Measuring the effectiveness of an alternative education collaboration

Abstract

Purpose – Program efficacy and outcomes can often be determined through an examination of collaborative activities between and among inner city school districts with high dropout rates and private, public, and nonprofit organizations. Kettl (2004) adeptly describes additional collaborative practice trends that not only transform governance structures, but blurs the line between and among sectors. These trends illuminate the need for governmental agencies to collaborate with nonprofit and for-profit organizations to address “wicked problems” where no single organization has sufficient resources and the consequences are enormous. The paper aims to discuss theses issues. Design/methodology/approach – Utilizing a quantitative approach, this research compares the efficacy of a newly developed collaborative alternative education program to existing programs in New Jersey's Newark Public Schools during 2008-2009. Findings – The results indicate that the overall performance of the students enrolled in the new research models is significantly higher than in the existing program due to incentives and not administrative collaboration. Research limitations/implications – Implications for future research include: first, the need for studies to reveal enduring, universal effects of collaboration; second, longitudinal studies of the effects of collaboration on alternative education issues; and third, an evaluation of the effectiveness of collaborative training. Originality/value – This research intends to contribute to the literature concerning these distinctive types of partnerships – specifically the integration of three very different systems into a collaborative service. This single case study presents support of how these services subsist within four settings and what force they have on special services for students in alternative education in the public schools.