Alternative Education at the Capital Region Career & Technical School

Have you ever felt like things weren't working out for you in the traditional high school environment? Maybe Career & Tech's Alternative Education program is right for you!

The Alternative Education program, sometimes called Alt Ed or Alternative High School, provides a flexible and comfortable learning environment where students can gain the confidence they need to complete their studies in high school and beyond.

Alt Ed is for students who are willing to make a commitment to becoming successful in school. If a student is interested in addressing the personal problems that have interrupted his or her education, he or she will be successful in our program.

Alt Ed is not an easy way out. It is an opportunity to work with caring adults and to deal with some often serious and difficult issues. It is an opportunity to grow personally and socially as well as academically.

Students enrolled in Alt Ed must also enroll in a Career & Technical Education program to assist them in gaining important, 21st century skills and to encourage them to pursue further education and/or employment after high school.

ALT ED's EIGHT KEYS TO SUCCESS

We are proud of our program and our students. We have found that students become successful by doing the following:

1. Attending classes.
2. Challenging themselves and not being afraid to make mistakes.
3. Respecting themselves and others.
4. Staying focused on their work.
5. Understanding and following Alt Ed rules.
6. Realizing the teachers' responsibility is to teach and the students' responsibility is to learn.
7. Be willing to improve themselves. (Change is good!)
8. Communicating needs for academic success.

We look forward to helping students identify and meet all their academic, social and professional goals.

A WINNING TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

Our teachers work as a team to help students be victorious. Each day, they help students succeed by:
-Providing an environment that will promote the development of skills and will allow each individual to reach his/her potential as a lifelong learner.
-Teaching in a safe environment that helps to develop self-esteem, confidence and encourage social interaction skills.
-Recognizing that change in behavior and improvement of academic and social skills are necessary for success.
-Helping students take control of their lives so they become productive participants in the classroom, at school, at home, and in their communities.
-Rekindling students' hope for the future through demonstrated academic, social improvement and career preparation.

REGENTS DIPLOMA

Our record can't be beat! In general, over 90% of our students graduate with regents credit. Quite often, a large portion of this percentage were at-risk students who have told us that they were contemplating dropping out, upon entry of our program. Our educators go the extra mile to find the connections needed to help our students succeed.

SMALL TEACHER/STUDENT RATIO

Classes are limited to 15 students. This allows for a better learning atmosphere.

WEEKLY TEACHER MEETINGS

Once a week, our Alt Ed Teachers meet on a voluntary basis to discuss individual student issues together. These meetings help to identify trends and wide-spread concerns that students have socially and scholastically.

ALT ED SUPPORT STAFF

All of our students work with the same guidance counselor and social worker. Such support staff work together to solve problems that students may face.

WANT TO LEARN MORE?

Would you like to learn more about Alternative Education at the Capital Region Career and Technical School? Talk to your home high school guidance or school counselor for details.

Read more about it:

Alt Ed alumnus eyes careers in astrophysics, nanotechnology

Jason Soo Hoo believes young people should be open to all that is available to them and take time to explore their interests. While a student in Career & Tech’s Alternative Education program, Jason completed CAD/CAM during his junior year and the second year of Computer & Network Technician during his senior year. By graduation, he had earned national CISCO certification and six college credits. He's now a grad student pursuing a master's degree and Ph.D. Read more

Two weeks away from dropping out

When Laura Kehrig’s family moved south in 2002, she chose to stay with friends in the Capital Region to finish high school. Not too far into her junior year, her difficulties at school escalated. She was “two weeks away from dropping out” when she applied and was accepted into
Career & Tech’s Alternative Education (Alt. Ed.) program.  Read more

[u. 9/2011]