Alternative education: providing support to the disenfranchised

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Author(s)
Mills, Martin
McGregor, Glenda
Griffith University Author(s)
Year published
2016
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This paper is concerned with “what works” in alternative schools, also known as flexible learning centres, in the state of Queensland, Australia. Generally, young people who find their way to an alternative educational provider have left school early due to difficult personal circumstances or significant clashes with schooling authorities and their associated disciplinary requirements. This research at eight case-study alternative schools shows that their students were reconnecting to educational futures because of policies and practices that were quite different from those of mainstream schools. By reimagining their relational, ...
View more >This paper is concerned with “what works” in alternative schools, also known as flexible learning centres, in the state of Queensland, Australia. Generally, young people who find their way to an alternative educational provider have left school early due to difficult personal circumstances or significant clashes with schooling authorities and their associated disciplinary requirements. This research at eight case-study alternative schools shows that their students were reconnecting to educational futures because of policies and practices that were quite different from those of mainstream schools. By reimagining their relational, pedagogical, curricular, and pastoral work, many of these alternative schools and centres have created learning environments that cater to the holistic needs of young people, particularly those on the margins of societies. It is our contention that mainstream schools might use ideas from this growing alternative educational sector to inform their practices positively and thus retain many of their most vulnerable students.
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View more >This paper is concerned with “what works” in alternative schools, also known as flexible learning centres, in the state of Queensland, Australia. Generally, young people who find their way to an alternative educational provider have left school early due to difficult personal circumstances or significant clashes with schooling authorities and their associated disciplinary requirements. This research at eight case-study alternative schools shows that their students were reconnecting to educational futures because of policies and practices that were quite different from those of mainstream schools. By reimagining their relational, pedagogical, curricular, and pastoral work, many of these alternative schools and centres have created learning environments that cater to the holistic needs of young people, particularly those on the margins of societies. It is our contention that mainstream schools might use ideas from this growing alternative educational sector to inform their practices positively and thus retain many of their most vulnerable students.
View less >
Journal Title
International Journal of Child, Youth and Family Studies
Volume
7
Issue
2
Copyright Statement
© University of Victoria 2016 Martin Mills, Glenda McGregor. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Subject
Curriculum and Pedagogy not elsewhere classified
Secondary Education
Public Health and Health Services
Demography
Social Work