Reflections of Client Satisfaction: Reframing Family Perceptions of Mandatory Alternative School Assignment

The authors in this study examined the client satisfaction of chronically disruptive students and their families (clients) following a mandatory alternative school assignment. Specifically, they looked at the satisfaction of the involved families and their responses recorded through three surveys completed at exit interviews during the 1999-2000 school year (N=189). The literature related to client satisfaction is mixed; typically patterns emerge in the literature of either very high or very low opinions. Due to the mandatory nature of the alternative school assignment, client satisfaction in this study could be predicted to be low. But given the increased level of engagement the clients (both the student and family) surveyed reported high levels of client satisfaction, giving greater expectations of graduating from high school following their alternative school placement and citing better school performance from receiving assistance during the program. The findings from this study could help to modify or further develop social work interventions in the alternative school setting and could increase the use of client satisfaction surveys with these programs.