Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

This study evaluates the perceived effectiveness of an alternative education program, specifically the structure and mission. The program focused on three groups for the evaluation: staff, students, and stakeholders. The conformity of each of the three groups thoughts and beliefs outlined the perception of the program’s effectiveness. The evaluation sought to determine the positive or negative impact of the program’s mission and core values of academics, counseling, employment, and transition services. Understanding how stakeholders perceived SPAN’s mission and students’ impacts of strategies and services allowed coherence in the program's effectiveness and allowed the opportunity to outline the program's positive impacts and improvement benefits. This study implemented a summative program evaluation using a mixed-method of qualitative and quantitative data tools of a document review, site observations, interviews, and surveys. The summative evaluation was chosen to offer accountability for the outcomes and impacts of the SPAN Program.

Year manuscript completed

2024

Year degree awarded

2024

Author's Keywords

Alternative Education, Alternative Programs, Alternative Schools, At-risk, Dropout Rate, Graduation Rate, Special Programming for Achievement Network (SPAN)

Dissertation Committee Chair

Brian Bourke

Committee Chair

Brian Bourke

Committee Member

Jeffrey D. Cornelius

Committee Member

Jonathan V. Parrent

Document Type

Dissertation

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