Alternative Education Programs: Do they work?

I have to admit, I started reading about some different Alternative Education programs and noticed that there are numerous opinions on how well they work, and how to make them work for the better education of those students who cannot, for whatever reason, succeed in the regular classroom. One in particular caught my eye, about the alternative high schools in place in San Jose, California. The article describes a system similar to the one I work in in New York's Capital Region. Smaller class sizes and college credit or vocational training are significant features of both programs. A significant difference, San Jose's program is located in the students' home schools, whereas the one I work in is centralized as part of the Board of Cooperative Educaiton Services (BOCES) which provides educational services to twenty-four component member school districts. This means we have a single Alternative Education location, which can be located in our BOCES at the Career and Technical School (formerly known as Vo-Tech). I believe that the system of an alternative high school that provides a different approach to teaching is very beneficial to those students who cannot do well in the regular classroom, but cannot be classified as needing special education services. Our students learn the same curriculum as their peers in the regular high school, but do so allowing for differences in learning styles that it may not be possible to address in the "regular" classroom. This is what alternative education in the public school setting is about. Providing a unique setting for those who need a different approach to learn. Our school, like those in San Jose, has had a long history of success in meeting the needs of those students, graduating 25 or more students annually. Support your Alternative Education/High Schools!

Visit http://www.linksnoop.com/more/34812/San-Jose-Schools-Alternative-Education-Program-Saves-Troubled-Students/ to learn more about the alternative high school system in that district.

Visit http://bocescareertech.org to learn about alternative education and career and technical education at the Capital Region BOCES CTE division.