharif knew he needed tap parents' knowledge and support. Doing this, he says, has required ramping up communication, repurposing parent-engagement events, and being honest about the fluid and often inconclusive nature of working with struggling learners.

One hundred repetitions--100 "useful" repetitions. This notion has guided the author's work in alternative education programs for almost 20 years, dealing with the most challenging students, from addicts to conduct-disordered adolescents to traumatized 5th graders. There are no magic tricks. The role of educators is to align with the healthy…

A remembrance of the 100th anniversary of the founder and first headmaster of the world-famous Summerhill School in Suffolk County, England. (MLF)

Faulty interpretations of the concepts of freedom, helping relationships, and purpose account for misunderstandings about humanistic education. (Author/MLF)

The Simon Property Group, United States' largest mall developer, since 1998 has partnered with local public school systems to open 19 alternative public schools in malls in 11 states through its nonprofit Simon Youth Foundation. Lafayette Square's school, with a 200-student capacity is the newest and largest, which according to a watchdog group,…

This article looks at the characteristics necessary for optional programs to be truly "optional" and to succeed. (CD)

Santa Cruz City Traveling School was created to help youngsters cope with life pressures and complexities and gain a more complete education. Each semester, 36 students in grades 7-12 tour a region of the U.S. or Canada in a school bus. They live in hostels and group camps while being taught full range of academics and personal growth skills. (MLH)

Describes the "Commando Academy," a Milwaukee (Wisconsin) alternative school program for teenage parolees and other disaffected young people. (JG)

The American International School in Mallorca, Spain, addressed students' appalling ignorance of geography without overhauling the curriculum. An innovative geography fortnight incorporating geographical places, terms, and concepts across the curriculum vastly increased students' knowledge and enthusiasm. (MLH)

Describes the "schools-within-a-school" elementary program at Broken Ground School in Concord, New Hampshire, where parents and teachers are involved in choosing the learning environment best suited for each child, either the more formal "Conventional School" or the more individualized "Continuous Progress School."…

Alternative schools are definitive departures from the programmatic, organizational, and behavioral regularities inhibiting school reform. Many reforms now pursued in traditional schools were pioneered by alternative schools. Types include popular innovations, last-chance programs, and remedial programs. Advantages, disadvantages, common elements,…

The chairman of the National Pro-Family Coalition states the goals of the group. (MLF)

The Harvard Project Zero research group has been examining the curriculum content issue through the lens of the multiple intelligences (MI) theory, which emphasizes humans' highly varied capacities. This article describes the MI theory, some related research projects, and the theory's implications for elementary and secondary education. Includes…