#29 Spring 2000 $4.95 The Education Revolution With special CHANGING SCHOOLS section The Magazine of the Alternative Education Resource Organization (Formerly AERO-gramme)
Contents: SUMMERHILL WINS IN COURT! AERO NEEDS FEEDBACK FROM YOU AERO RECEIVES THREE GRANTS Mail and Communications Book Reviews Home Education News Public Alternatives Alumni Stories International News and Communications Australia, Ecuador England, France, Germany, Latvia, New Zealand, Northern Ireland. Norway. West Bank, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine Teachers, Jobs, and Internships Conferences Special Section:CHANGING SCHOOLS High Stakes Tests: A Harsh Agenda for America's Children Remarks by U.S. Senator Paul D. Wellstone Letter to the Editor of the New York Times about Commissioner Mills’ Decision about Public Alternative Schools, By Jerry Mintz In Your Backyard: Florida's Online Education Experiment The Three Xs, by Idit Harel Interview With Brian Kearsey About the Founding of Crossroads School, Brewster, NY Talk at Manitoba Alternative Education Association New Items Announcing two great new books on educational alternatives AERO Books, Videos, Subscription, Ordering Information
The Education Revolution The Magazine of the Alternative Education Resource Organization (Formerly AERO-gramme) 417 Roslyn Rd., Roslyn Heights, NY 11577 ISSN # 10679219 phone: 516-621-2195 or 800-769-4171 fax: 516-625-3257 e-mail: jerryaero@aol.com Web site: http://www.edrev.org
Editor: Jerry Mintz Mail and Communications Editor: Carol Morley Director of Information and Communications: Steve Rosenthal Printer Joel Hymowitz, Sir Speedy Printing Webmaster: Peter Christopher
ADVISORY BOARD Alexander Adamsky, Mary Addams, Chris Balch, Fred Bay, Patrice Creve, Anne Evans, Patrick Farenga, Phil Gang, John Gatto, Herb Goldstein, Dan Greenberg, Josh Hornick, Jeffrey Kane, Albert Lamb, Dave Lehman, Mary Leue, Ron Miller, Pat Montgomery, Ann Peery, John Potter, Mary Anne Raywid, John Scott, Tim Seldin, Elina Sheppel, Andy Smallman, Sidney Solomon, Nick Stanton, Corinne Steele, Tom Williams
SUMMERHILL WINS IN COURT! On March 20th, 2000, Summerhill School won an important court victory, giving them the right to continue operating the school with A.S. Neill’s philosophy of freedom in Education. The following is excerpted from an interview with Zoe Readhead, Neill’s daughter and current Summerhill Head, which was by Jerry Mintz on his Talk America Network radio show. The final scene with the school in a London courtroom seems worthy of a feature film, although it might seem somewhat unbelievable. It is nevertheless true.
JERRY: This week an event took place that sent shock waves around the world. All of you concerned about government interference with individuals should know that Summerhill has been under attack for a year because it would not conform to the rigid English national curriculum. They have a national curriculum that everyone in all the schools is supposed to follow there. Summerhill brought the government to court to assert their right to run the school according to the philosophy of their founder, AS Neill, a child-centered approach. In the final week there was a tribunal and they actually brought the whole school into court.
ZOE: For the last 9 years, the Inspectors from the government department have visited Summerhill every year. Ordinary schools get an inspection every four to five years. We felt we were under attack. In March of 1999 we had 8 inspectors come and visit us for three days, bearing in mind there were only about 57 children at the time. When the report was finally written it was a sensational piece of writing, fit for the tabloid newspapers and not fit to be a serious government report. It even appeared to be designed for the tabloids. It was a very nasty piece of writing indeed. It used words like "foul mouth" and "the children were in pursuit of idleness." It accused the school of health and safety problems and that the children were not learning sufficiently. And then the Secretary of State for Education issued a notice of complaint to the school, which means that the school was required to follow the changes that were demanded.
JERRY: Why do you think that they would want to attack Summerhill in this way? The government has established a national curriculum in which every student in England is supposed to participate, is that right?
ZOE: The national curriculum is not compulsory for independent schools although they use the national curriculum as their benchmark; so in fact, we are obliged to follow the national curriculum though legally we don’t have to.
JERRY: Summerhill took an approach that was entirely different from what the government does with the national curriculum. At Summerhill students are not required to go to classes, decisions are made democratically, and that’s been going on ever since the school started. In a sense, if Summerhill was successful it would almost show the government that what they were doing was not necessary.
ZOE: One wonders about that. It’s very difficult to know where all this came from. Whether it was just blundering bureaucracy or whether it was something more sinister, we’ll never know. Through all our inspections was that it was very clear that these people not only misunderstood Summerhill, but many of them were strongly prejudiced against it when they came. So during the last few years, we have seen inspectors showing real anger towards us while they were in the process of inspecting us, which is a totally unprofessional thing to do. The report itself also made many accusations against the school, which were totally unfounded. So the evidence that they had was very small. The notice of complaint had 6 items on it and we had to comply within a given time or they are able to strike the school off the register so it could no longer function as a school. They tell you what the complaint is and they tell you what the recommendation is. There were three that we felt we could comply with. One was to do with some floor covering that needed re-doing. One was to do with making sure there were more health and safety checks on the kids’ rooms so the meeting elected a committee and they go every couple of weeks and they check out all the rooms. A local electrician has trained them. The other one concerned some problems we had in Class 2, which is what we call Key Stage 3: ten to twelve year olds. It’s an age where anybody who is involved in democratic schools will know they tend not to want to go to class very much anyway; they want to be out doing exciting things. So we tried to see if we could improve the teaching facility and the general makeup of Class 2. We put together a really good package and we are very happy with the way things are going.
We contested one of the complaints, which was about good old toilets. Now, I know that’s something of a joke and the rest of the world think that the Brits have got an obsession with toilets, and I think that they probably have. At Summerhill we live like a family; it’s a boarding school so the community all lives in the school. We don’t have separate toilets for boys, girls, or adults. The government said we had to have separate toilets for boys, girls, and adults. They’ve been telling us this since 1992, and we haven’t done it. Every year we’ve written back and told them we’re not prepared to do that and gave them our reasons. We have children’s welfare and safety in hand through our democratic process and through the fact that the children know that they have a voice and that they can be heard. That was one of the big, contentious things and it sounds silly. People have said to me it’s really petty, why not just put notices on the doors but it actually is a really important issue here. It’s about our right to govern ourselves within our community, so we stuck out for that one. The other one was about lessons. It didn’t actually say in the complaint that we had to have compulsory lessons. What it actually said was we have to ensure the children are engaged in learning, either in timetabled lessons or in prescribed self-supported study programs. That word, ensure is a very short word but it actually had a lot of punch for us. When we got into court our lawyer spent almost a whole day talking to the witness for the other side and finding out exactly what they meant by this word, ensure. So that was the other one that we contested.
The last one was about assessment. In Summerhill, we only assess kids when they are in class, so if you go to class, we assume that you’re ready to be assessed. Obviously, when someone is teaching you they need to be assessing you as they go along in order to teach you further. But if you don’t go to class, we don’t assess you. When you’re not in class, you’re your own person and that’s fine and they don’t like that. They demanded that we have better assessments and more full assessments.
JERRY: Of course, we assume that you don’t give grades.
ZOE: No, in England you don’t give grades anyway; you just do your final GCSE – the General Certificate of Secondary Education – exams. Most children take those at the age of 15, turning 16. They usually sit all of them at once, between four and nine, and they cover most subjects. Then you have those certificates when you leave. But at Summerhill we take them staggered over several years. We take them at very different times, whenever the kid wants to, and some kids may never want to take any. It’s completely optional.
JERRY: If they want to go on to college, they pretty much have to pass these, is that right?
