NCLB Hurting Alternative Schools

The PEN NewsBlast posted this summary of an article in the San Antonio Express News. It's not news; people in alternative education knew this would be a problem when we first read the NCLB Act. But it's good that the mainstream media is starting to pay attention.

This year, the Tejada Academy, the last stop for troubled kids in the Harlandale (Texas) Independent School District, posted the biggest percentage gain in the county on Texas’ state tests, reports Jenny Lacoste-Caputo of the San Antonio Express-News. This should be cause for joy, but unfortunately, the school failed to make adequate yearly progress (AYP) for the third consecutive year, which could trigger serious No Child Left Behind (NCLB) sanctions and even possible closure.

The federal law requires 70 percent of seniors to earn a diploma, which isn’t a tough goal for many Texas schools. However, Tejada is special in that it is designed specifically for students who are way behind in their credits -- the school doesn’t even accept students who can graduate in four years. Also, Tejada students face atypical challenges as some have children, some are significant sources of family income, others are taking care of siblings because parents are in jail, and still others are homeless.

Even with the great work the school is doing, the federal law has not made any special provisions for similar alternative schools. Eventually, if the school continues to miss AYP, the Harlandale school district will consider rejecting federal Title I money, as schools that do not accept these funds are not subject to NCLB sanctions. As a Tejada English teacher said "I find no humor or irony in the fact that NCLB has overlooked alternative schools...it’s a pathetic oversight."