Alternative Education Networking Events

In March of this year, PSI collaborated with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to facilitate and document two of the first Alternative Education Networking Events for educators throughout the state. Alternative Education teachers and school leaders face unique challenges in student population, school structure, mental health issues, and resource allocation; meanwhile, their schools or programs are often the final bulwark to retain students whose needs have not been met in larger or more traditional settings. For this reason, Alternative Education Networks are vital to support educators so that they can prevent students from falling through the cracks.

The turn out was excellent! Each half-day session — one in Bentley College in Waltham and one at the Meline Kasparian Professional Development Center in Springfield — provided educators the opportunity to gather in small groups and share strategies for success, innovative ideas, and concerns about specific topics they had earlier identified. These topics included: Defining and Measuring Success; Student Behavior; Parent and Community Engagement and Collaborations; Alternative Programming and Credit Recovery; Relevant Curriculum; Sustainability: Marketing Success and Promoting Your Program; and Social and Emotional Supports.

Many educators expressed their desire to attend similar events in the future as a means of support and professional development.

Each Networking Event was also attended by a member of the At-Risk Consortium, which is another important PSI collaboration.