Alternative education can be defined as “a school or program maintained and operated by a local or regional board of education that is offered to students in a nontraditional educational setting and addresses the social, emotional, behavioral and academic needs of such students.” Alternative education encompasses many pedagogical approaches differing from mainstream pedagogy. Such alternative learning environments may be found within state, charter, and independent schools as well as home-based learning environments. Many educational alternatives emphasize small class sizes, close relationships between students and teachers and a sense of community.
The legal framework for such education varies by locality, and determines any obligation to conform with mainstream standard tests and grades
Alternative pedagogical approaches may include different structures, as in the open classroom, different teacher-student relationships, as in the Quaker and free schools, and/or differing curricula and teaching methods,
Formal Education system is classroom-based, managed by trained formal school teachers. Non-formal Education happens outside the classroom, community-based, usually conducted at community learning centers, multi-purpose hall, libraries or at home, managed by learning facilitators, such as mobile teachers, and instructional managers at an agreed schedule and venue between the learners and facilitators.
Charter schools are another example of alternative education, which have in the recent years grown in numbers in the US and gained greater importance in its public education system.
For example, alternative education in Canada stems from two philosophical educational points of view, Progressive and Libertarian. According to Levin, 2006 the term “alternative” was adopted partly to distinguish these schools from the independent, parent-student-teacher-run “free” schools that preceded them (and from which some of the schools actually evolved) and to emphasize the boards’ commitment to options within the public school system. Progressive educational tradition places emphasis on both the need to incorporate curriculum and teaching to match the stages of child development and the gradual integration of the child into adult society through planned experiential learning.
The Libertarian tradition focuses on the rights of the parents and children to make their own educational and life choices. As noted by Levin “It is rooted in the belief to uphold the individual freedom and the innate goodness of the child against institutional and social conformity and the corrupting influences of modern society.
Alternative education serves primarily students with behavioral problems. The most common alternative education services are regular academic instruction, counseling, social/life skills, job readiness, and behavioral services.
Benefits of an Alternative School include:
- Personalized, skill-based instruction.
- Non-graded learning.
- Integrated curriculum.
- Enrichment within and beyond the classroom.
- Education outside the school’s walls: community as laboratory learning.
The argument for an approach catering to the interests and learning style of an individual is supported by research suggesting that a learner-responsible model is more effective than a teacher-responsible one. A notable scholar has identified five elements common to educational alternatives.
- Respect for the person
- Balance
- Decentralization of authority
- Noninterference among the political, economic, and cultural spheres of society.
- A holistic worldview.
In modern times, at least in some localities, the legal right to provide educational alternatives has become established alongside a duty to provide education for school age children.
