Educational opportunities for vulnerable youth provide options for at-risk students

The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation has joined the Bill & Melinda Gates, Annie E. Casey, Walter S. Johnson and W.K. Kellogg foundations in supporting the creation of a nationwide network of alternative schools. The Mott grants, expected to total approximately $3 million over five years, will help the initiative establish 150 high quality educational alternatives for more than 160,000 students at risk of dropping out from traditional school systems.

Educational opportunities for vulnerable youth, a grantmaking strategy under Mott’s Pathways Out of Poverty Program, is dedicated to supporting options for young people who have dropped out or been excluded from school to complete their secondary education. The strategy, part of the program’s Success in Schools component, has provided support for high quality schools and alternative education programs, as well as the development of policy and advocacy initiatives.

Frequently asked questions about alternative education
In an educational system where performance on a single test can determine a student’s future, many of the nation’s young people are finding themselves in difficult or discouraging situations that ultimately lead them to leave school prematurely. 

The following “Frequently Asked Questions” offer insights into the important role played by alternative high school programs in securing a successful future for many of the nation’s young people.

What is alternative education?
In its broadest sense, the term “alternative education” refers to all educational programs that fall outside the traditional K-12 school system, including home schooling and special programs for gifted children. Increasingly, the term has also been applied to disciplinary programs to which troubled youth are transferred when they are suspended or expelled from the mainstream school system, as well as remediation programs in which students prepare to retake failed courses.

A growing number of quality alternative schools, such as those participating in the Alternative High Schools Initiative, are student-centered programs offering small class sizes and academically rigorous, personalized and supportive curriculums. The programs are specifically designed to reach students who are at risk of dropping out of school and to prepare them for college, careers and citizenship.

A closer look at the specific design elements of alternative high school programs is available at EdNet, a service of the National Youth Employment Coalition.

How does an alternative high school work?
Most quality alternative high school programs encourage students to take responsibility for their education and help them develop effective learning and communication methods. They also embody key design characteristics: curriculums that are both rigorous and relevant to the students’ lives, and supportive relationships between students and staff. Both are critical to engaging students fully and encouraging their academic success.

Many alternative high school programs are located in traditional school facilities, community-based organizations, churches or community colleges. Often, they combine classroom learning with workplace internships, community service and opportunities to earn college credit. The latter can be key to sparking students’ interest in the pursuit of higher education.

Quality alternative high school programs also frequently provide support and transitional services to students, recognizing that many young people feel alone as they struggle to balance education with out-of-school responsibilities.

Why are alternative high schools needed?
Research by the National Dropout Prevention Center/Network indicates that almost 11 percent of the nation’s 16- to 24- year-olds in 2000 were high school dropouts, while youth from the poorest families were six times more likely than their wealthy peers to drop out of high school. Harvard University’s Civil Rights Project has further found that incidents of dropout are particularly prevalent in schools located within the country’s 35 largest cities, with nearly half of those schools graduating less than 50 percent of their freshman classes.

Similar studies indicate that many students slip away from the school system, rather than drop out. Some find themselves taking on adult responsibilities -- such as working to provide family income, caring for siblings or becoming young parents -- that interfere with attending school. Others leave school because of longstanding academic difficulties that go unaddressed or because they fail to see how the traditional school system is relevant to their lives.

Youth involved in the nation’s foster care system may drop out to avoid being transferred between multiple schools, while those expelled because of alleged behavioral problems often find themselves entering the nation’s juvenile justice system, a crisis increasingly referred to as the “school-to-prison pipeline.”

Quality alternative high school programs are demonstrating their capacity to re-engage these young people by creating educational structures and environments that facilitate personal and academic progress, and that offer program flexibility and social supports.

What are some examples of a quality alternative high school?
The following Mott-funded programs illustrate some of the work being done in the alternative high school field:

The philosophy behind the Big Picture Company is the education of “one student at a time” through the design of academic programs that meet students’ individual needs. This Providence, Rhode Island-based organization also trains educators to serve as leaders in their schools and communities, and engages the public as participants and decisionmakers in the youth education system.

Community-based organization (CBO) schools are operated by locally based or nationally affiliated not-for-profit organizations with a history of commitment and service to youth. Each CBO integrates youth development principles into the design of alternative education programs, adapting both to the idea that young people learn best when caring adults engage them and maintain high expectations of them.

Diploma Plus , developed and managed by the Center for Youth Development and Education at the Boston-based Commonwealth Corporation, is a competency-based alternative high school model that includes a “transitional year,” during which students participate in community-based projects, internships and college classes. The program’s emphasis includes academic proficiency, teamwork, maturity, the ability to problem-solve and time-management skills. 

Mott Middle College, located in the Foundation’s hometown of Flint, Michigan, provides “intensive care education” tailored to the individual student, including career internships, job shadowing, community service opportunities, and dual enrollment in high school and college classes. Focus is also placed on personal skill development, such as working cooperatively, adapting to change and understanding human behavior. [Read more about Mott Middle College in the 2001 Special Report, a reprint from the Mott Foundation's 2001 Annual Report.]

Twilight Schools offer out-of-school youth and young adults the opportunity to get their education back on track and graduate from a late-afternoon program that combines classroom instruction with work-based learning and community service experiences. More information on the Twilight Schools initiative is available by contacting the Philadelphia Youth Network at 215.875.8499.

YouthBuild U.S.A. , a longtime grantee, integrates youth leadership, community development, vocational skills and educational components. This rigorous program combines classroom experience with on-site training in home construction and emphasizes helping students solve problems together and recognize the strength in cooperation. There are more than 200 YouthBuild programs in 44 states, as well as Washington D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. [Read more about YouthBuild U.S.A. in an issue of @mott.now, a Mott Foundation publication.]

Where can I learn more about alternative high schools?
The Margins to the Mainstream initiative at Jobs for the Future is helping communities develop policies and practices that increase the impact and visibility of successful alternative education programs.

Supporting Youth Employment: A Guide for Community Groups is a resource for churches, youth workers, educators and young people seeking to expand educational options for youth. The guide offers insights on effective programs, activities and supports for vulnerable youth and explains the major public funding sources that support job-related training for youth.

Transformational Education serves as an online gathering place to strengthen support for schools and educational programs working with young people, as well as to prepare organizations exploring the possibilities of operating community-based schools.