What’s their story? Students share their experiences and understandings of barriers for success within alternative programs designed for “at-risk” youth
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Date
2019-12-04
Authors
Cooper, Kathryn Jill
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Abstract
Despite many alternative programs designed for students who have been labelled as unsuccessful within traditional environments, in the urban context where this study takes place, large numbers of students are leaving before receiving high school diplomas. Studies within the educational literature describe the reasons why students are pushed out of schools as well as possible models for alternatives. What is lacking in the research are the voices of students themselves. In response to this gap, questions were posed to four former students that aimed to understand their experiences in order to influence design and programming for future alternative programs. In this context, “alternative” refers to those educational sites attended by students who have typically been failed by more traditional schools.
This study, while influenced by narrative inquiry’s use of story, uses qualitative semi structured interviews as a methodology. The analysis of these stories raises questions of power, agency, and the role of schools in meeting the needs of all learners. The participants’ stories show a need for alternative programs to have clearly defined and articulated visions, attention to the overall purpose and intent of course activities and learning experiences, as well as a more holistic view of the student. Reimagining equitable student-teacher relationships, open access for different populations of learners, advocacy for students, and design models that are constantly re-examined and upgraded based on the needs of students were important conclusions. Despite the initial intention to focus this study on alternative schools and programs for so called “at-risk” learners, the findings suggest that educators and policy makers should pay attention to student experience within alternative education in order to improve those programs as well as their traditional counterparts so there is no longer a need for alternatives.
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Keywords
Alternative Education, Marginalized Students, Programming Models