Week 8-Success in alternatives?

I'm very proud that the H-D school board supported our district mission statement of "providing a safe and caring environment where all students can and will learn."  By approving an alternative school program for this year they agreed that all students are worthy of an education rather than just those who fit into the system we have in place.  Granted, the schools we currently have work for most students.  However, not all and all students deserve a solid education.  Not only is an education beneficial for students but it is also beneficial to society in general.  Students who do not complete high school are more likely to live in poverty (cost taxpayers money) and/or be in trouble with the law.

The H-D Alternative School Program we have in place is not perfect.  But, it is up and running well and meeting the unique needs of 12 students who might have been high school dropouts or have dropped out and come back to earn their high school diploma.  This students who are not bad kids.  Most of the current alternative program students in our district have extenuating circumstances like parenting a child, a lengthy illness, or simply behind in credits toward graduation.

I am very proud of the work that the alternative school committee and current teachers have put into getting this program up and running.  It is meeting the unique needs of not only our students but also students from nearby school districts.  I would encourage anyone from the community to stop in to the classroom on the west side of Northside Elementary School.  This serves as the home of our alternative school program.

Below are documents relevant to the alternative school programs and pictures that will give you a good idea of the alternative learning environment of our new program.

Download Alt. School to Board
Download Alt. School Goals

Comments

[Betty]

This sounds like a good program. Providing a program for students that do not fit into the system that is currently in place is important. I've been reading a book about an extraordinary alternative school in Colorado it's called "Lives of Passion, School of Hope" by author Rick Posner. The book is structured around the five goals of the school:Engage in the search for meaning in your life; Rediscover the joy of learning; Understand and deal with the world that is; Prepare for the world that might be; Help create the world that ought to be. It's an amazing success story! Here's a link: http://www.rickposner.com/