The great possibility of alternative education programs rests in the affront to established conventions that these present for what counts as learning, engagement and the experience of schooling. This paper takes as its point of focus one specific, in-school alternative learning program, and considers the possibilities for student re-engagement…

Student behaviour is a high priority for Pre-Service Teachers and Early Career Teachers. This article shares a view into a journey taken in the step from Pre-Service Teacher to Early Career Teacher. Driven by rising questions that challenged the norm of behaviour management presented through Initial Teacher Education and schools, this teacher…

This paper expounds a dynamic understanding of interest, including cognitive and affective dimensions. This conceptualization of interest is applied to findings from research in two flexible learning settings that provided access to foundation-level credentials for young people who, for whatever reason, had disengaged from or sought alternatives…

Conducted in an urban alternative education program for adolescents ages 17-21, this study provides an overview of a professional development program that sought to support teachers in developing unit plans that incorporated backwards design principles and culturally relevant and sustaining instruction. The authors offer a qualitative thematic…

Alternative schools are an option for students considered to be at risk. Behaviorism methods are widely used and accepted in alternative schools, yet, not all students respond to the skill and drill methods and controlled environment behaviorism entails. Success for students at-risk, especially those behind academically, requires motivation,…

La Sierra Charter School was established in 2000 in an effort to provide a tuition-free school of choice for students who were not experiencing success within the local public schools, yet remained committed to "honor, leadership, postsecondary ambition, and service" (Tulare County Office of Education, 2020). La Sierra's programs are…

This article examines case studies of two part-time synagogue education programs, a conventional "Hebrew School" and an alternative program modeled after Jewish summer camp. Using the lens of teaching of Bible to children in Grades 3-5, the study provides insight into similarities and differences between the two types of programs and the…

Denmark has persistent challenges with an unacceptably large 'residual group' of young people with no upper secondary education. Vocational education and training programs continue to suffer low enrollment and high dropout rates. Far too many ethnic minority boys drop out of school and educational system in Denmark. At the same time, there is a…

Many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have used non-traditional teacher education programs to address the perpetual problem of inadequate provision of trained teachers. Using the bioecological systems theory, the present study examined untrained teacher trainees' perceptions about the prospects and challenges of upgrading untrained teachers in…

The youth learning re-engagement program known as the Titans Learning Centre (or TLC) is an approved alternative schooling program, developed in partnership with state education and a local National Rugby League (NRL) club, the 'Titans'. Students typically in Grade Three or Four complete a 10 week program, interacting with professional A grade NRL…

This paper reports on research conducted in alternative schools/flexible learning centres designed to support young people marginalised from mainstream schooling in Australia. Many of the young people attending these centres had left school due to difficult personal circumstances and/or significant conflicts with schooling authorities. We argue…

Out-of-school time (OST) is a growing field that includes afterschool, evening, weekend, summer, school-age care, childcare, positive youth development, and workforce development programs (NIOST, 2000). Research demonstrates that OST professional development is critical to program quality and student impact (Weiss, 2005/2006). In an effort to…

Today's adolescent learners are more diverse than ever in terms of their backgrounds, interests, learning styles, and motivations. Thus, school officials must address these differences by thinking outside of the box and creating alternative education settings that acknowledge the fact that not everyone can learn in the traditional classroom…

In an era of prolific funding for varied small-school models, there is a growing emphasis on schools that alter the landscape of educational design. Some of these models attempt to redesign schools to place students at the center of learning and provide powerful examples of very different ways of thinking about teaching and learning (some examples…

This small booklet describes the Affective Education Program established in Philadelphia in 1967. The program uses various classroom techniques such as the problems, plans, and sharing classroom structure to foster student leadership and cooperation; using group roles, feedback, and processing; and being responsive to student concerns. In…