Family Culture in Alternative Education High School

Journal One in The Alternative by Galen Leonhardy, tells the story of a teacher who helps open an alternative school in Kozol Creek, Idaho, and the struggles he faces in attempting to implement a collaborative education process. The author writes of teachers who let students run free through the halls or simply ignored kids because they did not know how to handle them. He also writes of teachers who strive for a more personalized education by learning who their students are and understanding the environment from which they come. I have also dealt with both kinds of teachers in my educational experience, as I was a student of an alternative school. Mr. Lamar, to me, represents what a teacher should be. His personal dedication to making a difference in students’ lives and his willingness to go the extra mile by empowering students to take responsibility for their education changed how I perceived my own education. Mrs. Patton, on the other hand, is a teacher I would much rather forget. Her militarized style of teaching made learning an afterthought to the daily complications we encountered in the classroom. Both Mr. Lamar and Mrs. Patton taught me the importance of being included in your own education.

Cultural ideology strongly influences a student’s decision in regards to schooling and future opportunities (Lawrence et al., 2012, pp. 79-80). Whether students specifically choose otherwise; and the students run the risk isolation themselves from the cultural practices and expectations of his family and friends (Thompson, 2002, p. 8). Within the schooling culture a child will feel the same feeling isolated (Ewing, 2013, p. 85). As previously stated by the interviewee, parental input is a vital component. Discussing beliefs about cultural ideology with parents can be incorporated into the children’s

Administrators must also take into consideration the persons whom the school will serve, including the students, parents, teachers, and community members. Each person who comes into regular contact with the school. Individuals each bring with them a separate sense of person, worth, and culture that is formed by membership in multiple communities consisting of work, school, religion, and social circles. It is within these communities that persons find a sense of belonging which perpetuates the order and cooperative function of schools. When persons lack a sense of belonging, they will resort to their own subculture, which may go against what the school culture is trying to promote.

In order to be effective and affective educators we need to understand how the new culture will affect them and why. Educators must understand that children are always affected by the perceptions and cultural acceptance of their parents. Parents can choose to assimilate or isolate themselves in the new community. This move is detrimental in the ELL attitude towards their new cultural surroundings.

As a result of the location of the school in a suburban community, the parents are very actively involved in the school. As a result of the active of the supportive parents in the community, the students arrived every day with a smile on their faces and generally prepared for learning. However, as with

The Virtual Academy of Lafourche (VAL), organized in 2012, is a Louisiana Type 1, Virtual Charter School in partnership with Lafourche Parish School Board, providing unique models of instruction for students’ k-12. VAL provides its academic content in a blended learning environment, online and with onsite support for over 450 students at four sites in Lafourche Parish, two in Thibodaux, LA-St. Mary Site, North Acadian Site; one in Matthews LA: Central Site and one in Larose LA, South LaFourche Site. The staffing model for the school is unique in the region, in that about 50% of the staff are employees of a staffing service, and others are the employees of a provider of back office services, E-Learning of Thibodaux. The majority of the Educational Consultants, who provide academic support through mentoring online and tutorial assistance on-site, are retired, highly credentialed educators. All students participate in the State of Louisiana Assessment System, which includes testing at Prekindergarten and Kindergarten (Dibels), grades 3-8 (LAA English, Math, and

Rad’s school culture will provide a foundation for the larger social culture results, which will influence Rad’s negative behavior to become positive behaviors from the conscious and unconscious perspectives, values, interactions, and practices. His social interaction and situated learning will be aided by our entire school staff in particular from his peers, teachers, administrators, and other staff members, as well as his parents. We all will contribute to Rad’s cultural

The leader is an African American female from Jackson, Mississippi. She was born and raised in the city of Jackson and received her educational degrees from a Mississippi Institution. She stayed in the area of Jackson to continue to motivate and build a stronger school district. This professional was very aware of her own culture because she expressed it in a multitude of ways. She was very active in the church; she attends as well as the community. She held various after school activities that involved all of the community to attend like PTA meetings, Pep Rallies, School Picnics, Parties, Prayers meetings, etc… She also likes to involve her staff to

Alternative programs are not the cure all for the problems that are plaguing the public education systems but they have proven to be beneficial enough to be discussed among the scholars who are looking for some glimmer of hope. But all the pros to having alternative educational programs at the secondary level comes with its own share of cons as well.

