I am a teacher, and I have observed the Alternative Education programs. The teachers are seldom well trained, the classwork is a joke, and the only advantage they have over regular school is that they wield the "stick" of being able to send many of the students to jail, if they are non-compliant.

In regular school, we have to lay down the foundation over time. Many times, I've documented behaviors that were violent, mal-adjusted, and disruptive. It generally takes most of the year to get that kid out of my classroom, if ever.

On the other hand, even mild disrespect to an administrator yields the same result, pronto. Which shows where the schools place their value - NOT in the classroom, NOT with the teachers.

I agree that expulsion is correlated with poor post-education outcomes, but correlation does not imply causation. Perhaps the same personality problems and lack of impulse control that led said students to be expelled, also lead them to later lose jobs, commit crimes, and, in general, have a troubled life?