This type of nontraditional education is not considered homeschooling because the student is enrolled in an educational institution. Therefore, the student’s diploma and academic transcript will be issued under the name of that institution, and the institution’s school code will be used on the student’s College Board application.

A homeschooled student may need this type of education if an accredited institution’s high school diploma is required for admission to postsecondary education. The student may also benefit from the services of an umbrella school.

Reasons for Choosing These Options

The need to complete high school more quickly in order to enter college.

The need to improve a grade point average for college admission.

The need to address areas that the traditional educational system may not adequately serve, such as educational quality, teacher attitudes, materials, content, methodology, and assessment.

The desire to encourage independence, motivation, and individual interests.

Behavioral concerns in situations where parents do not want their children to “waste time.”

Academic failure or low achievement.

Individual personality traits that may not be accepted by others at school.

Bullying, emotional difficulties, pregnancy, instability within the educational system, relocation, and other circumstances.

Accelerated Schooling

Accelerated education enables students to earn a high school diploma within a shortened period of time.

In Puerto Rico, accelerated education has been incorporated as part of alternative education.

Accelerated schools in Puerto Rico may cover the skills that a student would normally learn during an academic year in approximately one month.

The purpose of accelerated schools in Puerto Rico is not necessarily to return students who are behind for their age to the corresponding grade level within a traditional school.

Accelerated teaching strategies include the use of instructional modules, distance education, and in-person instruction requiring a limited number of classroom hours.

Alternative Education

The purpose of alternative education is broader than that of accelerated schooling. Its objectives include:

Providing educational services at all levels outside the traditional educational system so that students can fully develop their potential, knowledge, attitudes, and competencies.

Offering literacy and alternative education programs with educational levels and accreditations designed to provide opportunities for academic recovery and advancement into higher or technical education.

Providing occupational training and preparation for short-term career programs.

Offering classes and experiences beyond traditional academics that allow participants to explore their interests, abilities, vocations, and talents. Examples include personal development retreats, mentoring, occupational and cultural experiences, and community immersion.

1. Alliance for Alternative Education

The mission of the Alliance for Alternative Education is to enrich the quality of education in Puerto Rico by strengthening successful and effective alternative education models.

These models seek to support the comprehensive development of individuals who have interrupted their education and whose lives have been negatively affected during that process. The Alliance aims to prevent students from dropping out of school and guide them toward new and productive opportunities in life.

The Alliance emerged from the shared missions and services of organizations specializing in alternative education for young people who are no longer attending school or are at risk of dropping out.

One result of this collaborative effort was the approval of the Enabling Act for the Development of Alternative Education in Puerto Rico, Act No. 213 of 2012, on August 26, 2012.

2. EducaciónAlternativa.org

We are EducaciónAlternativa.org. We serve Spanish-speaking audiences with the goal of informing and educating people about student-centered educational alternatives and supporting the growing number of communities based on nontraditional educational models.

At EducaciónAlternativa.org, we promote student-centered education. Alternative education, also known as nontraditional education, includes various student-centered teaching and learning approaches in which interest and motivation originate with the student rather than being imposed from outside.

At EducaciónAlternativa.org, we seek to contribute to the evolution of education toward student-centered alternatives that are available to everyone.

Alternative Education Resource Organization

417 Roslyn
Roslyn Heights, NY 11577

A major clearinghouse for information, contacts, and consulting services related to different types of alternative schools, community learning centers, home education, and international educational alternatives.

The organization publishes an informative newsletter, The Education Revolution, as well as a comprehensive directory.

The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential

The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential is a nonprofit educational organization that serves both children with brain injuries and children without such injuries.

The Institutes introduce parents to the field of early childhood brain development. Parents learn how the brain develops and how to increase the rate of development in children with brain injuries, as well as how to enhance brain development in children without injuries.

National Coalition of Alternative Community Schools

1266 Rosewood, No. 1
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
(888) 771-9171

A network of schools, organizations, and individuals committed to democratic learning environments in which students, parents, and staff create and implement their own educational programs.

The National Coalition of Alternative Community Schools sponsors a directory and other publications, conferences, exchange programs, accreditation services, and alternative teacher education.

John Dewey Project on Progressive Education

411 Waterman Building
University of Vermont
Burlington, VT 05405
(802) 656-1355

A policy research institute that promotes broader public discussion about the democratic mission of education.

The institute organizes conferences and seminars and collects research and policy papers from progressive scholars throughout the United States. It also conducts original research on service-learning and collaboration between schools and their communities.