Program Mission Statement

Alternative education programs provide challenging learning environments that seek to convert the Virginia Standards of Learning into an effective learning curriculum. They offer the students the necessary academic and social tools required to achieve mastery of learning in elementary, middle, and high school programs of study. To achieve their fullest potential, students must be taught to think critically and creatively, and to embrace life-long habits of strong mental, emotional and physical health. A wide variety of engaging and stimulating work, enrichment activities, and social-emotional guidance will enable students to reach the following goals:

• High academic success
• High self-esteem and self-determination
• Strong social skills
• Strong connection to family, school, and community
• Love of learning
• Respect for authority
• Effective problem-solving skills, decision-making, and coping mechanisms
• Strong ethical behaviors
• Ongoing development of responsible behavior
• Post-secondary career plans

Indicators of Success

• Improved test scores (with special emphasis on passing SOL assessments)
• Increased community service and responsibility
• Increased enrollment and completion of higher education
• Increased employment success through and after high school
• Increased maintenance of students in public schools
• Decrease in serious disciplinary offenses in schools