Rogers Hosts Conference for Alternative Educators

STAFF PHOTO Spencer Tirey Cheryl Tillman, a Pea Ridge schoolteacher, left, stands with a glass on her head as Andaire Middleton acts like she is pushing air to knock the glass off. Both were assisting Kevin Delaney, the director of visitor experience at the Museum of Discovery in Little Rock, as he is explaining the science of an air vortex Monday during the Arkansas Association of Alternative Educators statewide conference in Rogers.

STAFF PHOTO Spencer Tirey Cheryl Tillman, a Pea Ridge schoolteacher, left, stands with a glass on her head as Andaire Middleton acts like she is pushing air to knock the glass off. Both were assisting Kevin Delaney, the director of visitor experience at the Museum of Discovery in Little Rock, as he is explaining the science of an air vortex Monday during the Arkansas Association of Alternative Educators statewide conference in Rogers.

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

ROGERS -- Second chances is the theme for more than 500 teachers, social workers and other interventionists gathered in Rogers this week for the Arkansas Association of Alternative Educators.

Every child deserves a diploma, said Linda Walker, lifetime board member of the Arkansas Association of Alternative Educators.

AT A GLANCE

Cost Breakdown

Advocates for alternative education compare the costs of incarceration and education saying education will make for better citizens and future taxpayers.

Incarceration vs. Education

• Juvenile detention costs from $150 a day up to $480 a day for specialized treatment, according to the 2008 report Juvenile Justice Reform in Arkansas

• Public schools are given $35.21 per student, per school day from the state of Arkansas *

• Alternative schools are given $58.96 per student, per school day from the state of Arkansas *

* This total does not include federal money earmarked for education, grant money and school district-specific taxes raised through local bonds.

Source: Staff Report

Telling a child from a high-risk background that he or she can be successful in life can be like telling them they can go to the moon, she said.

"You have to see what they can't see," Walker said.

Now a consultant, she retired last year as principal of Ashdown New Tradition School. During her 11 years as an administrator in alternative education, she said knocked on doors trying to find absent students who bounced from relative to relative. She's still trying to help a former student navigate the path to graduation. His records were in so many schools that it makes him hard to track.

Children referred to an alternative environment must, by law, have the odds stacked against them. Alternative learning environments are considered intervention programs. One of the factors in referring a child to the program is when they consistently test poorly in literacy or math. A combination of other factors include mental or physical health problems, homelessness, abuse and pregnancy. If a child is considered disruptive or is dropping out of school, that, too, could land him in alternative school.

Joel Henderson, a teacher at Fayetteville's Agee-Lierly Life Preparation Services Center, has spent his entire career in alternative education. Henderson was recognized as one of two teachers at the conference with 25 years of experience.

"You never get a better chance for seeing the light bulbs turn on over a kid's head," he said.

That's why he stays, but teaching alternative education isn't easy. This spring he was upset to realize he'd had a dozen former students in jail, he said.

The conference theme is "Second Chances for Better Choices." Positive changes for his students keeps him going, Henderson said.

Potential state changes led to some concerns among educators.

Last week, the Arkansas Board of Education put together a list schools with failing test scores that need state intervention. Several alternative programs were withheld from that list pending further study. Alternative programs can be designated as either a "school" or a program. Those labeled as a school can appear to be underperforming because they enroll children who are already struggling.

Educators said that logic is the same as evaluating an entire hospital by the illnesses found in its emergency room.

Alternative education environments are transitional by nature. Students enter, but they might head back to school that referred them, complicating the test scores for an alternative school.

It takes time to see success once a child is referred to an alternative program, Walker said. Years of abuse can't be overcome in a day, she said. Students make steps forward, but that won't show on a test once a year, especially if the student is in alternative education for a semester.

"You have to use more than test scores to measure that," Walker said.

There are other questions to ask, Walker said.

Is the student doing better? Has the school increased the amount of involvement from the parents? Is the child being fed, and does he have access to glasses or hearing aids? Is he getting prescribed medication? Is she more attentive in class? Are children staying out of the juvenile system and in school?

Teachers need more training in how to handle discipline for high-risk students, she said. Schools should consider a stipend for highly trained teachers in alternative settings, she said.

Teachers need more training on how to meet the emotional needs of students who have problems at home or are bipolar, said Willie Vinson, principal of Hamilton Learning Academy in Little Rock.

His is one of the schools being scrutinized for its performance. He also had students as suspects in eight out of 10 Little Rock murders so far this year.

Instead of pushing credit recovery through an online program he's launching a program this year that will allow students to accelerate learning online.

"We're making strides," Vinson said.

A strong alternative learning program cares for the children, offers solid instruction and is consistent in discipline and vision, Walker said.

Students need something to aspire to, she said. And they need to know that teachers care.

The conference runs Sunday through Wednesday in Rogers.

NW News on 07/15/2014