Category: News

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Visit an alternative school instead of taking the test!

Brooklyn Free School

Jerry Mintz

For the last two years, in cooperation with Fairtest, AERO member schools have provided a place for students to go whose families have opted them out of high stakes testing. We are doing that again this year for families choosing to opt their children out of the draconian, year-end, high-stakes testing at their public schools. It is every parent's right to do this. Alternative, learner-centered schools in AERO's network are volunteering to let students who have opted out to visit their schools during this time. Visiting another school is usually an excused absence at most schools. We have had a great initial response from our network of schools happy to do this. We're hoping many more are added to the list. If your school is open to this, just write to jerryaero@aol.com. If you are a parent interested in opting out your student from these tests and don't see a school near you on this list, you can write to us and we'll suggest one near you for you to contact. But we expect the large majority of schools listed as AERO member schools would be happy to accommodate you.

Here is the list so far:

  • Tutorial School, 400 Brunn School Road, Santa Fe, NM 87505, 505-988-1859, tutorialschool@yahoo.com
  • Brooklyn Free School, 372 Clinton Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11238, Lily Mercogliano, Executive Director, 718-499-2707
  • Raw Learning, gleamer@rawlearning.org, Staunton, VA
  • Parts and Crafts, Somerville, MA, contact@partsandcrafts.org Kelly Taylor, 617-207-8016
  • Voyagers’ Community School, 321 West Farms Road, Farmingdale, NJ 07727, 732.842.1660, Karen Giuffre’, Founding Director, Director@voyagerskids.com, www.voyagerskids.com
  • Mandala School, East Aurora, NY, 716-374-0678, DrJohn@MandalaSchool.org
  • Upattinas School, 429 Greenridge Rd., Glenmoore, PA 19343, 610.458.5138, office@upattinas.org, www.upattinas.org
  • Pacem School, 29 College Street, Montpelier, VT 05602, 802.223.1010, lexi.shear@post.harvard.edu
  • Yellow Wood Learning Community, 99 SW 14th Street, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33315, http://ywlc.org/
  • Liberty Learning Center, Cheri Isett, 2005 Ave T Lubbock, TX 79411, 806-744-9133
  • Princeton Learning Cooperative, www.PrincetonLearningCooperative.org, 609-851-2522, 16 All Saints Road, Princeton, NJ 08540, Mailing Address: P.O. Box 167, Princeton, NJ 08542
  • Little Lake Learning Community, Melissa Palma, (734) 218-4877, melissa@littlelakelc.org, Physical Address: 3257 Lohr Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, Mailing Address: 560 Little Lake Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48103, Website: www.littlelakelc.org
  • The NewGate School (Montessori Foundation Lab School), 5237 Ashton Road, Sarasota, FL 34233, 1-941-922-4949, 1-941-922-7660 (fax), Lorna McGrath, lornamcgrath@montessori.org
  • North Star, 135 Russell St., Hadley, MA 01035, 413-582-0193, Ken@northstarteens.org
  • Longview School, 83 Main St., Brewster, NY, mark@longviewschool.org, 914-739-3402
  • Clonlara School, Chandra Montgomery Nicol, 1289 Jewett Ann Arbor, MI 48104, 734-769-4511, Chandra@clonlara.org
  • The Attic Learning Community, Tracy L. Ruef, www.the-attic.org, Bothel, WA, admin@the-attic.org, 425-424-0800
  • The Birch School & Homeschool Resource Center, Kate Fox, Rock Tavern NY, kate@thebirchschool.org, (845) 361-2267
  • Whole Life Learning Center, www.wholelifelearningcenter.com, 10801 Old San Antonio Rd., Austin, TX 78704, 512.944.0279
  • Rainbow Mountain Children’s School, Renee Owen, 574 Haywood Road, Ashville, NC 28806, (828) 258-9264 ext. 11, http://www.rmcs.org/category/directors-blog/
  • Anchorage Waldorf School, Jann Douple Mylet, 3250 Baxter Road, Anchorage, AK 99504, Tel: 907-333-9062 | Fax: 907-338-9362, www.waldorfak.org, enroll@waldorfak.org
  • Youth Initiative High, www.yihs.net, jacob@yihs.net, 608-637-6445, 500 E. Jefferson St. #302, Viroqua, WI 54665
  • Shepherd Valley Waldorf School, 6500 West Dry Creek Parkway, Niwot, CO 80503, 303-652-0130, www.shepherd valley.org
  • Arthur Morgan School, Bridget O’Hara, Admissions Coordinator, 60 AMS Circle, Burnsville NC 28714, 828-675-4262, admissions@arthurmorganschool.org, www.arthurmorganschool.org
  • Billings Educational Academy, Billings, MT, 406-248-4031, Margo Haak, margoloveskids@yahoo.com
  • Mountain Laurel Sudbury School, 147 West Main Street, New Britain, CT 06052, www.mountainlaurelsudbury.org, info@mountainlaurelsudbury.org, 860-828-4077, Contact: Sean Vivier or Marie Sampson
  • Waldorf School of Massachusetts, Bay 160 Lexington St., Belmont, MA 02478, 617-489-6600 x11, www.waldorfhighschool.org, s.morris@waldorfhighschool.org
  • Northwest Free School, 1427 Queen Ave. N.E., Renton, WA 98056, 425-228-0345, northwestfreeschool@yahoo.com
  • Madrona School, Missi Goss, Head of School, 219 Madison Ave., S Bainbridge Island, WA 98110, 206-855-8041, www.madronaschool.org
  • Alger Learning Center & Independence High School, John Lackey, Director, 121 Alder Drive, Sedro-Woolley, WA 98284, Main Office: (360) 595-2630, Toll Free: (800) 595-2630, Registrar: (360) 595-2670, Fax: (360) 595-1141, www.independent-learning.com
  • Agile Learning Center, tomis@manhattanfreeschool.org, 115 E 106th St., 2nd Floor New York, NY 10029, www.manhattanfreeschool.org
  • Four Winds School, Eloise Michael, 54 French King Highway, Gill, MA 01354, (413) 863-8055, www.fourwindsschool.info
  • Sunset Sudbury School, 4200 NW 66th Ave., Davie, FL 33024, 954-404-7785, www.sunsetsudbury.org
  • The Brooklyn Waldorf School, 11 Jefferson Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11238, (718) 783-3270, www.brooklynwaldorf.org
  • Honolulu Waldorf School, 350 Ulua Street, Honolulu, HI 96821, 808-377-5471
  • Gaia Democratic School, 3754 Pleasant Ave, Minneaoilis, MN 55409. 612 728 1198, www.Gaiademocratic.org
  • Sussex School, www.sussexschool.org, 1800 S 2nd St W, Missoula, MT 59801, (406) 549-8327
  • Pacem School and Homeschool, 4 Trement St, Montpelier, VT 05602, 802-229-9810
  • Tall Grass Sudbury School, 82 Woodside Rd, Riverside, IL 60546, 708-777-1037
  • Deep Root Center, PO Box 424, Canton, NY 13617, www.deeprootcenter.org
  • Longview School, 63 Main St, Brewster, NY 10509, Longviewschool.org, 914-739-3402
  • Skybridge Academy, Austin, TX, Ariel Miller ariel@skybridgeatx.com, 512-739-4956
  • Borsodi's / Bayou Learning Center, 322 N. St. Patrick St., New Orleans, Louisiana, 70119, 504-210-8275
  • Wheels of Life School, Bellingham, WA, 360-393-1652
  • The Grauer Schools, 1500 S. El Camino Real, Encinitas, CA, 92024, www.grauerschool.com, 760-944-6777
  • Village Home Education Resource Center, Portland, OR, www.villagehome.org, lori.walker@villagehome.org, 503-597-9100
  • Mountain Sun Community School, 71 Keystone Camp Rd.
    Brevard, NC, 28712, 828-885-2555, www.mountainsunschool.org
  • Santa Lucia School, 1460 Plum Orchard Lane, Templeton, CA 93465, (805) 434-2217
  • Leeway Sudbury School, 40 Cherokee Ave, San Diego CA, 92104,   (619)900-4436
  • South Mountain Co-op, 240 Franklin Ave, Maplewood, NJ 07040. (973) 327-3281
  • Horizons Schoool, 1900 Dekalb Ave. SE, Atlanta, GA 30307, 404 378 2219 Horizonsschool.com
  • Your school here! Email jerryaero@aol.com
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Exclusive Report from AERO Member School in Kyiv, Ukraine