ZOE: Yes they do, but this idea that you have to have 100 of them is a bit of a fallacy. What our kids often find is that if they want to go to college, they find out how many they will need, and they work hard on the ones that they need. They’re evidence of your knowledge of a subject, but they are not evidence of your knowledge as a person.
JERRY: And Summerhill actually has an above-average rate of students passing these tests and going on to college…
ZOE: Well, our GCSE pass rate is higher than the national average, but I don’t know how the national average compares with other independent schools. We never professed to be a school that you’re going to send your kid to if you want them to be the most academic achieving. If they want to do that, that’s great, and we have many students who pass lots of GCSEs and very happily go on to University and get good degrees. But we also have kids who don’t want to do that, and that’s fine with us too.
JERRY: We’ll set the scene: the school has protested against two of the complaints and said they were not willing to comply with them, and said that if they run out of appeals, they would close the school. They have taken the government to court. Now the week comes, and the tribunal starts. What was that like?
ZOE: Well, obviously the school was very wound up and tense about the whole thing. We had a fantastic legal team. This is a process that all schools have a right to if they’re not happy with the notice of complaint which they receive, but they don’t get any funding to help fight it. So Summerhill had to raise money for this. We were represented in court by Jeffrey Robertson, QC, who is one of the world’s most famous human rights lawyers. He’s an Australian, and he’s fought many cases against governments on human rights issues. We were very happy to have him on board. On Monday all the kids, the staff, the cook, and the cleaners came up to the courtroom. It was held in the Royal Courts of Justice in the Strand in London, a very big, imposing building full of courtrooms. When they got to the courtroom, there wasn’t enough room so the judge allowed the children to come and sit on the floor. The gallery was full and then there were kids all sitting down the aisles on the floor watching the case. The whole thing looked a bit like a Summerhill meeting, which was great.
JERRY: How old were those kids?
ZOE: Our very smallest ones didn’t come, but I think the youngest one was probably 10.
JERRY: So these kids from 10 years old on came to the court. What was their behavior in the courtroom?
ZOE: Well, just fantastic. One of the boys was crying and some people were a bit upset, but basically they were all quiet and they listened and were attentive. They were really interested.
JERRY: What seemed to be the reaction of the court to having these kids in there?
ZOE: There was a very warm feeling from the bench; I think they liked it. I don’t know whether the opposition liked it very much, but certainly our team really liked it. It was certainly an understanding. The judges had been to visit the school, as had the opposition. I think the judges had obviously felt how important the meeting was; they attended one of our meetings. Obviously it was something they felt was important – the kids should be allowed to be there.
JERRY: So the Tribunal started that Monday. And how did that day go?
ZOE: The first witness on the stand was Michael Fitz, who is the Chief Registrar of Independent Schools. Jeffery Robertson was cross-examining him and it was a very interesting process. Basically, the points that he was making were: first of all, what this word ensure means, because in an earlier draft which Ofsted (the Office of Standards of Education) had sent to the Secretary of State of the Department for Education recommended that we should have compulsory lessons. He had decided that he’d only ask us to ensure involvement in learning. So there was some difference of opinion between the Department for Education and Ofsted. So our QC spent a lot of time establishing with Michael Fitz exactly what the word ensure means. Of course, it became very clear that you cannot ensure something without making it compulsory.
JERRY: So that point was made. On the second day, what happened?
ZOE: It became very clear that although the government said they were not demanding that we change our philosophy, they very clearly were. On the second day Mr. Fitz was on the stand again for the whole day. Things were coming to light, for instance, the fact that Summerhill had been on a list called TBW: To Be Watched. There are 250 schools in the country on this TBW list, but none of the schools know they’re on it. We knew we were being inspected every year but we didn’t know that we were on a TBW list. That was something else that our QC was making real headway with in showing that the governments at the time had put Summerhill on this hit list and were intent on inspecting it every year. The judge seemed very unhappy about the idea that the school should be on this list without being aware that they’re on it.
JERRY: Let’s just talk about the final scene after two days of testimony in which the government’s case was beginning to look pretty bad, what did they do?
ZOE: Their case was clearly crumbling and one’s impression was that they didn’t really want to get more of the witnesses on the stand. We hadn’t even begun to give our evidence yet. They had read all our information; our evidence was very strong indeed. So after the first two days, they indicated to our counsel that they wanted to get into discussions for settlement. The point is, with an Independent Schools Tribunal they don’t have very much power. They have the power to close the school immediately, they have the power to annul the notice of complaint but that’s the only power they have. They can’t give you anything. They can’t make any kind of guidelines or anything else. In the settlement that we finally agreed to, we have many more safety areas in place which will be backed up by our lawyers in the future as well. Part of that clause has been to recognize that Summerhill has a different philosophy and that it can follow its philosophy. It says here "The government concedes that Neill’s philosophy must henceforth govern Ofsted’s approach to the school. It will not subject the school to another full inspection for at least four years." And most dramatically for children’s rights, "It accepts the pupils voice should be fully represented in any evaluation of the quality of education at Summerhill." It also agrees that "learning is not confined to lessons and acknowledges the right of children not to attend them." Those things are written into the agreement that we have. Obviously the Tribunal would not have been able to give us those things.
JERRY They came up with this proposal and then it was supposed to be decided by a democratic school meeting of Summerhill. And where did that meeting take place?
ZOE: Our legal people asked the judges if we could use the courtroom to have one of our general school meetings. As they had visited and knew the importance of the meetings, they agreed to do that. The court was cleared, the judges went out -- I mean we’re talking about a very formal courtroom here in the Royal Courts of Justice in London! The chair of the meeting went and sat in the judge’s chair, and her vice chair and secretary sat on either side of her.
JERRY: And the chair is how old?
ZOE: She’s just 15…she’s an experienced chair at school. We read the press statement and then we voted on whether the people who had been put outside – not the judges, obviously – would be allowed in. One of them was actually one of the school inspectors. It was still carried that she should come in as well. There was one inspector and two of their solicitors who actually came into the courtroom. The school voted that they could come in and listen to the rest of the meeting. Then Jeffrey Robertson, our QC, read out the terms of the agreement. Lots of the Summerhill kids and staff asked him questions about it and when he’d answered them sufficiently one of the pupils proposed that we would accept these terms. And it was carried unanimously. At one point the court usher had to come in and ask us if we could be quiet because when we read out the agreement the children and everybody all cheered shouted. She came and said, "Look, I’m really sorry, but there’s a family court case going on next door." So everybody said they were sorry and were quiet. Then the judges came back in again and the court was back in session. The treasury solicitor who was our opponent read out the terms of the agreement and the judges acknowledged that this was good for them and then the whole courtroom came to a close.
JERRY: I gather that they agreed to pay some of your expenses, which was something that they would not have been required to do.
ZOE: Yes, the problem with these Independent Tribunals is that you don’t get any costs paid, but on the other hand you’re never liable for the opponents costs either. So really what they made was donation to the school because it was very little; it was just a small gift rather than any kind of compensation for the amount that we spent. I think it was just another sign that they were wrong and that we won the case.
JERRY: Well, this has been cheered all over the world. Summerhill has had a list serve of former students and so on; it’s been fascinating to watch. Everyone was so excited – people as far away as New Zealand and Australia were watching this case. I want to talk about what you think the significance of this decision is for education in England and around the world because I think it’s very important and has a connection with the standards movement that is happening here in the United States. What do you think is the significance of this decision for other schools?
ZOE: Well, I think that when a legal case like this comes about, it’s written in cement in a way. It’s written legally, it’s important, and it is not something that people can just pretend didn’t happen. It was a benchmark. I think that on many planes, the fact that a school has been able to challenge Ofsted and the Department for Education and has won is really important. That applies to countries all over the world with their education authorities. Also, for children’s rights it’s of huge importance because now the children have actually gotten it written into this agreement that the children shall be listened to. The inspectors never sat down and had discussions with the kids about how they felt about their school. So the kids felt very disempowered by it all.
