Read an extract from the article on alternative schooling in the United States.
Make an outline of the extract. Look up the underlined words in the dictionary.
Alternative Schooling
Since the first alternative public schools were identified and studied in the late
1960s, the underlying definition and characteristics of schools of choice have
remained relatively unchanged. They include:
Voluntary participation: Students, parents, and teachers voluntarily participate in
a school of their choice.
Small school size: Schools of choice (alternative, magnet, and charter schools)
have sought to humanize and personalize learning by creating small educational
options. The average enrollment for a school of choice has remained at
approximately 250 students for more than twenty years.
Caring teachers with high expectations: Since teachers voluntarily participate in
schools of choice, they become highly invested in the school. This investment
translates into a strong motivation for both student achievement and school
success.
Customized curriculum/personalized instruction: Schools of choice offer
students, parents, and teachers opportunities to participate in a highly focused
curriculum with value-added enhancements. Students in public schools of choice
meet state requirements for high school graduation through participating in a
curriculum designed to both motivate student learning and provide experiences that
relate to individual needs, interests, and career aspirations.
Safe learning environment: Research has documented a remarkable lack of
violence, vandalism, and disruptive behavior in schools of choice. Students and
families consistently report feeling both physically and emotionally safe to
participate and learn.
While these five critical components can be found in alternative, magnet, and
charter schools, research during the latter 1990s further developed these core
characteristics into a complex of essential components, which represent the current
spectrum of different types of established school models.
Alternative School Models
Thousands of schools of choice offering alternative schooling have been
developed, successfully evaluated, and replicated. Within these schools exists a
wide array of approaches to implementing curriculum, instruction, and school
governance and management. These established models reflect a truly worldwide
educational revolution and include:
Schools that focus on unique curricular and instructional approaches: These
alternative schools include: Montessori schools, based on the ideas of the Italian
physician and educator Maria Montessori; open schools, outgrowths of the British
infant school design; Waldorf schools, inspired by the philosophy of the German
educator Rudolf Steiner; multiple intelligence schools, founded on the theories of
the Harvard University psychologist Howard Gardner; Paideia schools, established
by the philosopher Mortimer Adler; free schools and self-directed education based
on the concepts of the Scottish educator Alexander S. Neill; as well as continuous
progress schools, schools without walls, and traditional "back-to-basics" schools.
Schools that focus on the needs and interests of students: The vast majority of
alternative schools were developed to address the specific needs of children. These
alternatives include: teen parent schools, dropout and dropout-prevention schools,
schools for expelled or incarcerated students, and schools for the gifted and
talented.
Schools that focus on career themes and professional relevance: Career-theme
magnet schools complement academic studies with intensive experience in
workplace/career settings. These schools, which operate primarily at the secondary
level, include: performing arts schools, radio and television broadcasting schools,
health professional schools, law/legal schools, science/technology schools,
teaching career schools, and dozens of other career-focused educational options as
well as academic, disciplinary-focused programs in international studies,
multicultural issues, environmental studies, and most of the traditional academic
disciplines.
Alternatives that focus on experiential learning: Based on the ideas of the
American philosopher John Dewey, many alternative schools in the United States
emphasize learning by doing. Examples of these programs include Schools
Without Walls, where students learn in banks, businesses, courtrooms, museums,
and government agencies rather than in typical school classrooms; Foxfire, where
students learn by collecting and publishing the folklore of their region; and
Outward Bound/Expeditionary Learning, where students learn through expeditions
and experiences in their communities.
Conclusion
Alternative schooling has become an integral component of public education in the
United States and is also gaining increasing popularity in many other nations.
These developments have evolved from a grassroots effort by parents and
educators, experimenting to locate better ways to educate their school-age children
and integrate educational ideas from some of the world's most recognized
educational leaders. Federal support in the United States of schools of choice has
also contributed to the growth of choice programs. Nationally elected officials of
the United States, representing their public constituencies, have clearly identified
schools of choice as a valued priority. As of 2001 it is clear that alternative
schooling, with three decades of development and success, is not only effective in
teaching all types of students but is also highly desired by parents and students. It
is also obvious that the practices developed in the early schools of choice are
contributing to local, state, and national efforts to improve public education in the
United States. Based on these realities, the continued growth and expansion of
schools of choice is likely to continue.
Adapted from [Link]
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Define whether the sentences are true or false:
1. A small number of children in an alternative school allows teachers to apply an
individual approach to each student.
2. Students and parents are not engaged in designing curriculum.
3. In alternative schools students usually tend to disrupt discipline.
4. Among the most renowned alternative schools are Montessori schools, Waldorf
schools, Paideia schools, progress schools, schools without walls, and traditional
"back-to-basics" schools.
5. There is no way for an imprisoned adolescent to be educated.
6. Alternative schooling provides a wide range of career-oriented options.
7. Students of alternative schools are able to gain a lot of hands-on experience.
8. The United States government doesn’t support alternative schooling.
