A Meta-Analytic Assessment of Delinquency-Related Outcomes of Alternative Education Programs

Abstract

Although the alternative education movement continues to grow, uncertainty is present across the literature regarding the effectiveness of these programs. Prior reviews have found that alternative schools improve school performance, attitudes toward school, school attendance, and self-esteem, while decreasing delinquency. However, these reviews have been unable to determine the magnitude of these effects or examine potential correlates of success. The present study used meta-analysis to quantitatively summarize prior empirical research on alternative schools. The meta-analysis findings show that alternative education programs have a small overall effect on school performance, attitudes toward school, and self-esteem but no effect on delinquency. Furthermore, alternative education programs that target a specific population of at-risk delinquents or low school achievers produce larger effects than programs with open admissions.