JERRY: One of the things that was established from this is that learning takes place all the time and not necessarily just in classes.
ZOE: That’s right. One of the things that we’re really anxious to show here is that they have to look at the whole Summerhill picture. The things you learn, as well, are not necessarily the things they would expect to be the most important. What we have written into this agreement is that when we have inspections, we can have our own independent report written as well. And they have to take account of that.
JERRY: When I went to the New York State Alternative Education Association, a lot of the schools were complaining that the Commissioner of Education for NYS had turned down their request for a continuing waiver from the NYS Regents tests. I announced the Summerhill victory and said, "You know, what you really have to do is stand up to these bullies and hopefully you’ll be able to get the same kind of results."
ZOE: I think the sad thing about it from the point of view of bureaucracy and government is that Summerhill is very lucky because Summerhill’s very very famous. Whereas another small school just has to shut up and do as it’s told because they haven’t got those resources and they haven’t got the years and fame that Summerhill has. It’s a tragedy.
JERRY: One of the things that we’re talking about on the list serve is establishing an international swat team and a fund to help schools that may be in a similar situation.
ZOE: Good idea. We had a great end of term party last night!
JERRY: Oh, I bet it was great!
AERO NEEDS FEEDBACK FROM YOU! AERO has been challenged by a potential funder to demonstrate its effectiveness in working toward educational change. We'd like to ask all readers of this issue of The Education Revolution to write a paragraph or two about and help which AERO has provided to you in the past. It could simply be help from things you have read on the listserve we manage. It could be from things you've read or networking resulting from reading the magazine. Or it could be more direct help, such as finding a job, getting staff or resources for your school, or getting information about how to start homeschooling. Please send your response to jerryaero@aol.com. You can also indicate if you were disappointed in our services. Of course, this is just anecdotal information, but will be extremely helpful. AERO needs this support to keep going and growing. Also, let us know if you have other ideas about how to measure AERO's effect, or ideas about how AERO can be more effective.
AERO RECEIVES THREE GRANTS AERO has recently received three wonderful grants to help us continue our work. They are from the New visions Foundation, the Josephine Bay Paul and C. Michael Paul Foundation, and the O.P. and W.E. Edwards Foundations. These will be used, among other things, to develop our website, build up the alumni association, help people create homeschool resource centers, get AERO developmental consultation, get new computer equipment, employ a professional grant writer, and give support and transportation money for democratic schools in developing countries so they can attend the International Democratic Education Conference this July in Tokyo.
Mail and Communications Seattle-based International Youth Hall of Fame® (IYHF) has been named a Daily Point of Light by the Points of Light Foundation for March 9, 2000. IYHF builds developmental assets by helping communities come together to recognize, celebrate, encourage, document and publicize the positive efforts of everyday youth who are making a difference at home, in school and in the community. IYHF is not a competition; rather, it seeks to find the best in all youth. Beginning in September 2000, IYHF will launch their On The Road With Kids Tour. Following in the "tire tracks" of famed correspondent, Charles Kuralt, the IYHF RV equipped with a digital video studio and web broadcasting will travel to rural and urban communities around the country starting IYHF Chapters and recognizing and publicizing 2000 youth. For more information, contact Larry Sagen, International Youth Hall of Fame, PMB #201, 300 Queen Anne Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98109. Website: www.youthhall.org. Tel: (206) 623-6770. Fax: (206) 623-6648.
Paths of Learning: Options for Families and Communities is published by The Foundation for Educational Renewal, a nonprofit founded by President Ron Miller. The latest issue features an update on the Summerhill crisis, articles on homeschooling and partnership education, an interview with Alfie Kohn, and a review of John Taylor Gatto’s as yet unpublished new book, and much more. 420 McKinley St., Suite 111-437, Corona, CA 92879-6504. Tel: (909) 549-9067.
After five months of intense research, design, and development, the online Paths of Learning Resource Center is officially open to the public. The Center contains summaries of over 250 innovative educational publications. It is a free online tool for anyone making decisions about education——choosing between student-centered alternatives, seeking more ways to nourish different learning styles, or wanting to know more about social/political issues involved with systemic change in education. Sponsored by the Foundation for Educational Renewal, the Center has been developed in tandem with the new Paths Of Learning magazine. Coordinator Robin Martin has written to dozens of authors, schools, and small publishers in an effort to make sure all information is as current and accurate as possible. For parents and students, the Paths of Learning Resource Center helps locate resources for facing tough decisions about finding creative, learner-centered options for meeting their unique needs. For teachers, it offers resources with ideas on programs and teaching methods to encourage more creativity and individuality while fostering a dynamic classroom community. For school board members or administrators, it can help locate solid evidence for how to implement new programs or restructure schools in ways that better fit how students learn while maintaining their natural curiosity and love of life. For alternative educators and schools, it offers a voice to the changing world so that books, videos, and other publications about their schools can be more widely known. Web: http://www.PathsOfLearning.net; Email: info@PathsOfLearning.net
The Catalog of Volunteer Opportunities provides information about organizations looking for volunteers, including high school students and recent graduates, for a wide variety of programs. The catalog gives each organization’s geographical area served, skills needed and contact information. It is available from the Commission on Voluntary Service and Action, PO Box 117, New York, NY 10009.
According to Lon Woodbury in The Developing Education Network, “A 1999 survey reported that as many as 25% of American school children are currently in some kind of non-traditional education arrangement: either homeschooling, charter schools, religious and secular private day schools, traditional private boarding schools, private pay emotional growth schools and programs, therapeutic schools and programs, public alternative schools, school choice, etc.” This “reflects a powerful cultural movement among educators and parents to explore better options for educating our young.” As a result, more parents are turning to independent educational consultants for help in sifting through the growing number of choices they now have available to them. This, in turn, is causing existing educational consulting organizations to rethink their missions, as well as the creation of new organizations. This information is from Places for Struggling Teens Issue #65. Address below.
Also in Places for Struggling Teens, Issue, 67: A review by Carol Maxym of a book called Your Drug May Be Your Problem: How and Why to Stop Taking Psychiatric Medications by P. Breggin & D. Cohen. The authors challenges the assertions made by the pharmaceutical and medical fields that psychiatric drugs help patients with mental, emotional, and psychiatric problems, and maintain that they may actually be the cause of some of these patients’ problems. Often, they say, “physicians, psychiatrists, and therapists mistake the effect of the medication to be a further indication that a higher dosage is needed…these drugs, not the patients’ mental stability (or lack thereof) are causing the problem.” Woodbury Reports, PO Box 1107, Bonners Ferry, ID 83805. Tel: (208) 267-5550.
“We are about to witness an astonishing event. We shall enter the next century with the same basic model of learning with which we entered this one. It is like basing today’s transport policy on the horse-drawn carriage,” proclaim the editors of Education Now in “Where did it All Go Wrong?” One of the many ways it went wrong is that in the several years since Howard Gardner established the existence of multiple intelligence, the school system continues to focus on one or two, “thus preventing the development of an assortment of achievements in the learning population. Modern brain research has been exposing many of the assumptions of mass schooling as false. The brain is a pattern-making organ rather than a pattern-receiving entity. We see this in action when young children learn their mother tongue, not by formal instruction but by interaction with the people and the world around them. The brain generates one set of chemicals when in a passive mode that makes it cautious and defensive. In an active, decision-making mode it generates other chemicals which stimulate speedy and creative learning. Then, if the brain’s cooperative disposition is not encouraged, it gets replaced; e.g., by selfish competition.” Address below.
