In the United States, our traditional educational model is outdated, with subpar academic achievement and a high dropout rate. Alternative education provides non-traditional settings designed to help prevent students from falling through the cracks, but the atypical format and at-risk population can make it difficult to assess how effective current practices are. In order to better understand these schools and help determine best practices, a group of teachers from an alternative campus in suburban North Carolina was interviewed. This qualitative, hermeneutical, phenomenological study solicited their perceptions about their program's impact on student achievement and dropout rates, as well as their thoughts about district policies and the environment of the alternative school itself. Analysis of axially coded themes identified several factors and alternative-education practices that were perceived to effectively and positively affect student achievement and graduation rates. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]