Narrative inquiry into (re)imagining alternative schools: a case study of Kevin Gonzales

Abstract

Although there are many alternative schools that strive for the successful education for their students, negative images of alternative schools persist. While some alternative schools are viewed as "idealistic havens," many are viewed as "dumping grounds," or "juvenile detention centers." Employing narrative inquiry, this article interrogates how a student, Kevin Gonzales, experiences his alternative education and raises questions about the role of alternative schools. Kevin Gonzales's story is presented in a literary form of biographical journal to provide a "metaphoric loft" that helps us imagine other students like Kevin. This, in turn, provokes us to examine our current educational practice, and to (re)imagine ways in which alternative education can provide the best possible educational experiences for disenfranchised students who are increasingly underserved by the public education system.(Re)imagining Alternative Schools 3

What happened to alternative lower-secondary education in Mauritius? : The Extended Programme as a case of misguided curriculum, unfair assessment, and social injustice

“…The possibility for PVE graduates to eventually join the academic mainstream was crucial since it provided them with the opportunity to access higher education. As Mills et al (2015) point out, typical concerns raised about the alternative education sector often refer to it as being a "dumping ground for students 'unwanted' by the education system" (p. 103) (see also Kim, 2011;Kim and Taylor, 2008;Mills et al, 2013;Smyth et al, 2013) such that increased use of alternative education programmes for younger and younger students can lead to them being separated from the mainstream and its benefits (De Jong and Griffiths, 2006). Furthermore, it was necessary to dispel what Thomson and Russell (2007) suggest as a tendency to assume that what all young people in alternative learning environments "need and want is vocational options" (p.…”

Treat a Cop Like They Are God: Exploring the Relevance and Utility of Funds of Gang Knowledge Among Latino Male Students

“…With gang context in the background, we focus on continuation schools which are an extension of this street arena to build funds of gang knowledge for Latino males. Our focus on continuation schools is grounded in the fact that educators are more likely to critically scrutinize Latinos who are identified or perceived as gang members, and teachers, in this setting, search for opportunities to excessively suspend or expel students from traditional schools (Kim, 2011;Malagón, 2010). Often, educators are more likely to view continuation school students as troublemakers (Kelly, 1993), whether the student is gang involved or not.…”

Understanding the Lived Experience of a Sioux Indian Male Adolescent: Toward the pedagogy of hermeneutical phenomenology in education

“…Personal stories, no matter how unique and individual, are inevitably social in character (Chase, 2003; Connelly & Clandinin, 2006) and have the potential to shed light on the larger society (Barone, 2007; Kim, 2010). In other words, personal stories are social in the sense that they reflect broad social, cultural, ideological, and historical conditions in which they are told and heard.…”