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This mixed methods study, grounded in critical theory, self-determination theory (SDT), and student voice, documents and analyzes how students are served. Cluster analysis guides a narrative inquiry phase, showing SDT predicts goal attainment and supports personalized learning and strong student-teacher relationships.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/understanding-alternative-education-a-mixed-methods-examination-of-student-experiences/601776/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/understanding-alternative-education-a-mixed-methods-examination-of-student-experiences/601776.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"ahduag","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-22","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":19},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What problem does the study address about US education?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"The study addresses persistent opportunity gaps in the US public education system and the limited research on how alternative schools serve students.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"Which theoretical framework guides the research design?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"The study uses a framework combining critical theory, self-determination theory (SDT), and student voice.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"What does the research find about SDT and student outcomes?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"SDT predicts which students are on track to meet educational goals, and those students experience more personalized education and stronger student-teacher relationships.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},601776,1792172233,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":19,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":144,"read_time":36},3985747870414,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_9964176cb1d06d4a9deccf72a44ae3dc","Understanding Alternative Education: A Mixed Methods Examination of Student Experiences  \nThis manuscript has been peer-reviewed, accepted, and endorsed by the National Council of Professors of Educational Administration (NCPEA) as a significant contribution to the scholarship and practice of  \nschool administration and K-12 education.  \nSusan Glassett Farrelly  \nCalifornia State University, Fullerton  \nErika Daniels  \nCalifornia State University San Marcos  \nAlternative education plays a critical role in the opportunity gap that persists in the US public education system. However, there has been little research on alternative schools. Scaffolded by a theoretical framework constructed from critical theory, self-determination theory (SDT) and student voice, this research examined how well students in alternative schools were being served. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to document, describe, and analyze the student experience at alternative school. The first phase used self-determination theory and extant data to describe students attending an alternative school. Distinct groups of students were established using cluster analysis. These groups provide a vehicle for maximal variation sampling of participants in the second phase, a narrative inquiry. This study found that SDT predicts which students are on track to meet their educational goals, and that these students experience personalized education and develop strong student-teacher relationships. The student stories establish the importance of alternative schools but also reveal the need to change the ways our educational system employs alternative programs. This study suggests a path that can ultimately lead to effective alternative education.  \nNCPEA Education Leadership Review of Doctoral Research, Vol. 1, No. 1 – March 2014 ISSN: 1532-0723 © 2014 National Council of Professors of Educational Administration  \nThis manuscript may not be used commercially or edited. When quoting portions of this text, attribution  \nto the author/s is required.  \nIntroduction  \nDisparities in school performance among various groups of students were first dubbed the“achievement gap” in 1963 (Walker, 1963) . The achievement gap refers not just to a gap in standardized test scores, but graduation rates, discipline, data - an “opportunity gap” (U.S. Department of Education, 2012) . Alternative schools (the terms alternative school and alternative program, used interchangeably throughout the literature reviewed, are used interchangeably in this paper) play a pivotal role in all. Serving students labeled “at-risk” of educational failure, alternative programs operate “with a relatively high degree of autonomy”(Lehr & Lange, 2003, p. 60), ignored and exempt from accountability. The number of alternative schools and students is growing, the result of increases in suspensions and expulsions, pushing students out of their traditional schools and into alternative schools (Lehr, Tan, & Ysseldyke, 2009) .  \nThere is no standard definition of alternative education (Aron, 2006) . Most researchers and the US Department of Education agree that alternative education serves students labeled“at-risk” of educational failure (Lehr et al., 2009) . These students may be disruptive, truant, involved with the juvenile justice system, failing academically, pregnant, or already parents.(Carver & Lewis, 2010) . They are disproportionately students of African American, Latino, or Native American descent, have low socioeconomic status (SES), and often have special needs (Daniels & Arapostathis, 2005; Fairbrother, 2008; Loutzenheiser, 2002; Smith, 2003) .  \nMany alternative schools warehouse problem students and ineffective teachers (Kelly 1993; Kim & Taylor, 2008; Lehr & Lang, 2003; Warren, 2007) . Alternative schools are often created for the benefit of the traditional schools, which use alternative programs as holding pens for their disruptive and underperforming students (Brown, 2007; Kim & Taylor, 2008; Leh","cbCaiimCWt0qZwHo","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiimCWt0qZwHo","pdf",290603,16,"English","# Introduction\n## Opportunity and achievement gaps\n## Definitions and populations served\n## Critiques of alternative schools\n## Prior research and need for student voice","[{\"question\":\"What problem does the study address about US education?\",\"answer\":\"The study addresses persistent opportunity gaps in the US public education system and the limited research on how alternative schools serve students.\"},{\"question\":\"Which theoretical framework guides the research design?\",\"answer\":\"The study uses a framework combining critical theory, self-determination theory (SDT), and student voice.\"},{\"question\":\"What does the research find about SDT and student outcomes?\",\"answer\":\"SDT predicts which students are on track to meet educational goals, and those students experience more personalized education and stronger student-teacher relationships.\"}]","Understanding Alternative Education - A Mixed Methods Examination of Student Experiences | PDF",1792093407]