Also from Education Now, Roland Meighan states in “Wanted! A New Vocabulary for Learning,” that “the old vocabulary and thinking has to go if we are to achieve a learning culture, a learning society, and the habits necessary for genuine, lifelong learning.” The terms that have to go include: ‘School,’ which once meant a “voluntary association of learners” but which now means (quoting Philip Jackson) “for all the children some of the time, and for some other children all the time, the classroom resembles a cage from which there is no escape”. ‘Curriculum,’ which has come to mean “an imposed course study so dehumanized that all the key decisions about what to learn, when to learn, and how to learn, have been (made) before any of the learners have been met and encountered as people”. ‘Education,’ which has become “a paper chase, a diploma disease”. And finally, “officialdom’s favorite word, ‘Standards,’ which means training students to be good at the shallow learning of selected mechanical tasks enshrined in institutionally imposed syllabuses; i.e., junk knowledge.” Meighan defines ‘junk knowledge’ as “something you did not need or want to know yesterday, do not need or want to know today, and are unlikely to need or want to know tomorrow.” Education Now, 113 Arundel Drive, Bramcote Hills, Nottingham NG9 3FQ.
Summarizing his philosophy of self-education applied to the workplace, Charles D. Hayes has written a little book called, Training Yourself: The 21st Century Credential. The author, a high school dropout, is a self-taught philosopher who joined the marines at 17, became a police officer, and has worked for over 20 years in the oil industry. In his book, he offers practical advice on how to both earn and enjoy a good living. “The exponential growth of computer technology has cut the jugular of standardization. Industrialized education has reached the end of its life – it’s just taking a long time to bleed to death,” he says. “Mastery learning strategies will be available for anyone to learn anything, to achieve whatever level of expertise they desire, in whatever amount of time seems reasonable … If education becomes a very individualized thing, then individuals will be in charge of their own learning.” The book is available from Autodidactic Press, PO Box 872749, Wasilla, AK 99687. Tel: (907) 376-3058.
Two new books by Don Glines have recently been published. The first is Reflecting Year-Round Education: Traditions and Innovations, which discusses the philosophy and basics of year-round schooling, and then focuses on innovation and changes which can create individualized continuous learning programs now. The second is Year-Round Education: Paths to Resources with David Mussatti, which documents the 100-year history of YRE by analyzing the events of each twenty-year period from 1900-2000. They are available from NAYRE, PO Box 711386, San Diego, CA 92171-1386. Tel: (619) 571-5754.
In the revolutionary new book, A General Theory of Love, by Dr. Thomas Lewis, Dr. Fari Amini and Dr. Richard Lannon, the authors draw on new scientific discoveries that prove what mothers have known instinctively since the beginning of time: love is paramount to their child's life-long success.
Dr. Lewis: Modern American values demand early independence in our children and portray reliance on others as a weakness, but science is discovering that our cultural emphasis on separateness is unhealthy, because our brains are wired for togetherness. It is the natural condition for which our bodies and brains are designed—the condition they require, in fact, to function normally. Nowhere is this natural dependence more evident than in our children, whose fragile bodily rhythms need the stabilization that parents provide. Research shows, for instance, that mothers regulate the nocturnal brain and body rhythms of infants when the two sleep in close proximity. The U.S. has the highest rate of sudden infant death in the world. Our habit of forcing early separation between parents and children may be an important reason why this is so. A young child's nighttime reliance on parents to regulate bodily rhythms is just one example of a broader rule: healthy independence comes from satiating dependence, not forbidding it.
The division between knowledge and wisdom is ancient and very real. Neuroscientists now know that there are two separate learning systems in the brain—one that supports the explicit learning of facts, and one that supports the acquisition of intuitions from experience. Our Western society strongly promotes the utility and importance of fact-based learning, and often dismisses intuition as imaginary or inconsequential. The thinking or cognitive brain (very powerful and advanced in human beings) learns from facts. But the emotional brain (far older than the thinking brain) learns only through the intuition-based brain system, not the fact-based knowledge system. If we wish to raise wise children, therefore, we must not neglect the second half of their education.
We should be alarmed at the enormous amount of time our children are spending in the company of computers (as well as television, videos, and computer games). Computers do not deliver an emotional connection, but they do keep kids occupied and reasonably quiet while they're not getting what they need from parents. And that's the danger. Several studies have shown that computer use in adults actually causes depression and loneliness, because it takes people away from the emotionally nourishing time they spend with family and friends. Children are almost certainly more vulnerable to this effect than adults are. However enticing their entertainment value, mechanical companions are simply unworkable relationship substitutes for adults and children alike. And that makes the current push to place computers and the Internet in every classroom disturbing, to say the least. Ensuring the presence of at least one attentive adult in every learning environment would be infinitely more valuable. Many children already do not receive the individualized attention they need from an adult in the classroom. Increasing the emphasis on computer learning can only further decrease the time available for human contact--to our children's great detriment.
Robert Theobald, pioneering futurist, died on Saturday November 27th, 1999. Robert Theobald's biographical information is available online at http://www.transform.org/transform/tlc/rtbio.html. Other information is available upon request if you are writing an article, feature story or obituary for Robert. The work that Robert and many others have been committed to will continue – in new forms and new shapes, to be sure. Stay tuned for further announcements. Bob Stilger, Executive Director, Northwest Regional Facilitators, East 525 Mission Avenue, Spokane, WA 99202. Tel: (509) 484 6733, ext 139. Fax: (509) 483 3045. Email: rstilger@nrf.org
The Ecovillage Research, Development & Demonstration Program’s website is at: http://www.siriuscommunity.org/LR/rdd.html. This program will link universities and ecovillages in cooperative research, development, and demonstration projects in Appropriate Technologies, Renewable Energy and Permaculture Practices. The Living Routes - Ecovillage Education Consortium web site has recently been upgraded. See: http://www. LivingRoutes.org. They have openings in their Summer Institute in Sustainable Living in Ithaca, NY. This 6-week program is a way for students to learn sustainability in the context of intentional communities at a reasonable cost, and earn college credit. Web: www.siriuscommunity.org/ LR/SummerInstitute.html. Email: info@LivingRoutes.org.
The Geo Communities Semester, formerly known as Geocommons College Program, is a semester-long journey into ecology, community, and mindful living. Students and faculty spend ten days at a Buddhist monastery in southwest France; two months in southern India at an ecovillage and spiritual community; and ten days at a Gandhian community promoting village renewal. The Findhorn Community Semester program in sustainable living weaves together experiential study of community, creative spirituality, and ecology through a living/learning immersion in life at the Findhorn Foundation in northern Scotland. Sixteen semester credits are available through Pacific Lutheran University. The Crystal Waters Permaculture Practicum is a three-week course that looks at human interaction as an ecology of organisms in a complex web of interrelationships. Most of the course is spent at Crystal Waters, a well-established Permaculture Community on 640 acres in Queensland, Australia. The hands-on curriculum addresses the environmental and social challenges of our day and enables students to gain direct experience in the application of Permaculture principles in addressing those challenges. Four semester credits are available through Pacific Lutheran University. For more information, contact Living Routes at 72 Baker Rd., Shutesbury, MA 01072. Tel: (888) 515-7333. Email: info @ livingroutes.org.
We are a publisher of wall maps and have 100's of maps we would like to donate to alternative education "classrooms". Do you have any idea of any organization that might provide funding/grants for the shipping charges? Take a look at our site if you like at www.ravenmaps.com. Any help you may have to offer would be appreciated. Thanks! info@ravenmaps.com
The Fellowship for Intentional Community’s Communities Directory 2000 and its companion video, Visions of Utopia: Intentional Communities, are now available. These essential reference tools are for anyone involved in or interested in exploring Community. The Directory includes listings of more than 600 Intentional Communities in the US, feature articles, maps, charts, and resources. The two-hour video includes profiles of 18 communities, coverage of the people and their daily lives, exploration of the ‘glue’ that holds communities together, what works and what doesn’t, and a brief history of shared living. Directory/Communities, 138-EB Twin Oaks Road, Louisa, VA 23093. Tel: (800) 462-8240. Fax: (540) 894-4112. Web: http://www.ic.org/fic/cdir/order.html
Thanks to an AEROlist member who reminded us that the Milton and Rose Friedman Foundation promotes school vouchers and helps to establish private voucher initiatives in many states in the US. They also have a series of pamphlets that tell the history of the voucher movement and offer a lot of insightful arguments in favor of school choice. They have a website at www.friedmanfoundation.org.
