In Chicago, nearly 40,000 youth between the ages of 15 and 20 and approximately 97,000 youth ages 16 to 24 are high school dropouts. Without a high school diploma the implications for these youth, and for the community as a whole, are severe:

• School-to-Prison Pipeline: Youth dropouts are more likely to be involved in destructive interactions and illicit activities, making them prone to incarceration.
• Job Loss: They are less likely to receive skills and experience needed for employment, which also impacts the development of the future workforce.
• Tax Revenue Loss: Dropouts earn less over their lifetime which equates to fewer tax contributions for the community.
• Taxpayer Costs: Over the lifetime of each dropout, taxpayers bear the cost of approximately $290,000 due to loss of tax contributions, increased public assistance costs and correctional costs.

The Alternative Schools Network (ASN) believes that every youth is entitled to not only education, but the support services they need to help them succeed in obtaining their high school diploma and transitioning to the workforce.

In 1973, a group of alternative high school representatives established Alternative Schools Network as a vehicle for resource development, joint programming, and advocacy on behalf of inner-city youth who had dropped out of high school and low-skilled adults.

Today, ASN is a membership-based organization composed of 43 not-for-profit, independent, and self-governing alternative schools, as well as youth and adult education organizations. Through our partnership with these community-based and community-run programs and organizations, we create effective and innovative programs to re-engage more than 3,500 Chicago underserved and marginalized groups each year in successful education, employment and support services.

ASN serves as a conduit for the work of its member schools and community-based programs, connecting the mission, goals, strategies and outcomes to create a unified community of active participants in programming. Through this role, ASN is able to link the voices of its partner communities to marshal resources and expertise that will improve the outcomes for its target populations.

The ASN’s staff’s work centers around three strategic areas of focus:

• Resource Development
• Technical Assistance & Training
• Advocacy & Shaping Of Programs & Policy

Our goal is to ensure that youth and young adults receive engaging and positive academic and wraparound programs and experiences, both during and after school, in order to:

• Increase Graduation: Increase the likelihood youth will stay in school and graduate.
• Violence Reduction: Reduce exposure to violence and chances of incarceration.
• Prison Reduction: Offer an alternative to the school-to-prison pipeline for at-risk youth.
• College Prep: Prepare youth with essential skills for continuing on to college and earning a living wage.
• Job Prep: Provide a successful transition to the workforce.
• Civic Engagement: Develop skills necessary to be productive and empowered citizens.
• Leadership Development: Positively impact communities through cost savings, increased safety, leadership development and ensuring a strong foundation for the future workforce.
• Mainstreaming The Margins: Create a future for marginalized youth.