FREE ESSAY ON ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION

ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION

Alternative Education
Alternative education caters to multifarious groups of students or unprofessional
classified according to their needs and circumstances in life. Alternative education
programs were designed because of pressures from concerned parents, teachers, students
and government officials to ameliorate substandard education and dangerous environment in
most public schools. Seeing its benefits, educators and educational institutions broaden
the scope of this alternative to promote education and extend it to working adults to
further their training and professionalism. Its main goal is to provide opportunities for
millions of students, achievers or not, across the United States to maximize their
potential for success. 
First, and on a more positive note, Unger (1998) claims that alternative education offers
practical instruction that will convert the "basic skills, talents and interests" (p.10)
of those individuals who opted not to pursue a college degree, but undertake vocational
courses, career education workshops, and on-the-job training instead. Professions that
developed out of the latter's nature include computer operators, chefs, plumbers, air
traffic controllers, postal workers, actors, mechanics, barbers, and the like. It is
noted that several of this occupations bring in more income than some jobs earned from a
four-year course in a college or a university where the cost of learning is far more
expensive (Unger, 1998).
Second, and what usually brings a negative connotation to the term alternative education,
is that type of education and schooling that caters to at-risk and developmentally
handicapped students enrolled in a regular school system or setting. At-risk student
populace consists of dropouts, drug and alcohol dependents, truants, troubled children,
and those with behavior problems. Alternative education programs seek to aid the needs
and interests of these students by offering positive school experiences which are geared
for achievement, enhancement of self-esteem, incentive, reduction of truancy, reduction
of disruptive behavior, reduction of teenage pregnancy, dropout prevention, and drug and
alcohol rehabilitation (http://www.escambia.k12.fl.us/instres/alted/intro.html).
On the other hand, developmentally handicapped students are those who have brain damage
or infirmities at birth. Abnormalities of this kind include mental retardation, cerebral
palsy, epilepsy, autism, mongolism and the like that could be diagnosed at a very early
age even at birth. Students stricken with this ailment are afforded utmost loving care
and holistic approach.
More options for alternative education developed in quest of the community for safe
schools, cultural diversity, neighborhood learning, safe and drug-free schools, charter
schools, and home schooling (http://www.escambia.k12.fl.us/instres/alted/intro.html).
Programs that emerged out of these concepts use a non-traditional approach to curriculum
employing alternative teaching strategies. Teachers, parents and volunteers undergo
rigorous and continuous schooling as they tackle this very challenging job.
Students at any level of education, from pre-school to high school or college, may avail
and profit from this type of alternative learning program suitable for their needs.
One implication why alternative education was conceptualized and carried out is the
breakdown of family and social values. While the deteriorating status of both are going
down at a rate faster than anything in our society, alternative education is more likely
here to stay. The current voucher proposal hopes to further support and strengthen this
new trend in education.
References
Unger, H. (1998). But what if I don't want to go to college? (2nd ed.). New York: Facts 
On File
Thomas, C. (1997, April 16). Alternative education, Retrieved August 22, 2000 from
the World Wide Web: http://www.escambia.k12.fl.us/instres/alted/intro.html 
Bibliography
Unger, H. (1998). But what if I don't want to go to college? (2nd ed.). New York: Facts 
On File
Thomas, C. (1997, April 16). Alternative education, Retrieved August 22, 2000 from
the World Wide Web: http://www.escambia.k12.fl.us/instres/alted/