Excluding to Include: Educator, Parent, and Student Perspectives on Affordances and Disadvantages of Alternative Schools

• In Event: Unpacking Narratives and Experiences of Exclusion

Abstract

Alternative education programs are separate education placements for students whose needs are not being met in traditional public schools. They are common, and yet very little is known about the effectiveness of these programs. This qualitative interview study investigated advantages and disadvantages of alternative schools from multiple perspectives. We interviewed 19 educators, 5 parents, and 10 young adults who had attended alternative schools using semi-structured interviews. Findings are grouped into three major themes: 1) school climate, 2) school structure and policies, and 3) curriculum and academics. We connect students’, parents’, and educators’ experiences with theoretical understandings of the least restrictive environment (LRE) to argue for a deeper, more rigorous process for determining alternative education placements.

Authors

• Kimber L. Wilkerson, University of Wisconsin - Madison
  Presenting Author

• Kate Roberts, University of Wisconsin - Madison
  Presenting Author

• Elizabeth Grobart, University of Wisconsin - Parkside
  Presenting Author

• Malinda Forsberg, University of Wisconsin - Madison
  Presenting Author

• Kemal Afacan, Artvin Coruh University
  Non-Presenting Author