Alternative Education: A Look at Alternative Schools

My initial understanding of alternative schools was that they were for students who had extreme behavioral problems that needed a more contained evironment separate from the public schools within his/her district. However, according to Wikipedia.org, an alternative school, sometimes referred to as a minischool, or remedial school, is any public or private school having a special curriculum, especially an elementary or secondary school offering a more flexible program of study than a traditional school. According to Learning Alternatives, alternative education is recognizing that everyone does not learn in the same way and should not be taught in the same way using a commom curriculum. It is accepting that all schools do not have to be alike with the same learning envirnments and that parents and children are capable of making descisions about waht and how they learn. It is a means of incorporating variety and choice within school systems to ensure that every young person may find a path to the educational goals of the community.

Information provided by Wikipedia.org and Learning Alternatives