Helping dropouts to return to school is the ultimate goal of intervention in Taiwan; and most of them have to adjust themselves for the new school life. On the basis of the ecological perspective, this study attempts to investigate the adjustment of these students from the aspects of learning, social interaction, behavior, and self-acceptance. In addition, the study compares the conventional and alternative education programs in terms of their effectiveness in helping these returning dropouts' adaptation. Qualitative data were gathered via personal interviews with ten dropouts who had returned to schools. Among these students, two were sampled from the traditional program and eight were from four different alternative programs. Analyses of these data indicate that returning to school is just a starting point, these students still have to face various challenges coming from all aspects of life. In addition to learning problems, which actually existed before they first left school, there are other problems. However, if these students are able to cognitively accept the second chance, and can receive support from their environment, their motivation to continue the education is increased. In comparing with the traditional program, students attending the alternative education programs seem to cope better, because the latter allows more flexibility in the curriculum, as well as chances to establish better interaction with teachers and other students. The potential disadvantage of the alternative program is the labeling effect and the lack of cohesiveness. Finally, two factors are especially important to help these students adjust, one is good interaction with teachers, and the other is the student's sense of self -control. Implications for future interventions are suggested.