Family & Community Alternative Learning
Alternative Education

Alternative Education is an instructional approach under the control of a school committee that is offered to "at-risk" students in a nontraditional setting. "At-risk" students may include those who are pregnant/parenting teens, truant students, and suspended or expelled students, returned dropouts, delinquent youth, or other students who are not meeting local promotional requirements.

Alternative Education may operate as a program or as a separate self-contained school. Alternative Education does not include private schools, home schooling, school choice, General Educational Development (GED), or gifted and talented programs. Alternative Education also does not include programs exclusively serving students receiving special education services or vocational-technical education.

For more information, contact:

Jenny Caldwell Curtin, MPP
Coordinator, Alternative Education & Trauma Sensitive Programs

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
350 Main Street
Malden, MA 02148

781-338-6839 (phone)
781-338-3089 (fax)