About Alternative Education in Boston

In 1987, the Boston Public Schools (BPS) and the Mayor’s Office signed an agreement to fund a network of community-based, alternative education programs to provide options for students who were at risk of dropping out of high school. Recognizing that in education one size does not fit all, the school district has collaborated with community agencies to develop programs operated at settlement houses, neighborhood agencies, and community colleges. The hope has been to provide a range of alternatives to the unacceptable option of leaving school before completion.

Boston Public Schools now has an emerging portfolio of schools and programs for students who have not found success in the district’s traditional school settings or are simply looking for an alternative means to earn their high school diploma. This system includes six alternative schools run by BPS. The BPS also collaborates with a number of community-based organizations to provide additional educational services. This system serves a range of students in these alternative settings:

• Students who are over-aged and wish to continue to pursue a high school diploma
• Students who desire to work at their own pace toward their high school diploma or General Education Development GED
• Students who wish to pursue their education in a community-based setting
• Middle school and high school students who have made inappropriate behavioral choices resulting in the need for a smaller setting to assist them in continuing their education
• Students who are involved in the juvenile court system, Department of Youth Services and Department of Social Services
• Young women who are pregnant

In addition, Boston has created a diverse set of community-based GED and Career Exploration programs that offer youth opportunities to explore and experience a range of career options in a given industry, develop industry-relevant skills, and transition to next steps in employment, training, or higher education.

Since the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) has become a graduation requirement, the BPS, the Massachusetts Department of Education, and partners have developed a number of programs to help students make employment and college connections while they prepare for the MCAS. These programs are located at community colleges and summer work sites. For post-graduates, One-Stop Career Centers provide connections to MCAS support, employment, education and training programs.

The BPS Office of Alternative Education is committed to working collaboratively with community-based agencies, families, external agencies, the Office of High School Renewal, and other Boston Public School departments to provide quality services and academically rigorous environments for all Boston students in the Alternative Education Network.

ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS

Boston Youth Service Network (BYSN) is a group of providers in communities throughout Boston who are committed to sharing best practices and working together to develop a range of services that may be defined as an alternative school-to-career system. Many of BYSN member organizations partner with the Boston Public Schools. The overarching goal of this alternative system is to engage and work with at-risk youth to develop academic, work-readiness, and life skills, and as well as support structures necessary to identify and pursue next steps in employment, training, or education. BYSN focuses on the following program components as the services essential to connecting youth with opportunities:

• Alternative education that offers services including basic skills remediation, GED preparation, and high school diplomas.
• Career exploration and skill development services that provide youth with opportunities to explore and experience a range of career options in a given industry, develop industry-relevant skills, and prepare, plan, and transition to next steps in employment, training, or higher education.
• Youth employment services incorporate job readiness, skills training, and/or academic remediation components.

In delivering services, providers are united in their goal of engaging youth who have not found success in traditional education and youth development systems. The target population can be defined broadly as low-income youth who have dropped out of school or are poor attenders, youth who are basic skills deficient in literacy and numeracy, and court-involved youth. Across the distinct program models, providers share the following principles:

• Committment to providing individualized services through a case management approach that allows youth to identify and build upon strengths, develop strategies to overcome barriers, and develop achievable goals related to personal life, education, and employment.
• Commitment to conducting thorough and objective assessments of each individual’s academic, work readiness, and supportive service needs, which are documented in individual service strategies.
• Commitment to providing services within a school-to-career framework that emphasizes contextual learning and exposure to the workplace. Critical thinking, problem-solving and teamwork skills are developed in the context of job readiness, so that young people understand the applicability of their education and are prepared to meet and adapt to the demands of the workplace.
• Commitment to developing relationships with employers, training institutions, and post-secondary schools in order to enhance program curriculum and to generate involvement through the provision of mock interviews, workplace tours, job shadowing, mentor and internship opportunities.
• Commitment to providing follow-up support for youth in order to monitor progress and ensure that youth have access to necessary supportive services that will keep them on track to reaching their goals.