A 16-year-old student of the Puget Sound Community School, John-Michael Spangler, wrote an article called “A Week in the Life of a PSCS Student.” In it he describes his week of activities at the school. Monday’s tutorial was ‘Horse Race Handicapping’ in which students learn to keep a balance sheet. Tuesday’s field trip was swimming, a favorite activity. Wednesday marked the beginning of a new community service project. Thursday was the day John does his apprenticeship program at the Raptor Center at Woodland Park Zoo. Friday was another tutorial, this one in origami. Then he made plans for a discussion class he was giving on the meaning of life. He concludes with: “Did I mention I love school? Do I need to?” The article is available from PSCS, PO Box 51026, Seattle, WA 98115. Web: www.pscs.org.
Note from CM: Jerry did a consultation with this family and arranged for the son to go to the Meeting School, in Rindge, NH. This is an update on their progress: “Just got our double issue of The Education revolution and cannot wait to sit and read. Thanks for all you do. I love it and recommend it every chance I get. Sequoia is a senior at TMS now. During intersession, he visited a few intentional communities...Sirius, Agape...and then did the Darma Peace walk for a week. He traveled down to the Appalachian Trail and hiked. He visited with some other students and camped out and stayed in budget well. No problems...even though at times I felt worried...the mother thing. But he communicated well and is doing amazing; so mature and grown up. He is graduating this year. O Jerry. We walk in gratitude for this day -- June 11 -- to you and so many others. Know that you are in our thoughts and the work you do is never forgotten. It is the big healing work of the planet...raising up peacemakers like Sequoia. Helene Van Manen.” Thank you, Helene, for your wonderful letter. We are delighted to hear how well Sequoia is doing! Our continued best wishes to you!
THREE SUPPORT LETTERS “I can't tell you how much I enjoy the aerolist. It is a lifeline to me here in ultra-conservative Reno. Between the AEROlist and Andy Smallman's gang at Puget Sound Community School, I find the strength to keep jousting at this windmill.” From Hank "Quixote" Sosnowski. Email: M.Hatta@att.net.
“Jerry, I’ve been meaning to get back to you and tell you how seriously impressed I was with the slick little mag you're putting out! Good stuff. So good I lost it somewhere here in the house walking around reading it... Too much reading material, not enough house I spoze.” From Mary McCarthy. Email: hslrawa@sandwich.net.
“Hi Jerry, I find the IDEC communication fantastic and so informative & interesting for me. Not only for the Summerhill updates but it's so wonderful to see how democracy and independent education is interpreted and put into play in other parts of the world. Thanks so much! It's because of your kindness and extra effort that I get this e-mail! Two of the people on the "contact list" may have their students become pen pals with my photo and journal-writing students. I can’t wait for this to begin. Thanks for your effort with IDEC, best of luck with all your projects!” From Denise.
Book Reviews Challenging Assumptions in Education I have just published my long-awaited sequel to the best selling book Revolution in Public Education based on my 25 years experience with home-based learning. Subtitled “From Institutionalized Education to a Learning Society”, it encourages both individuals and policy makers to work towards demolishing the one-size-fits-all, industrialized model of processing and warehousing students. In its place I propose a community-based, individualized learning society, which would accommodate learners of all ages, interests, abilities and styles.
Here’s a quote from the back cover: “Our outdated assumptions about how children learn are crippling both our young people and our collective well-being. Only by challenging these assumptions will we be able to replace a system that is not relevant to the lives of today’s young people. We must give up on the hierarchical, coercive, mass market, industrial model of education because it impedes learning and enslaves children. Then we need to create opportunities and infrastructures that respect children as individuals, that help them learn, and that equip them to meet the immense economic, social and environmental challenges of this century.” Challenging Assumptions in Education was launched at Home Learning Conference 2000, presented by The Home Based Learning Network at the University of Ottawa on April 29. Details and ordering information for the book are available at http://www.life.ca/books/cae.html. I am also available to speak at conferences; details can be found at http://www.life.ca/assumptions. Wendy Priesnitz, founder of Canadian Alliance of Home Schoolers, editor of Natural Life magazine, http://www.life.ca, 1-800-215-9574, wendy@life.ca
And the Skylark Sings With Me: Adventures in Homeschooling and Community Based Education, by David Albert (reviewed by Michelle Senzon) This is a fantastic book for home educators and learners of all ages. Albert tells the stories of his family's journey of learning and the many ways they supplemented their education by participating in community events and by searching out passionate, knowledgeable teachers for their two daughters, Meera and Ali. The modern movement, from the individual homeschooling family to Community-Based Learning is the next step in progressive education. David Albert and his family are at the forefront of the movement. And the skylark Sings With Me is an exceptional guide and support for homeschoolers as they go forth on the boundless journey of learning. People can read a sample chapter at www.skylarksings.com
Doing it Their Way: home-based Education and Autonomous Learning, by Jan Fortune-Wood Autonomous Education allows children and young people to develop the lifelong habit of being self-directed and intrinsically motivated learners. This is a process that looks remarkibly unlike anything we expect to see from our schools.
This book is a bit more academically analytical that other recent homeschool books, perhaps because, although homeschooling four children in England, Jan is an Episcopal parish priest in Birmingham. I think it provides a perspective not often seen, of great interest.
Three years ago I had a very nice time visiting the Fortune-Wood family when speaking to a group in Birmingham interested in flexi-schooling.
Educational Heretics Press, 113 Arundel Dr, Bramcote Hills, Nottingham NG9 3FQ, 0115 925, 7261, www.gn.apc.org/edheretics JM
Reviews by Steve Rosenthal: The Democratic Classroom Art Pearl and Tony Knight's argument for a democratic classroom is based on the premise that "the world is faced with difficult problems that can not be solved without a democratic process." School should prepare every person to be an informed and responsible democratic citizen. The majority of the book is dedicated to an explanation of the four attributes of a democratic classroom.
1) Knowledge that students need to solve important problems should be available to all students. "In order for everyone to accept the definition of important knowledge, everyone needs to be involved in the debate over the definition."
2) The classroom should be run democratically. "One can only learn to be a democratic citizen by practicing democratic citizenship. Presently nowhere is democratic citizenship less respected than in school. Nowhere is disrespect for democracy more consistently taught by practice and policy than in school. In the great majority of classrooms students know that the teacher is the boss and whatever she/he says goes."
3) Four "inalienable" rights should be guaranteed to all students-expression, privacy, due process and movement.
4) Everyone should have a fair share of the classroom resources and the school should ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to achieve success. The last part of The Democratic Classroom explains how a teacher can be prepared to teach in such a classroom. Throughout the book the authors suggest various ways of bringing democracy into the classroom: Encourage everyone to be a leader, try out different forms of democracy, allow youth culture and personal problems into the classroom. With The Democratic Classroom Pearl and Knight offer more than 300 pages of theory for democratic education. The Democratic Classroom is published by Hampton Press, Inc., Cresskill,NJ.
Educating Children at Home by Alan ThomasThis book is based on the experiences of a hundred home educating families. The author finds that "all children make an incredible amount of intellectual progress during the first few years of life with little deliberate teaching." What's more conversational, non-sequential and incidental learning continue to be effective well into the shoal-age years.
