Beyond One-Size-Fits-All Education: Rethinking California’s Alternative Education System

California’s alternative education system serves more than 150,000 students every year — and too often, they are the last ones policymakers think about.

Those students are disproportionately Black, Latine, and Indigenous; in foster care; experiencing homelessness; or navigating disability. A new report from the UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools — Beyond One-Size-Fits-All Education Approaches: Rethinking California’s Alternative Education System — takes the deepest look yet at nearly 900 Dashboard Alternative School Status (DASS) schools.

The report examines student demographics, school climate, and academic outcomes, and identifies the system-level barriers that push young people off track to graduate. Findings point to concrete policy recommendations, including a dedicated funding formula and a specialized educator workforce built for the students these schools serve.

Join the Reaching At-Promise Students Association, the Association of California County Boards of Education, and the UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools for a conversation on what this research means for county boards, superintendents, and every leader working to build a system that meets students where they are — not where a one-size-fits-all model expects them to be.