Excellence in education might best be achieved if a wide variety of educational options were made available to satisfy the broad diversity of student needs, if parents were allowed free choice among schools, and if parents, teachers, and principals worked together to make each school responsive to its unique constituency. (PGD)

This study examined the differences in the self-concept of students grouped according to their sex and the sex-intensiveness of their vocational programs. Students in programs nontraditional for their sex, regardless of their gender, held higher self-concepts than their counterparts in traditional programs. Males, on the whole, had more positive…

Describes Choice, an alternative elementary school program that features combination classrooms (K-1, 2-3, and 4-5), an open classroom format, and strong parental involvement. Discusses widely held misconceptions about the program and attributes these to the conservative, working class nature of the community (Somerville, Massachusetts). (GC)

Reports on the state of independent scholarship, suggests sources of information in the field, lists the benefits of independent scholarship, and recommends a variety of means through which independent scholars can apply their knowledge. (AEA)

This article describes Freedom Road School where high school age students with drug associated problems continue their education while receiving professional therapeutic treatment. (Author)

Extensive interviews with school personnel of alternative programs reveal that it is in the process of defining their essence with regard to decision-making, admissions, policies, responsibility, freedom, calendars, and programs vs. school identity that planning problems arise. (A related document is EA 507 273.) (Author/MLF)

The obstacles to change are analyzed, with some hints for surmounting them. Topics covered include: nontraditional studies, legal restraints, education vouchers, administrative organization, and the middle college concept. (LBH)

It is argued that attention to effectiveness criteria must be paid early in the development of nontraditional programs to assist in planning and to anticipate questions about worth and value. The criteria outlined are also applicable to traditional postsecondary institutions and programs. (Editor/LBH)

Ohio's program, now in its third year, of enrolling prisoners in external college courses is described. About 12,000 men and women are enrolled, with as many as 25 percent qualified for college work. (LBH)

The open learning concept has proved sensationally successful, but it still is not getting the attention and support it deserves. A leading authority gives a short course in what it's about and tells why states should lend support. (Editor/LBH)

Two proposals for education reform are school vouchers and charter schools, both of which have raised controversy with regard to their effectiveness and efficiency. At the present time, there is insufficient evidence to provide a crisp, clear bottom-line judgment of the wisdom of voucher and charter programs. This book identifies and articulates…

This book contains evidence about charter schools that can provide important data on evaluating this new public-private hybrid and its success at serving the core purpose of public education. The book focuses on charter schools in Michigan, which is regarded as having one of the most permissive charter laws in the country. The first three chapters…

This publication includes up-to-date information about charter schools in Wisconsin. It is intended to present best or promising practices of charter schools to each local educational agency in the state. It is a means of demonstrating agency accountability for informing the public, legislators, and those interested in charter schools, both within…

This article examines so-called "alternative schools," taking care to define precisely what is meant by this designation. There are many types of alternative education available to the public, including those programs intended for special-education students, advanced-placement students, and home-schooled children. The first alternative schools…

At first glance, charter districts seem to offer an inventive way to conduct the business of schooling. While charter schools extend a new, but relatively small, building-focused alternative to educational consumers, charter districts have the potential to free public education at a much larger level and with a more comprehensive scope. This paper…