February 3, 2010
We found that elementary and middle school students who attend “extended-time” alternative education programs (such as before- or after-school programs or summer school) showed higher-than-expected growth on two standardized assessments when compared with other students and national norms. However, the Minnesota Department of Education has limited which school districts may provide these programs. We recommend that the Legislature allow all school districts to provide these alternative education programs. We also make several other recommendations to improve the oversight of alternative education programs.