Taking a special look at literacy and social development the author concludes that parents "utilizing what seemed to work best with each child." produced competent readers and homeschooling "does not appear to hamper the acquisition of social skills."
Homeschooling parents will no doubt recognize themselves in the many case histories documented in Educating Children at Home and feel reassured.
Educating Children at Home is published by Cassell.
High Tech Heretic by Clifford StollThis book focuses to a great extent on the computer in the classroom. He feels that "a high school graduate, intent on going to college should be able to use a word processor, manipulate a spreadsheet...and browse the World Wide Web. [But doesn't] need to be able to program spreadsheets or lay out databases," since software is so soon outdated.
He points out that throughout the twentieth century inventors and futurists have claimed the new technologies would revolutionize the classroom. In 1922 Edison prophesied that "the motion picture...will supplant...textbooks."
In 1945, William Levenson wrote in Teaching Through Radio "A portable radio receiver will be as common in the classroom as is the blackboard." "A campus with no library" was proposed by California State University Chancellor Barry Munitz in 1995 since computer's would soon replace books. Probably Stoll's greatest concern is that wiring schools comes at the expense of other resources. Schools drop art and music to pay for computers. A new teacher isn't hired to free up money for the Internet. Hands-on experiential teaching is replaced by computer simulations. During these days of Internet ecstasy a cautionary look at computers may seem outrageous. However, the engagement is the best time to take a critical look at the likely outcome of a marriage.
High Tech Heretic is published by Doubleday.
Standardized Minds by Peter Sack In 1983 A Nation at Risk: Imperative for Education Reform claimed "the educational foundation of our society is presently being eroded." This conclusion was based on the results of standardized tests. The premise of Standardized Minds is that standardized tests are a poor predictor of a person's performance.
"Your father's occupation is a better predictor of SAT scores than virtually any other factor."
Furthermore these tests do much more harm than giving misleading results. Low standardized test scores convince kids that they will never succeed and cause them to be ostracized by their friends. Schools are motivated to teach to the tests, allow kids to bring tests home and give out answers in class. The country as a whole wastes millions of dollars on standardized tests. In 1997 America spent $200 million in public schools, twice as much as they spent ten years earlier.
Real education reform will begin when America gives up its addiction to measurements and focuses on helping kids learn.
Standardized Minds is published by Perseeus Books, Cambridge, MA.
An "A" in Life: Famous Home Schoolers, by Mac and Nancy Plent If anyone ever says to you,"Homeschooling! Your children won't amount to anything if they don't go to school!" give them a copy of An "A" in Life: Famous Home Schoolers.
Seventeen presidents of the United States were homeschooled including Abraham Lincoln. Over 100 actors, entrepreneurs, inventors, singers and writers were also homeschooled. Woody Allen, Andrew Carnegie, Thomas Edison, Irving Berlin and Robert Frost are all listed in this book.
The simple fact is that public education in the U.S. has only been around for about 150 years.
Spiced up with stories like how Mrs. Edison took her son out of school after only three months when she found out his teacher used a leather strap, An "A" in Life is a real pick-me-up for those days when you’re wondering if you are doing the right thing. It can be ordered from the Unschoolers Network, 2 Smith St, Farmingdale, NJ 07727.
Home Education News Learning Without Lessons, By Sherry Parmet, UNION-TRIBUNE, March 26, 2000While thousands of kids throughout California are subjected to testing on a regimented set of rigorous state standards, members of a growing, largely unknown movement of parents such as Anita Peterson believe their children learn best when left alone to learn what they want, when they want -- or nothing at all. That is not to say they aren't learning. They are absorbing knowledge all the time, but they just are not constrained by grade-level expectations or lesson plans, Peterson said.
She subscribes to an unorthodox style of learning called "unschooling," which first gained prominence in the 1970s. Educator John Holt, who coined the term, believed children should learn at their own pace by following their own interests so that they form a love for learning, rather than fighting the process. Unschooling differs from traditional homeschooling and classroom schooling in that parents typically teach without using lesson plans, schedules or any other obvious structure. Instead, the world is their classroom. William Lloyd, researcher for the National Home Education Research Institute, said some unschoolers lag behind their traditional home-schooled counterparts initially, but in the long run they excel.
Six-year-old Aaron Peterson doesn't use textbooks or take tests. He doesn't go to school, and at home his mother doesn't make demands. She wouldn't dream of ordering him to memorize vocabulary words or do pen and paper math. Or write or read. But somehow he's learning -- soaking up knowledge like a thirsty sponge.
Researcher Lloyd estimated that of the 1.7 million homeschoolers nationwide about 15 percent -- 255,000 -- are unschoolers. There is little statistical evidence on how many parents teach their children this way or at what level these youngsters achieve. But there are unschooling organizations with a growing membership in every state in the nation, and probably more than 100 unschoolers in San Diego County. Unschooling, Lloyd said, resists the notion of the parent as the expert possessing all the knowledge. Instead, the parent acts as a co-learner, and the children learn to teach themselves.
Critics say there are gaps in the unschooling system that could cheat a child of an education. Mary Leppert, publisher of The Link, a Newbury Park-based newspaper for homeschoolers with a nationwide circulation of 100,000, said she hears too often about unschooled teen-agers lacking basic skills. "I've just seen how a lot of the kids end up feeling confused and frustrated because they don't know what to do with their time," she said. "I don't think it's going to kill a kids' creativity to force them to do some cursive writing or to learn their multiplication tables."
California does not have a law specifically authorizing home-schooling. However, children are allowed to learn at home if they are taught by a parent or a tutor with a teaching credential, said Carolyn Pirillo, deputy general counsel for the state Department of Education. Many unschoolers and other home-schoolers file a "private school affidavit" that establishes the home as a private school and requires no credentialed teacher. No testing requirements are imposed by the state. It's up to the parents to log their kids' activities for college entrance officials. At that point, many unschoolers will take the Scholastic Assessment Test. It's not uncommon for unschooling parents to hire tutors if their children want them, and for unschooling teen-agers to enroll in community college courses.
A flood of unschooling Web sites on the Internet highlight colleges that have admitted unschoolers, such as Harvard, Brown and Brigham Young. Other listings note schools with an unschooling bent. One is Hampshire College, where, theoretically, students could graduate without taking a single course. There are no letter grades but rather summary narratives. And there are few of the typical introductory classes such as English 101 or U.S. history that pack the schedules of most college freshmen. "Our president is fond of saying you can do anything at Hampshire, provided that you can persuade two faculty," said Audrey Smith, director of admissions at the accredited liberal arts college in Amherst, Mass., which has 1,150 students.
We have started a homeschooling co-op/community learning center on a shoestring, with about 10 families so far and growing. It is in a central location, and at a free rec center for the moment. Not perfect, but a place to start. Had the first meeting where the kids got to make a list of classes, clubs & activities they wanted to have; and they will run the next meeting. They (and I) are a little confused as to exactly how to move from where we are to where we want to be...and a few parents think the kids can't run it without them...but here we go! I'll keep you posted. I would like to order the video you have on running democratic meetings. I definitely need more education to help this process along. You and Aero have been most helpful...I hope you are still there! Norma Andes, 30375 Collosse Road, Carrsville, VA 23315.
“In this experiment, I have watched a group of children educate themselves in a far superior manner than I could have done for them if I had spent every waking hour teaching them in the usual manner. I am convinced that, had I done so, their progress would have been far less,” says Dr. Arthur Robinson on his family’s enormous homeschooling success. All of their six children have been entirely homeschooled, even after the death of Laurelee, Arthur’s wife, and Arthur attempted to take on the role of teacher. What evolved from there was a system largely created by the children that needed no teacher and was extraordinarily effective. The article, “My Children Teach Themselves,” first published in 1984, and Robinson’s Self-Teaching Curriculum are available from Oregon Institute of Science & Medicine, 2251 Dick George Road, Cave Junction, OR 97523.
