The concept of alternative education was conceived and became popular in the 1960s, although older ideological roots can be traced to the common school movement and the progressive reform era. Today, alternative education is associated with at-risk students and refers to any program that deviates from a traditional high school setting. The purpose of this study was to determine how alternative education administrators in South Dakota perceive four goals established by Goodlad (1984) and the extent to which they share similar goals. Another purpose was to explore the status of alternative education programs in South Dakota, and to gain some insight into at-risk students. Previous studies revealed similar comparisons in other states and formed a basis for this study.

Two instruments were created for this study. The first was a 25-item survey based on a four-point Likert scale delivered through Survey Monkey ^®. The second was a five-question interview. The population surveyed consisted of administrators from all 152 public school districts in South Dakota, the 16 special services director cooperatives, and the 20 tribal schools as well as seven alternative programs listed on the South Dakota Department of Education website. The response rate was 68%. Six administrators were chosen to participate in the interview questions.

Data were analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively revealing that all four goals remain relevant in alternative programs in South Dakota in 2011. However, helping students achieve a diploma was rated as the primary goal of alternative programs. Most alternative programs remain relatively small making staffing expensive. Thus, many schools rely on computer-based instruction. There is no central governing authority or state agency to regulate alternative programs and thus leadership is largely the responsibility of individual school districts. Parity between alternative programs and regular high schools varies from district to district.