Staff perceptions of an alternative educational model for at risk adolescents in Queensland

Abstract

This paper reports on staff perceptions of the ‘educational model’ implemented by Glendyne School as an alternative model for the secondary education for ‘at risk adolescents’. The paper starts with an extensive literature review that details the attributes of successful alternative programs for students who are unable to be accommodated by mainstream schools. Using both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, staff members were consulted in order to gauge perceptions of the effectiveness of the school programs. The paper details the processes used to collect data and reports on the educational provision of programs for “at risk” youth and concludes with a discussion that analyses how the perceptions of the school’s staff align with what the literature sees as necessary for authentic programming in an alternative setting.