Cheryl Lindsey Seelhoff compares and contrasts the homeschooling support groups that existed prior to 1983 to those that have emerged since then in her article “Who Stole Homeschooling?” Cheryl says that the earlier groups were far more inclusive, supportive, and relationship-focused than the latter, which were primarily launched by conservative Christian groups. A Christian herself, Cheryl laments today’s “exclusive, hierarchical homeschooling groups in which membership is strictly controlled, with homeschooling itself often held hostage to group definitions.” While there are still good groups, leaders, and support, they are becoming increasingly hard to find. “Homeschooling parents who are simply interested in the lives of their children and who are motivated only by what is best for those children, rarely, if ever, have the heard, the time, or the stomach for immersing themselves in the frenetic religious and political machinery which now drive the modern homeschooling movement. Their hearts belong to their children, and their children’s children, and the children of others whose lives they touch.” This article appeared in The Link – A Homeschool Newspaper, PMB 911, 587 N. Ventu Park Rd., Suite F, Newbury Park, CA 91320.
Legislation concerning homeschoolers in a bill put before the General Assembly of Kentucky proposes that a written declaration of intent to homeschool will be required of parents, that teachers of homeschoolers will be required to have a high school diploma, that students must take the state’s standardized tests, and that the place where the home study program is carried out will, at all times, be open to inspection by state officials. This bill is being vehemently opposed by the Kentucky Home Education Association, which believes it violates parents’ equal protection of the law under the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution. This information was reported in Thousandsticks News by Owen Morgan, PO Box 917, Hyden, KY 41749.
The Self-Education Foundation is “building a movement to support self-education and self-advocacy by strategically funding inspired community-based efforts.” From “How We Got Started” by Billy Winsatt, Co-Director: “I send out a letter outlining my ideas for the foundation and asking for $2,000 in contributions, which I promised to match. Out of those 500 letters, six donations came in, totaling $260. All six came from people under 25” With Emily Nepon, they started the foundation and decided to send $100 to each of 12 diverse groups, using mostly their own money. At about that time, they were contacted by Karl Muth who told them he had raised more than $3,000 on his own for the foundation, unbeknownst to Billy or Emily … Karl is 17! The groups this foundation supports are ones that they deem “the best in the country. Because self-education is the most powerful and most cost-effective form of education. because people need to control their own lives. Because institutions need to change, and these tiny groups are some of the pioneers who are turning this upside-down education system on its head… We are talent scouts for the self-education revolution and we need your commitment, your investment, your imagination, your support. The future is ours. Put your faith in us.” The Self-Education Foundation, PO Box 30790, Philadelphia, PA 19104-0790. Web: www.selfeducation.org.
North Star homeschool resource center has been very successful in its first year; however, the founders are planning on closing down at the beginning of June. They are hoping, though, that this will not be the end of North Star. There may be someone who is looking for an opportunity to start a full time, elementary age alternative school and run it as a democratic, non-coercive school. For more information, contact Kara WillowBrook at WillowWake@integrityol.com.
John & Kathy Perry are homeschooling parents and authors of The Complete Guide to Homeschooling, due out in August. Currently, they are researching information for their newest book that will feature individual stories from successful homeschooling graduates across the country. They have prepared a survey for the graduates to answer, along with information on how they can reach them. They need to contact as many graduates as possible over the next few months to give this project the attention it deserves. Write to them at 1230 Carriage, Richmond, TX 77469. Email: Perry4390@aol.com
A new documentary by Fernanda Rossi about homeschooling called Inventing a Girl is available now. The film takes an “informed and intimate look at the daily life of a nine-year-old girl who has never been to school…This documentary not only increases public knowledge of homeschooling, but also helps those families looking for alternative ways to educate their children.” –William Sanchez, Producer, WNJN, NJ. For more, visit: www.inventingagirl. com/released.html.
Public AlternativesCharter School News From Bellweather: Arizona Charter SchoolsIn 1999 about 35,000 Arizona students attended charter schools, about 4.5 percent of the total public school student population. Twenty-five new charter schools opened, and though a few are struggling, only one closed its doors. For the most part it was a good year for Arizona charter schools. Two of the six teachers who received the Milken Family Foundation's National Educator Awards in Arizona were charter school teachers.
The first class of graduates who had spent their entire high school career at a charter school graduated in the spring of 1999. These graduates represented a diverse group. Some had been dropouts. Some are teen parents. Some were looking for academic or artistic options not available at their district school. Whatever their reason for attending a charter school, all had the opportunity to choose a school that fit their particular needs.
Future charter school graduates will benefit from the new "Policy and Practice by Which Arizona's Public Universities Offer 'Regents' Waivers' to Academically Meritorious Arizona Students," which was drafted this spring by the Arizona Board of Regents. This new policy will require public state universities to grant tuition waivers to charter high school graduates under the same criteria as traditional graduates.
The first annual Arizona charter school parent satisfaction survey was released this fall. The survey is conducted by the State Board for Charter Schools and is a legal requirement. More than 66 percent of the parents gave their child's school an A or A+ with regard to overall quality of education.
Small School, Big IdeasCarol Sammans spent two decades working in the public schools system, and the system educated her well. Sammans was intrigued by a presentation regarding Howard Gardnerís Multiple Intelligences Theory. The Harvard professor contends that a person’s level of intelligence . . . is actually made up of autonomous faculties that can work individually or in concert with other faculties. Gardner identifies these as musical, bodily-kinesthetic, logical-mathematical, linguistic, spatial, interpersonal, and intrapersonal intelligences
Sammans designed and implemented a “mini-society’ with its own economy within her junior high classroom. It was a hit, not only with the kids, but also with other teachers. A school composed of small ‘cottages’ became Sammans’ dream. She approached the district with her ideas, but was told it was just too expensive. Then the charter law was passed. Along with partner Ann Peschka, Sammans developed a curriculum that would feature Gardner’s theory, her mini-society, and small classes.
Their charter was approved and EduPreneurship Student Center opened in the fall of 1995. Students are placed in one of four multi-age ‘cottages’ according to their academic achievement. Students spend about two years in each cottage. Material is presented in an active, hands-on environment, characterized by Sammans as a holistic approach. In order to move up, students must demonstrate mastery of skills that are aligned with state standards.
The entrepreneurial aspect of the school provides a unique teaching tool. The character of the EduPreneurship schools is greatly influenced by their small size. The two sites have a combined population of about 160 and a total staff of thirteen. This lean approach allows ESC to pay salaries that are competitive with districts. It also permits the entire staff to sit down together on a regular basis to talk about what is working and what is not. This gives teachers a much more influential role than is possible in a large district.
Degrees of AccomplishmentThis spring, two Arizona high school seniors will graduate from college just days before receiving their high school diplomas. While it has become commonplace for high school students to take an occasional college courses, this is a most unusual event. These Arizona Agribusiness and Equine Center (AAEC) charter school students are living proof of the positive changes possible when innovation is encouraged, not stifled. The charter school is located on the campus of the South Mountain Community College (SMCC) and specializes in applied sciences, mathematics and agricultural subjects. The partnership between AAEC and SMCC has made possible not only an enhanced educational experience for the high school students, but also represents an efficient use of taxpayer dollars. The accomplishments of these students were made possible through the concept of dual enrollment. In addition to getting an early start on their college education, AAEC pays the students SMCC tuition. The school allots 10 percent of its operating budget for tuition expenses, although actual costs are lower because not all students take college classes.
