This survey includes programs that are designed for elementary and high school students and which (1) refrain from "institutionalized coercion," (2) de-emphasize traditional curriculum, (3) eliminate dependence on competition and encourage authentic self-motivation, (4) emphasize individual abilities and character rather than formal training in…

The Alternative School Network was established in 1973 as a coordinating structure to unite, for their mutual benefit, the diverse Chicago area alternative schools. The first section of this report summarizes the historical background of the Chicago alternative schools and discusses the organizational structures, students, teachers, funding,…

This brief overview of the growing alternative school movement emphasizes those features of alternative schools that are of most interest to school administrators. There is some discussion of different forms of alternative schools that have been tried, but attention is mainly focused on the general characteristics common to most alternative…