2025 Volume 92 Issue 2 Pages 214-225
This study examines the significance of the Alternative School Teacher Education Program (ASTEP) implemented by Indiana University in the transformation of public education in the United States during the 1970s.
In the 1970s, the U.S. underwent a transformation in public education, which was marked by growing criticism of the societal assumption that existing schools were the only option and of the uniformity of public schools. This era witnessed the exploration of diverse and flexible approaches to public education. It was particularly characterized by the shift of alternative education from “outside” the public school system to “inside” the system and by the adoption of measures to increase the diversity of public schools. Initially, alternative schools were intended to be equitable options accessible to all children. Previous research has focused on the innovativeness of these schools as a catalyst for public school reform. However, the specific reasons why alternative schools could drive public school reform and the initiatives that supported these efforts have not been sufficiently explored.
Indiana University was the first higher education institution in the United States to engage in both the research and the practice of “public alternative schools.” The ASTEP program allowed students to work as interns at alternative schools for a year while pursuing a masterʼs degree. The program was based on an image of the alternative school teacher that differed from that of a “good” teacher. Owing to the difficulty in training teachers to transform existing schools, a model of coexistence between existing and alternative schools was adopted to diversify teacher education.
Favorable evaluations of ASTEP were directed toward the facts that the program (1) served as a source of teachers with a desire to enact reforms; (2) provided professional support from the university and served as a forum for dialogue; and (3) established relationships with other alternative schools and promoted teacher awareness.
ASTEP played several important roles, including (1) overcoming the challenges of school reform; (2) serving as a common platform that enabled mutual exchange among teachers from existing schools, alternative school teachers, university personnel, and school district stakeholders; (3) promoting mutual transformation, thus improving the practices of both alternative and public school teachers; and (4) not only integrating alternative education into the formal system but also driving changes in the educational perspectives of school district boards and administrators. In conclusion, the significance of ASTEP lies in its efforts to promote public education reform from an inclusive perspective of both existing and alternative schools. It fostered collaboration and mutual transformation by using the diversity and heterogeneity of teachers as catalysts.
