Because at-risk students may feel alienated from school, educational reforms may be useful that make school a more supportive place. While many students identified as "at-risk" may drop out of high school, many others could be better described as "pushouts." These students may desire to stay in school and graduate, but feel pressure to leave. Pregnant students may face covert pressure from school personnel to leave school, attendance policies may prevent them from continuing, and medical and child care problems may prevent their return to school. A look at the dropout rate suggests that the traditional system of education is failing approximately 25% of the school population. The special facilitative school climate offered by alternative schools can improve student self-esteem, reduce the dropout rate, and increase productivity. Self-esteem immersion is considered an important component of many alternative schools. Teacher modeling of appropriate and effective behaviors is another very important component of successful alternative high schools. Strategies for keeping at-risk students in school and for enhancing their self-esteem and academic performance include limiting class sizes, selecting teachers carefully, being flexible, and avoiding the conventional model of school in which rewards and penalties dominate the teacher-student relationship. Teachers in alternative high schools can positively impact at-risk students' self-esteem through facilitative environmental characteristics such as trust, respect, and cooperation. (NB)