As part of a directed research project under the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education programs, this study was conducted throughout the 2002-2003 academic year (October 2002 to June 2003). Three alternative education programs were located in Oregon. The cross-case analysis of these alternative education programs describes how alternative education programs serve youth on probation. One program, the Creekside School and Career Center (CSCC), was private and was located in a suburb. The other two were public school programs, with one located in a rural environment, the Train Education Center (TEC), and the other in an urban environment, the Vision High School (VHS). Each of these programs is described in terms of governance, administration staff, and funding; context and policies; curriculum, instruction, and completion options; and services and relationship to juvenile justice. Study participants included seven male and female juveniles with disabilities and nine without disabilities. Other participants included administrators, staff, parents, and juvenile justice officials, bringing the total number of participants to 43. Interviews with a variety of stakeholders ensured a broad range of perspectives on how alternative education programs served juveniles involved in the juvenile justice system. A comparison of the programs draws implications for research and practice. This study fills a gap in the education and special education research bases and should be a catalyst for more in-depth research about alternative education programs from both qualitative and quantitative perspectives. 4 tables and 26 references