Just the FactsUntil now, much of the debate about charter schools has been based on anecdotal evidence, allegations and unsubstantiated claims. However, there are now a significant number of charter schools that have been operating for at least five years. This should provide an adequate data set for empirical research that will provide real answers for parents, policy makers and educators. In response to this need for research, the Goldwater Institute's Center for Market-Based Education and the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation recently sponsored the Charter School Research Conference. The purpose of the event was to bring together a diverse group of researchers and scholars with different degrees of skepticism about the charter school movement to develop a research agenda for the future. The goal then is to use the knowledge gained in research to improve outcomes.
There are a number of factors that make charter school research difficult. Because there are significant differences in the state laws that govern charters, there is naturally a great difference in the schools themselves. In addition, the varying curricula and pedagogies make comparisons difficult. Some charters are much more like district schools than other charters. A recent study of teachers and school choice suggests that at least in the short term, school choice is good for both charter and district public school teachers. Parent satisfaction surveys as research were discussed. Many at the conference were interested in the authorizing/monitoring processes. More generally researchers would like to consider the role of government relative to charter schools. While there is evidence that charter schools had a positive impact on district schools in Michigan, there are still many questions about the effect of charters on districts. Special education is also an area that is ripe for research. Nationally, about 11 percent of all students are ‘special ed.’ In charters that figure is about 8 percent
The proceedings of this conference will be published by the Goldwater Institute and will be available this summer. The results of the research will take longer but we believe will provide important information for everyone interested in improving public education.
The National Center for Alternative Education has recently been created in Indianapolis. It will concentrate exclusively on public alternative schools of the (Raywid) Type I category. Type I alternative schools and programs will be listed along with research data, publications, alternative national trainers, alternative assessment methods, and state laws covering alternative schools. Website: http://www.natalted.org.
On March 7 a National Forum was held by Indiana’s Alternative Education Conference in Columbus. Participants learned about effective public alternative education practices and about trends in educational alternatives in the US. It was a follow-up to a documentary produced by Bill Moyers 10 years ago. Speakers included Robert Barr, Steve Boncheck, Carl Boyd, Jerry Conrath, Tom Gregory, Arnie Langberg, Jay MeGee, Joe Nathan, Bill Perrett, and Mary Anne Raywid. A video of the Forum will be aired on PBS and is available from Bill Barton, Director of Alternative Education, Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp., Columbus, IN 47201. Tel: (812) 376-4301.
When New York’s Education Commissioner Richard Mills rejected allowing some of the most highly regarded alternative schools to substitute projects for standardized tests, it was seen as a warning signal for the future of alternative schools. According to the article, “More No. 2 Pencils at Alternative Schools” by Marjorie Coeyman, “As many states require students to pass standardized tests in order to graduate, the creative evaluation methods have put alternative schools at odds with state policymakers.” The author also asked Jerry Mintz of AERO when alternative schools began in the United States. He said that in the 1920’s and 30’s, Montessori and Waldorf schools became popular, as well as the progressive school movement based on the work of John Dewey. WWII and the rise of teachers unions had a chilling effect on such experiments. The movement again gained momentum in the 1960’s, in part because of the publication of Summerhill, by AS. Neill. This article was published in The Christian Science Monitor, Feb. 8, 2000.
The Iowa Association of Alternative Education has started up an alternative education webring. What a webring does is link websites of similar content together; in this case, alternative education web sites. This allows people looking for alternative education resources an easier way to find them. They are just starting the ring, and have two sites, IAAE and EXCEL Alternative School. To join the ring and see it in action, visit www.iaae.net.
Jerry Mintz did a demonstration of democratic decision-making process with the School For The Physical City, a public alternative in New York City. There were forty students, and there is hope that the school may choose to become the first democratic school in the New York area. The teacher who invited him will become co-director next year: “I was that teacher and I would like to thank Jerry publicly for the terrific demonstration. Eight proposals were voted on by the class during the two-hour time, 6 were sent to the administration and 4 were implemented by the next day. Two were scheduled for further discussion. It was a terrific event that should have longer-term ramifications. Thanks Jerry.” Michael.
Alumni Stories CORRECTION On Page 7 of Education Revolution Issue #28 a mistake was made as to the authorship of Commentary on Summerhill Situation by a Summerhill Graduate'. We mixed up our Gusses! The author was actually Gus Griffin, not Gus Dudgeon. Gus Griffin is not a former graduate of Summerhill, but rather of Barker Free School (Vancouver, Canada) - but he has since been officially adopted by Summerhill in December - so we almost got that part right.
From hajime_noguchi@yahoo.com: I was very unconfident at school and never was one to speak in front of a whole class, but school meetings helped me to speak out to the community and have my own opinion, which many people, especially in Japan, do not have. Also I was not able to play any sports or to carry out any other activities due to being shy and skinny, but Summerhill has helped me a lot in that respect. In my final years, I was a member of a social committee and took part in school basketball, football, and volleyball teams! I spent 7 years at Summerhill and as I grew older, I became more experienced about how Summerhill was run and understood how I could improve it. This school is run by a community that is always trying to improve; this school is flexible and I believe Summerhill is now better than how I used to know. I'm now at University of Nottingham doing Maths and Physics as a scholarship student. I'm really having a good time here. I have no regrets about Summerhill and I can proudly say MY LIFE IS GREAT! I think no one school can suit everyone and one must also make an effort to fit in anywhere. I must remind everyone that it is not a perfect place like everywhere else, but it makes me feel at home when I go back to Summerhill.
International News and CommunicationsAlbania/BelgiumOn behalf of Teachers Without Borders - Belgium, I visited a school in Novosej, a small remote mountain village in the North East of Albania, near the border of Kosovo. The school has no electricity at all and no water. The teachers have no materials, no equipment, the classrooms are heated by small wood - burning stoves, which means that the children in the front are heated but the children in the back are freezing. There is new furniture donated by a relief organization, and on one side of the building the windows are renovated with money from the Soros Foundation. The books used by the English language teacher are completely out of date and falling apart. And yet there are friendly teachers who try to teach under such miserable circumstances. The government of Albania has no money to improve the situation because Albania is a completely ruined country. It is not easy to boost the economy, and there is a lot of fraud and Mafia going on. Although the people in the village are poor, they gave me an extremely warm welcome. Of course, I was coming with a message of hope, because Teachers Without Borders - Belgium has committed itself to help the school by all means. Teachers Without Borders is a non-profit organization of volunteers in Flanders, Belgium, created in December 1997. They have collected school materials and English books for refugee centers in Flanders and for two schools in Ukraine. During November, eight of the volunteers were in the Rogers Person Centered School in Budapest to do some maintenance work. Next year they are planning a project to assist a school in Albania. Teachers Without Borders also exists in Wallonia, Belgium, in France, and in the French speaking part of Switzerland. They organize in-service trainings for teachers in Burkina and Senegal, Africa. Paul Aerts, Jachthoornlaan 76, B-2970 Schilde, Tel & Fax: +32 (0)3 658 44 57. E-mail: aerts@glo.be
AUSTRALIACongratulations to Connect on their 20th Anniversary! In the 120th issue is an article called “Student Led Conference: Student Participation in Assessment and Reporting.” In 1999, the Point Clare Public School decided to implement a new approach to reporting to parents. “The children conducted student-led conferences as part of the traditional parent/teacher interviews…The conferences provided an opportunity for parents to accept their child’s evaluation of his or her accomplishments and to provide them with support and encouragement for his or work at school.” Both students and parents responded very positively to the conferences, and the school plans to continue this form of reporting. Connect, 12 Brooke Street, Northcote 3070, Victoria, Australia. BELGIUMDe Weide School in Belgium was founded in 1973, based on the ideas of A.S. Neill and others. The school is run democratically by parents and teachers; the rules are made by the children and teachers. Lessons are not compulsory. A small-scale school, it is partly state-funded and parents pay a small fee. Email: degroteweide@belgacom.net. De Weide, St. Appoloniastraat, 11 9420 Erpe Mere, Belgium.
CANA |