“Dream passionate dreams. Design their reality.”

~ Candis Francher

Every young person needs this encouragement — to dream the greatest possible idea of oneself and find ways to realize that dream. In a select but growing number of high quality alternative high schools across the United States, young people who are struggling in traditional high schools are given the opportunity to make those dreams real. This new reality for young people begins with high school graduation which may otherwise have seemed a far distant possibility, and it leads to college and careers. Young people are given experiences characterized by academic rigor, relevance, and genuinely uplifting relationships. In these alternative schools, young people defy the staggering statistic that every 26 seconds a student drops out of high school. These young graduates emerge having pulled themselves away from the fate of the 1.2 million youth in this country who fail to graduate high school on time every year. These young people have a chance to pursue their dreams, and the schools they attended have made all the difference.

High quality alternative high schools across the country are working diligently every day to revive the dreams of young people, inspire their confidence in themselves, and engage them in learning environments that will enable them to succeed. The Alternative High School Initiative (AHSI) is a network of youth development organizations with 258 schools nationwide committed to creating educational opportunities for young people for whom traditional school settings have not been successful. AHSI was launched in 2003 with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as a response to the growing national trend of diminishing high school graduation rates affecting this country’s youth. Composed of eleven organizations with innovative program models and two conveners, AHSI collaborates with local communities to sustain safe, top quality high schools for vulnerable youth. Big Picture Learning and the National League of Cities Institute for Youth, Education, and Families, co-convene AHSI. Just as young people in AHSI schools are breathing life into their dreams, this network of schools has emerged over the past six years — developing from an idea sparked by former Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Program Officer Kyle Miller into a reality.

As AHSI launches this website, we celebrate the reality of having formed a thriving network of high quality alternative high schools — a national professional learning community for those who are committed to helping every young person turn dreams into reality. Just as young people in our high schools benefit from positive learning environments, AHSI organizations are able to tap the expertise and insight of colleagues by participating in the network. Every AHSI organization subscribes to the AHSI Distinguishers — five characteristics which make these schools outstanding. In addition, AHSI organizations assess the policy environment at the local, state, and federal levels, with particular attention to the critical role Mayors and other city and town leaders are well positioned to play in expanding high quality alternative schools. AHSI organizations use the network as a place to exchange ideas, practices, and strategies on an array of topics, including principal leadership, high school to college and career transition, and math/quantitative reasoning. AHSI organizations are dedicated to measuring success by using qualitative and quantitative methods that are data-driven and can be applied to improve practice. AHSI organizations are engaged in policy-based partnerships with the Mayor’s office, school district, higher education institutions, and community-wide organizations in Indianapolis, IN, Nashville, TN, and Newark, NJ. In every effort, AHSI affirms the value of high quality alternative education and advances our thinking about how best to achieve it in our schools.

We welcome you and others to the new AHSI website! The new website is designed to open the doors of our network to everyone interested in advancing high quality alternative schools. We are taking a dream shared by our organizations — that schools like these will flourish nationwide — and turning it into a reality. We hope the lessons and collegial support shared by organizations in the AHSI network will benefit you and others. Together we are committed to helping every young person turn dreams into bright realities.

Talmira Hill
AHSI Director