Case studies: What makes a great alternative high school?

One of the goals of the California Learning Collaborative on Alternative Education has been to develop case studies about the challenges, creative responses, and exemplary practices in California's public alternative high schools.

Funded by generous grants from the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Stuart Foundation, this series invites a new conversation among educators and policymakers about innovations to support the success of youth enrolled in public alternative secondary schools nationwide.

The challenge

The lack of quantitative data about alternative high schools has been accompanied by a lack of qualitative information about how educators across the state are meeting the challenge of serving students who aren’t succeeding in traditional high school settings.

School leaders have been experimenting with innovative ways to reengage these students and keep them engaged, but there has been very little written about the different approaches that have been used and their relative effectiveness.

The solution

The California Learning Collaborative on Alternative Education was designed to help school leaders learn from one another, so it became the perfect platform to develop a series of case studies about successful strategies used by its members.

The Gardner Center has taken the lead in developing a collection of case studies, documenting the work being done by its members to create career pathways, promote college readiness, develop skills for lifelong learning, and more.

Notably, the series pays particular attention to the ways that these schools support their teachers through professional development, leadership development, and collaboration.

Key takeaways

Collectively, the case studies point to a core set of strategies that support student success in alternative schools, including:

A deep understanding of the factors that bring students to these schools, e.g., schooling that has been interrupted by the immigration process

The creation of multiple pathways for students to succeed, whether that’s condensed classes to catch up on credits or a career pathway program that leads to professional certification

An environment that fosters a sense of belonging for students who may never have felt that in a school setting

Support for teachers and school leaders who may experience compassion fatigue or secondary trauma