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Friday, March 30, 2001
Custom classes save at-risk kids
Alternative schools are 'last chance' for some students
By Stephanie L. Jordan
Caller-Times

George Gongora/Caller-Times

Chelo Sendejo (right) and Estela Flores work in the KEYS Academy in Kingsville to care for babies whose mothers are working to earn their high school diplomas at the alternative school.

When John Garrett entered high school, he intended to graduate on time.
   But he began having trouble almost from the outset, struggling in his freshman year. He attended summer school, where he still had a hard time keeping up and comprehending what he was reading.
   By the time he was a senior, he was disenchanted with school. He dropped out and worked delivering pizzas.
   Flour Bluff's Alternative Center for Education gave Garrett another shot at finishing his education. Now 20, he will soon have enough credits to earn his diploma.
   "Without this place - and I thought it would be the same as high school when I came - I wouldn't be graduating," he said.
   Educators at alternative schools nationwide say that without the schools, thousands of students like Garrett would never earn diplomas.

   In the last two decades, alternative schools have become the primary method of dropout recovery nationwide, researchers say. In 1991, the U.S. had 1,823 alternative schools; by 1995, there were 2,782; and by 1998, there were 3,605, according to the Department of Education National Center for Educational Statistics.
   The CCISD has several alternative schools, including the standard alternative school for at-risk students, a campus for disciplinary referrals and a campus for expectant mothers. West Oso, Flour Bluff, Tuloso-Midway and Calallen also provide alternative education. And the city also has three charter schools that serve at-risk students and are classified as alternative schools by the state.
   About 600 students are educated by CCISD alternative schools each year, said Ricardo Almendarez, principal at CCISD's Alternative High School Center on Airline Road.
   "This is the last opportunity for students to complete their courses to graduate," said Almendarez. "Last year, we helped 199 students that probably wouldn't have graduated if we weren't here."
   'At-risk' students

Paul Iverson/Caller-Times

Jennifer Flores works on a computer at CCISD's Teen-Age Mothers School. Alternative schools like this one are often an at-risk student's last chance.

   The Texas Education Code defines "at-risk" students as those in grades seven to 12 who have not advanced grades for two or more years, have below grade-level mathematics or reading skills and those who do not maintain a 70 average in two or more courses. At-risk students are also those who are not expected to graduate within four years, have not performed satisfactorily on the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) or are parents or pregnant.
   Texas law requires that school districts provide alternative education for such students, since they are the most likely to drop out of school. Additionally, districts are required to provide disciplinary alternative education programs for students who are removed from the regular classroom due to behavior. Students assigned to disciplinary programs must be separated from students attending other types of alternative education programs.
   Seeking respect
   Alternative schools typically provide scheduling flexibility with the day split in half - one morning session and one session in the afternoon. Students decide which session best meets their schedules.
   The schools also provide child care for teen parents and parenting skills classes. The classes are self-paced, so students can earn credits as quickly as they can complete assignments.
   Although they've helped students throughout the country, alternative schools haven't always gotten the respect they deserve, said Bill Modzeleski, director of the Safe & Drug Free School Program for the U.S. Department of Education. Originally, alternative schools were aimed primarily at youth who were incarcerated or who couldn't remain in traditional school settings.
   "Decades and decades ago we put (alternative schools) in buildings no one wanted to be in, with teachers who weren't qualified and didn't want to be there to teach kids that no one wanted in their classrooms," Modseleski said. "But that has changed over the years."
   'There's only work here'
   There are no shortcuts at alternative schools, which teach the core curriculum required for graduation in any high school.
   The CCISD opened the Alternative High School Center on Airline in 1989, said Homero Villarreal, the school's principal for six years.
   "I still think the world of it," Villarreal said. "I think people are beginning to realize the importance of keeping kids in school and the strategies we need to use to keep them there."
   One of the major reasons students drop out, educators said, is economics. At CCISD's Alternative High School Center, 69 percent of the 289 students enrolled there have jobs. The school makes sure the students can develop a schedule flexible enough to balance school and work.
   "There are no football teams, cheerleaders or pep rallies here," Almendarez said. "There's only work here - and many of our students work after coming here. We have flexibility here that high schools don't have."
   'I was bored'
   Also, 29 percent of the students at the Alternative High School Center are parents. The school requires that both male and female students who have children take parenting-skills classes. The schools also provide students with GED preparation and testing so that, in case they still struggle with classes or standardized tests at the alternative school, they still have a GED to fall back upon.
   Monica Ruiz, a 17-year-old student at the Alternative High School Center, came to the school after having a baby between her sophomore and junior years. The alternative school provided her with a schedule that allowed her to do her coursework in the morning, and work in the afternoon.
   She completed her requirements for her diploma and will graduate with her high school class in May.
   "I knew I could finish quicker here," Ruiz said. "I was bored (at the regular high school) having a teacher talking to me and telling me what to do. Sometimes, I couldn't do it the right way and gave up.
   "Maybe some have the excuse that they have kids and can't finish, but I don't think that's a good enough reason. I'm here because I want a better life for my daughter."
   Educating mothers-to-be
   Pregnancy has long been a primary cause of dropping out and the reason CCISD established the Teen-Age Mothers School more than 25 years ago, said Earnestine Garner, the principal at the school on Carver Drive.
   "I do not support teen pregnancy," Garner said, "but I do support these kids staying in school."
   The Teen-Age Mothers School is open to any student in the district who is pregnant. The school's mission is to help the students stay on track throughout the pregnancy. Garner said most students are there for only one semester before successfully returning to their regular campuses.
   The school has 55 students, the smallest enrollment in the seven years Garner has been principal. It has a staff of 18, including eight teachers who provide the same core curriculum the students would receive at their regular schools, Garner said. The students go all day and there is a day-care center on campus.
   Love, care, high expectations
   Students generally miss two to three weeks of school during the delivery of their babies, but receive homebound instruction during that time, Garner said. The rest of the time, they are expected to be in class.
   "Morning sickness and just not feeling well, those excuses won't fly over here," said Garner, adding that the school has an 86-percent attendance rate.
   "Wherever I have taught children - Martin Middle School, Ray High School, my children at home and TAMS - they all need the same thing, love, care and high expectations. Children will live up to your expectations, and it's no different here than at any other school."
   Mary Ann Colin, principal at KEYS Academy for 10 years, said the Kingsville alternative school is critical to salvaging dropouts. She said the kids at KEYS often deal with problems that far outweigh the issues their peers face. Some have parents in jail, an abusive boyfriend, or not enough money to adequately feed themselves or their children.
   'An opportunity or a chance'
   Sarah Castro, an 18-year-old senior at KEYS, said she just didn't fit in at the regular high school, which was chaos for her.
   "They're real strict," she said. "They care about the dress code, tardies, but not really the education. It's the discipline thing going on there."
   At KEYS, Sarah is able to design her own schedule and use computer learning to decide how fast or slow she completes her assignments. Had she remained at H.M. King High School she would have likely been kept back a grade, she said.
   "Most kids just need an opportunity or a chance," Colin said. "If you just leave a plant and hope it grows, it may not happen. It needs light and water."

Staff writer Jeremy Schwartz contributed to this article. Staff writer Stephanie L. Jordan can be reached at 886-3724 or by e-mail at jordans@caller.com

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