Can alternative schools succeed where Benjamin Spock, Spiro Agnew, and B. F. Skinner have failed?

This study sought to determine whether student behavior was as great a problem in a sample of 18 California alternative high schools. As a result of on-site observations and interviews with students and teachers, the authors concluded that discipline rarely was a major concern in the alternative schools. General agreement existed among both students and teachers. Fourteen possible reasons to account for the basic finding were hypothesized. The reasons included small school size, flexible schedules, frequent informal interaction between students and teachers, and fewer rules.