JOIN Michigan Alternative Education Organization NOW!
As a MAEO Member we need to have your contact information (including your email address) updated annually.
Please follow the link “Become a MAEO Member” on the maeo.org website to reach our membership chair Denise Cadwell and receive regular updates, emails, information about our conference, MAEO STARS events and other professional development opportunities. We look forward to your participation in the coming year.
MAEO News!
The first MAEO newsletter of the 16/17 school year will be available at the end of October.
Would you like to share something with the rest of the MAEO community in the quarterly newsletter? Send an email with the story to Colleen at deavenc@brightonk12.com
Would you like to share something with the rest of the MAEO community in the quarterly newsletter? Send an email with the story to Colleen at deavenc@brightonk12.com
Messages from our President
Do you have student, parent and/or community member’s comments, statements or even speeches about the positive impact of your alternative education program? Please share them with MAEO President Deb Baughman baughman@sresd.org so that they may be posted on the MAEO Website.
Please click here to access the Alternative Accountability survey results.
Please click here to access the Alternative Accountability survey results.
MAEO's Mission Statement
The purpose of the Michigan Alternative Education Organization is to advocate quality alternative education for
Michigan's youth, to provide a network of support for alternative educators and students, and to promote awareness of alternative education at the local, state, and federal levels.
MAEO's History
The Michigan Alternative Education Organization (MAEO) was formed in 1975 to provide services and networking opportunities for alternative educators across the state. In that same year, MAEO held its first conferences to share ideas, innovations and strategies. .
MAEO hosts an annual spring conference, as well as regional activities for students and alternative educators around the state. MAEO sponsors scholarships for graduating alternative students pursuing higher education, and regional grants that promote student activities. In addition, MAEO maintains this website and recognizes outstanding contributions to alternative education with annual awards.
What is alternative education?
The definition of alternative education recommended for adoption by the Michigan Department of Education is:
A separate program within a K-12 public school district or charter school established to serve and
provide youth a choice or option whose needs are not being met in the traditional school setting.
There are three indispensable goals for alternative schools:
1. That students attend by choice.
2. That the school or program be responsive to unmet local needs.
3. That the student body reflect the racial and socio-economic mix of the community.
Alternative Education at the National and State Levels
All students have aspirations and all deserve the chance to choose an educational setting consistent with their learning styles. Beginning in the 1960's, America's alternative schools began exploring innovative techniques in order to provide appropriate instructional settings for students in need of additional educational opportunities. At present the alternative education effort in the United States serves an estimated four million students, or approximately 7% of the total public school population.
Michigan has been in the forefront of the alternative education movement since the beginning. Across the state, the
concept of providing an intimate educational setting responsive to student and community needs has flourished. There are now more than 369 alternative education programs, in 270 school districts throughout Michigan. These programs collectively serve nearly 25,000 students, or about 5% of the total secondary school population in the state. While all programs work to help at-risk students complete their secondary education, they exhibit incredible variety
and diversity in terms of size, focus, philosophy and structure.
The purpose of the Michigan Alternative Education Organization is to advocate quality alternative education for
Michigan's youth, to provide a network of support for alternative educators and students, and to promote awareness of alternative education at the local, state, and federal levels.
MAEO's History
The Michigan Alternative Education Organization (MAEO) was formed in 1975 to provide services and networking opportunities for alternative educators across the state. In that same year, MAEO held its first conferences to share ideas, innovations and strategies. .
MAEO hosts an annual spring conference, as well as regional activities for students and alternative educators around the state. MAEO sponsors scholarships for graduating alternative students pursuing higher education, and regional grants that promote student activities. In addition, MAEO maintains this website and recognizes outstanding contributions to alternative education with annual awards.
What is alternative education?
The definition of alternative education recommended for adoption by the Michigan Department of Education is:
A separate program within a K-12 public school district or charter school established to serve and
provide youth a choice or option whose needs are not being met in the traditional school setting.
There are three indispensable goals for alternative schools:
1. That students attend by choice.
2. That the school or program be responsive to unmet local needs.
3. That the student body reflect the racial and socio-economic mix of the community.
Alternative Education at the National and State Levels
All students have aspirations and all deserve the chance to choose an educational setting consistent with their learning styles. Beginning in the 1960's, America's alternative schools began exploring innovative techniques in order to provide appropriate instructional settings for students in need of additional educational opportunities. At present the alternative education effort in the United States serves an estimated four million students, or approximately 7% of the total public school population.
Michigan has been in the forefront of the alternative education movement since the beginning. Across the state, the
concept of providing an intimate educational setting responsive to student and community needs has flourished. There are now more than 369 alternative education programs, in 270 school districts throughout Michigan. These programs collectively serve nearly 25,000 students, or about 5% of the total secondary school population in the state. While all programs work to help at-risk students complete their secondary education, they exhibit incredible variety
and diversity in terms of size, focus, philosophy and structure.
