Alternative
Education Definitions
The rationale
for the establishment of most alternative education programs in today's
society is that many students require a different type of educational
environment and program in order for them to remain in school, to maximize
their full potential as adult citizens, and clearly, in some cases,
to minimize the adverse effects that they may be having upon other students
within the regular education mainstream. Typically, most of these students
are viewed as “falling between the cracks” of the regular
education system. Also, in the majority of cases, students who are considered
to be candidates for alternative education programs typically are not
viewed as students with disabilities and, therefore, they are not generally
eligible for special education programming services. Thus, in some ways,
these are the students that tend to fall between the cracks of both
the regular education and the special education systems.
