How can we strengthen alternative schools to prepare high-need students for future success?

Alternative schools, which include Continuation Schools, Community Day Schools, County Community Schools, Opportunity Schools, and Court Schools, can offer more intensive services and accelerated credit-earning opportunities that grant high school students a renewed path to graduation. Alternative education sites serve a proportionally higher number of high-need students than traditional public schools, including justice-involved youth, youth who have experienced housing insecurity, and youth who have experienced the foster care system. Students of color, specifically Black and Latine students, attend alternative education sites at higher rates than traditional public schools.

CTS is engaging in a study that will expand upon the Report and Recommendations of the CA Advisory Task Force on Alternative Schools’ (2020) broad findings around addressing potential changes to existing teacher preparation and credentialing, with a strong focus on identifying gaps in teacher workforce patterns and needs across various types of alternative schools. 

The study aims to:

  • Summarize school information (e.g., school counts, enrollments, charter status) and student characteristics (e.g., demographics, academic performance, and special characteristics) across the different types of California alternative schools.
  • Analyze existing workforce patterns and needs in alternative education settings through public datasets.
  • Further explore the themes of the task force findings around strengthening a pipeline of diverse, qualified, and supported educators with local and statewide recommendations.
  • Examine and highlight alternative education sites that may be implementing a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS).