b ,ppcgamiT,BEsumE ED 126 564 f El 008 505 AUTHOR Brown, JackE. TITLE The Problem of Educational Community Resistance to Alteinative Education. PUB DATE 76 NOTE 93p.; PractiCum 'Report submitted in partial' fulfillment of requirements for Doctor of Education Degree, Nova University 7 EDRS PRICE' MF.-$0.83 BC-$4.67 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Alternative Schools; Educational Alternatives; Educational Change; *Educatioil'il Research; *Evaluation Methodsi Measurement Techniques; *Night Schbols; Pri'vate Schools; Program DeTelopment; s*Questionnaires; *School Commufrity Relationship; School Surveys; ,Secondary Education; Student Characteristics; Student Recruitment IDENTIFIERS Anaheim California Public Schools; *BovaHigh School ABSTRACT The rimary purpose of this practices 'was to investigate, identi record, recommend, and test resolutions to the problem of educatio /community resistance to alternative education in general and,'more specifically, to identifyand resolve as many of the educational/community resistance phenomena andfacts as surround 4 Nova. High School. problem assessment and resolution devippmentare documented, and action,_ survey, research, and implement ftionare fully described. A summation of all findings itsalso presented. It' was concluded that few school,personnel or communityTersons surve and observ;-DAmdemonstrated overt negative attitudestoward Nov* gh Schoo4 as .an alternative educational .form; however, thltiratt udes could definitely be, classified as less:positive'indmore p tive. 4-^ There does appear to be a relationship between the attitudesheld b non-alternati#e (traditional) schbol personnel.and comakinityperson toward alternative educational forms and the number ofthe students^ involved in the alternative educational systems studied. (Authoir/IRT) fs . ly . s W *************************,******************************************** * Docuients acquired by ERIC includemany informal unpublished * '* materials not available from othersources. ERIC makes every effort * . '* to obtain the ,best copy available Nevertheless, items of marginal * * reproducibility. are often-encount red and thii 'affectsthe quality * -* of the microfiche and hardCopy reprodngtionsERIC makes available * * via the ERIC D current Reproduction Service (EDRE).EDRS is not ,* * responsible for ality of the original document. ReproductionS.* .* supplied by EDE ^ are t .best that can be made from. the original. * t***************** ********************************************* MAY 3 1976 4 Lf1 PROELM EDUCATTORAL [IVY RENSTARCE w 'TO &VINE LEDUC/4E10K byil@ch Bown U S DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION I WELFARE A NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HAS SEEN REPRO DUCEp EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE PERS0,7FCrk ORGANIZATION ORIGIN T ING T OINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRE SENT OF F ICIAL NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATON,POS, T;ON OR POLICY Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for Doctor of Education Degree Nova University' PRACTICUM OBSERVERS ITT .1s Arthur Bosna, M.A. Patricia McCardle, M.A. Mary McLean, Ed.D. Los Angeles Cluster ,'MAXI PRACTICUM 1976 P TABLE OF CQNTENTS . ABSTRACT ... ..... (i) Scope of Study 1 . .. .. (I) . Findings and Conclusidis (1) - , INTRODUCTION .(iii) PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION . 1 Background .... , 1 . Alternation School Evolution . 3 1-Nova Problem Identificaon and Scope 7 'RESEARCH.. ra Early Alternative School Issues , Non-Public Alternative Schools 1 II 9 A Public Alter' ctive Education Patterns . 14 Report&d Alternative School Probleins. ... 19 Recorded Alternative Implementation Strategies.... 22 Kinds of Alternative Resistance Identified 28 Resistance Evaluative Criteria Reviewed 31 Nova Researchers Choose Actiohover Data and Statistics .32 Nova Personnel Deyelop ResistanceDanger Signals 33 Public and Professional Reception to NovaOpening 35 Conceptualizing Night School Direction and Possible 37 ti Challenges I Student Identification andRecruiting P1 ns- 39 . st Student Recruiting Efforts 42 Author's Problem Analysis Author's, Problem Analysis 47 Author's Problem Assessment. .. ... 50 Other Forms of Student Recruitrnent 51 Community Reaction to Night High Schoolas Propoted.. 51' Author's Problem Assessment , 53 No Faculty, Administration, and Community.Survey.. ,53 Statement of Survey Problem 54 Purposes of Survey . 54 Survey Population. ... +A. ,55 .4' Suivey Conclusions 55 Sample of Replies. from Qilestwionnaire .. 4-4 Survey Conclusions Author P;oblern Recomniendation T. 62 Resistance Evaluatidn Criteria "Student Profile Update 67 Nova High School Enrollment Data 68 Author's Assessment 68 Proposed Resistance Remediation and Neutralizing Techniques Community Relations Program ' Av.oiding MajorResistance.Elern ents 76 SUMMARY ,..- 00000 .76 CONCLUSION , . - 78 . Rationale 78 Recommendatiop 78 0 FOOTNOTES 79 i ti 4 FIGURES 1 / No. 1 High School at Night FacuIty,Inservice 38 No. 2 .High Sch-ool. at Night Student Recruitment Cart 43 No. 3 Night High School "Great" Opportunity Letter from. 45 Principal Bosna No, 4 Second Nova Personalized Recruiting Letter 48 No. 5 Alternative School Programs Survey 56 N.. q - , No. 6 Nova High. School's Fir st Class Graduation Program,... 70 i ., 1 ( ....., No. 7 Nova News StoryVvlakes F ont Page . 72 No. 8 Nova 'High School Information and Registration- 74 Brochure It I I S. M C ti y ABSTRACT SCOPE OF STUDY; The primary purpoSe of this MaiciII Practicum was to . --- . \. investigate, identify, record, recommend,and test resolutions to the problem of educational /communityresistanceto alternative education inone-ral andmore specifically' to identify and resolve as many of the educational/cominunity resistancephenomena and factsZare Significantly invted in this problem. Nova 'High Schdol will be one primaty caseLudy targets., Problem assessment tesolutioti development is docu- mented and action,survey, research and implementation is desCribed .fully with a summation of all findings. FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS: .., An analysis of thedata (andobservation, while limited in a time sequence, resulted in the followingconclusions:- few of the school.pesonnel or communitypersons surveyed and observed del monstrated overt negg.tive attitudestoward Nova as an alternative educational form; however, their attitudescould definitely be- classified as less positiVe and more positive. ' There does appear to bea relationship betWeen the attitudes held by the non-alternative(tfaditional) school personnel r and the communityperson toward alternative educational forms- and the number of the studentsinvolved in the alternative educational systems studied. The author- also contends that thenatureof this praciicurn, a pkoblem identification and solving approach,hasbeen intere sting and challenging. 4 rir .F 4 8 61 p V INTRODUCTION With education costs increasing, thetaxpaying public ex- . pects costly secondary educational systems toserve student clients more effectively.However, littlerecent research indicate present 1. conventional systems to be moreeective in efforts to meet student client needs.To meet the need7/ anumber of alternative education forms and concepts have evolved. It was at this point in early 1974 that the Anaheim_Union High School District, Anaheim, found itself.In researching the fact that thib school district was recording approximately1,500 unac- counted for students between grades 9 to 12 eachyear who could not. be traced the question was raised "who are"and "where are" these students: . As an alternative educationalprogram,7- to meet, needs of . % 4 students not being served by regular day school, the fi Anaheim Union tikh School District researched for(vie year possible alternatives then tested night high school classes in the1974-75 summer school p ogram. FrOm thest studies came theAtesolution tb.establisha' com rehensive separate night high school program toopen in the fall, of 1975. This new alternative school isnow officially 'called Nova High School and is in the secondsemester of operation. 4,. .. 0 tk z -* 7 .4 /44 From its inception this alternative educationalform has' AN, been confronted with survival challenges,many of which beg re- corded solutions.' However,one of the most serious problems faced by this new school was acknowledged to be theproblem of educational/ community -resistance to alternative education. `TO identify and attempt toresolve- this subtle resistance probleni, the following taskswere 'addressed: 1.0 Activities Descriptions: 1.1 Kids of resistance identified Resistance evaluative criteria 'established 1.3 Identification of resistance 1)henornena and manifestations 1.4 Develop and propose resistance remediation or neutralizing techniques. 2. 0 Evaluation Criteria and Pioposal Asse.ssed: 3.0 Institutionalizing Program Developed:J.. The evaluative summary must be drawn and theanswers weighed if the answers are "resistancepositive, and it is the null hypothesis of the author that theywill be, then a basis for., appropriate counter resistance,' strategy'and actionwill bedocu- mented and recommended. 'a 1. I PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION6: Back round According to the National Association of Secondary Sthote /. Principals'Task Force on Secondary Schools in a Changing Society, the clear social trend of\recent yearsLhas been for increased indi- t visival choice and personal freedom.Among the forces fueling this movement are these: 1. A broadened. legal interpretation: of constitutional rights. 8 2. A: strong thrust for equality of sex and race. A growing affluence which released economic constraints upon choice.