The traditional idea of schooling has evolved throughout the course of history. Our diverse world commands alternative ways of organizing education. These alternative measures are designed to meet the needs of students who may not have an opportunity to be successful within the traditional school setting. Although, students are the primary constituents of education, they are not the sole culprits of reform in education. The needs for alternative educational programs include aspects such as population decline, economic issues, and the need for better learning experiences. Therefore, alternative methods are designed to meet the needs of particular groups of students in various ways that might be difficulty to meet in the traditional setting.

Culture brokers are useful in different professions or different social contexts such as schools. In schools, there are many families with diverse cultural backgrounds that have varying beliefs, values, and ideas that may be different than what the schools’ beliefs, values, and ideas are. The culture broker acts as a bridge between the school and the students’ parents. The culture broker is able to educate parents and to support the schools’ objectives to enhance the students’ achievement. Culture brokers can help parents retrieve information regarding their child and the students’ academic career. Culture brokers are also able to support the parents while the child is enrolled in the school and to encourage change within the school system or to help alleviate tensions between the parents’ and the school with their different ideologies. Furthermore, culture brokers are useful in rehabilitation

I feel that a school in many ways is like a clock: it has several gears and mechanisms that when separate do not do much, but when working together, they can even sometimes sing you the time! Most recent example I have witnessed second handedly, aside from the teacher shadowing at Mapleton Jr. High, was the reading in Educational Foundations. I actually had to read the first chapter twice because the first time I did not read it through a personal perspective—I did not see how an alternative school district and its performance would apply to me since I do not want to teach at an alternative school. However, after reading it a second time, I saw many key points that made the alternative school a good school. They built their school and designed it for the students and their exact needs. They periodically collaborated as a staff and discussed their students’ progression and successes. They took the time to know their students and provide them with the instruction that would directly affect each individual’s life. Within the schools’ walls, there was a sense of respect, not simply for one another, but furthermore, a deeper respect for one another’s education. I especially enjoyed the quote in chapter thirteen that states, “Successful teaching requires recognition of the social and cultural context of school and a deep understanding of how these factors influence, shape, and most importantly, can nurture […] schools” (157). When we are aware of our surroundings, we

Alternative schooling is an educational establishment that has a curriculum or ways of teaching that are non traditional such as a wide range of teaching styles. An alternative school can be either private or even public (i.e. charter, online and magnet schools). Some of these schools aren't offered in some school districts, while some like magnet, charter and online schools are usually completely online. This usually happens if the school district or state that a student is currently living in doesn’t have the proper funding to build an alternative schooling location. Some alternative schools may offer classes at night, which is helpful for students who work. Along with that some of alternative schools have flexible graduation requirements and give students the choice in what classes they want to take apposed to regular schools where you really don't have so much of a say in your classes.

Traditional and alternative high schools are just two of the many ways a student can earn a high school diploma. Both options are public and usually consist of the same requirements for graduation. An alternative high school is defined by dictionary.com as “A school with an educational setting designed to accommodate educational, behavioral, and/or medical needs of children and adolescents that cannot be adequately addressed in a traditional school environment.” When a student is choosing a high school there are many factors they might consider; one should first create their own ideals for a high school experience before choosing. While traditional and alternative high schools have some similarities, differences are more evident based on three main categories: education style, student populace, and possible opportunities.

Culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people. It is learned and transmitted from one generation to the next. Culture will change as situations and the needs of people change. A school environment itself constitutes a subculture within a larger society. Each school has a culture of its own, like a minuscule society. The school culture reflects the community in which the school is located and its students’ characteristics. This will consist of the values, attitudes, beliefs, norms, and customs of those making the system. This is because of the racial and socioeconomic segregation of residential communities. A school’s culture is formed by its history context and the individuals in it. Each school has a