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In education, the phrase alternative high school, sometimes referred to as a minischool, or remedial school, is any public or private secondary school having a special curriculum offering a more flexible program of study than a traditional school. Many such schools were founded in the 1970's as an alternative to traditional classroom structure. A wide range of philosophies and teaching methods are offered by alternative high schools; some have strong political, scholarly, or philosophical orientations, while others are more ad-hoc assemblies of teachers and students dissatisfied with some aspect of traditional education.
Generally an alternative high school serves as an extension to a larger traditional privately or publicly-run secondary school. They generally function as stand-alone schools, or in the case of minischools, as a "school within a school", where they physically operate within the walls of the larger school.
Sometimes, particularly in the United States, the phrase alternative high school can refer to a school which practices alternative education. This is a much broader use of the term, covering all forms of non-traditional educational methods and philosophies, including school choice, independent school, homeschooling, and alternative high school. However, even the narrower usage of the term may refer to a range of school type such as a school with an innovative and flexible cirriculum aimed at bright, self-motivated students; a school intended to accomodate students with behavioral problems; or a school with special remedial programs.
"Alternative Schools Adapt," by Fannie Weinstein. The New York Times, June 8, 1986, section A page 14.
"Changing Perspectives on Alternative Schooling for Children and Adolescents With Challenging Behavior," Robert A. Gable et al. Preventing School Failure, Fall 2006. Volume 51, Issue 1, page 5.
