Academic Remediation–Focused Alternative Schools

Abstract

School districts offer specialized programming for secondary students who experience high rates of course failure or low credit accumulation. While these alternative programs are meant to increase student success, little research evaluates outcomes for students attending them. In this study, we used propensity score matching (PSM) to investigate the effectiveness of secondary alternative schools on four student outcomes: school attendance, credits earned, number of office referrals, and number of suspensions. Findings from Poisson regression analyses indicate that attending an academic remediation-focused alternative school is associated with significantly lower attendance but also with earning significantly more credits than enrollment in a traditional school. In addition, enrollment in an alternative school is associated with significantly less office referrals and suspensions than enrollment in a traditional school. Implications for policy, practice, and further research are discussed.

The Effectiveness of Behavior-Focused Alternative Middle Schools for Students With Disabilities

“…Our study also revealed differences in gender and ethnicity: Male students and students who are Black constituted 66.7% and 91.4% of students attending behavior-focused alternative middle schools, respectively. These findings were consistent with past research illustrating that higher percentages of males, students from minority backgrounds, and students with EBD attended remediation-focused alternative schools (Carver & Lewis, 2010;Perzigian et al, 2017;Wilkerson, Afacan, Yan, Justin, & Datar, 2016). As Lehr (2004) argued, alternative schools may function as a forced choice for specific groups of students.…”

A Comparison of School Climate Ratings in Urban Alternative and Traditional High Schools

“…For example, students attending behavior-focused alternative schools experienced fewer suspensions and office discipline referrals but earned fewer credits and attended fewer school days than a matched comparison group who remained in traditional schools (Wilkerson et al, 2016a). Similarly, students enrolled in academic remediation-focused alternative schools earned more credits but experienced more suspensions and attended fewer school days than students attending traditional schools (Wilkerson et al, 2016b). Yet additional research shows reduced scores on standardized assessments, lower grade point averages, and decreased general engagement exhibited by students in alternative schools compared to their peers (Carruthers & Baenen, 1997;Carswell et al, 2014;Chiang & Gill, 2010;;Schwab, Johnson et al, 2016;Tenenbaum, 2000).…”

Repeated School Suspensions: Who Receives Them, What Reasons Are Given, and How Students Fare

“…Answers provided to these four questions helped to determine a final school type among four available options: (a) traditional, (b) innovative, (c) behavior-focused, and (d) academic remediation-focused alternative schools. (For more information on this framework see : Raywid, 1994;Wilkerson et al, 2016aWilkerson et al, , 2016b The research team members obtained the information necessary to answer these four coding questions via the school district's publicly available website. Schools coded as traditional were identified as comprehensive, regular schools; they serve a majority of students who attend by choice; they do not target any particular student demographic or specific skill area; and they do not focus on academic or behavior remediation.…”