| This study explored the perceptions of adults who, as adolescents, were enrolled in the same alternative school-without-walls for at least one year during 1971–1973. Narrative data were collected through individual qualitative interviews with seven former students. Five of the seven participants were interviewed twice with a five-year interval between interviews. A focus group session of other former students was also held. The texts of the interviews and focus group were analyzed and presented in three ways: narrative profiles in the interviewee's own words, themes and sub-motifs drawn from the coding of the texts, and the participants' current views on schooling.; The former students perceived that the school built the educational community it envisioned. The expectation that students were to be self-motivated and responsible came through clearly. All participants in this study believed that the alternative education they experienced while at the school had an impact on some aspect of their development or lives. The structure and daily operations of the school had weaknesses, but the school was also seen as a successful educational endeavor.; Affirming that previous alternative educational practices may provide legitimate guidelines for current educational change, findings in this study support the importance of size, choice, self-governance, and sense of community in schools, and challenge the trend in current educational reform toward standardized curricula. The participants' perceptions of the strengths and weaknesses of the school suggest questions that would be of value for many schools to consider. |