Jerry Mintz

AERO has member schools in Ukraine, two of which are in Kyiv. So we were concerned about their welfare and recently talked to Yaraslav, whose democratic homeschool resource center we visited in 2010, on our way to helping the Stork Family School in Vinnitsa, celebrate it’s 20th anniversary. Yaroslav said, "We were closed only one day in one school and two days in the second school. All is good, nobody was hurt. I've went to Maidan (the square in Kyiv) when things became peaceful. I saw barricades, made of everything at once, a lot of people in different outfits and good mood. You could see that those were the people who went out to demonstrate for their right to freedom and democracy. You could feel it, actually. There were a lot of campfires (for warmth) and wood for it and a lot of smoke everywhere so if you closed your eyes you could feel like you were at a barbecue. But when you opened them, you could see the real situation. It's just the economics is staggering after all those events. Now, everybody is back at school so we are moving on."

He further wrote to us:

Park school (or DIXI-school – as we named it this year, www.parkschool.com.ua) is doing fine – I am trying to get schools to the next level of student's learning and mutual satisfaction. Coursera courses are extremely valuable for me now – got me thinking and changing a lot in the system. The resource is just absolutely great. So, I'm in the process of intensive learning myself, passing the knowledge to the teachers and upgrading the system.

Unfortunately, I believe due to the recent events, the economic situation in the country really got worse and we lost some kids because their parents couldn't afford the tuition. So we are struggling to keep moving financially right now (I'm laying off one teacher) but we'll pull through, I'm sure of it. I didn't have those problems even in the financial crisis of 2008-2009, but now I feel it.

A couple of words about the general situation in the country. I didn't ask every one of 46 million Ukrainians about their beliefs, but I and all my close and distant friends strongly and unanimously believe two things. 

First: educated and middle-class and upper-class people in Ukraine rose up against the corrupt government and overthrow it (it's really people, not opposition party) and are satisfied with the new government and the changes in the country that are being made by it and general mood after the Revolution.

Second: there's some conspiracy about the situation in Crimea. Two things are clear: Russia destabilizes the situation there, Ukraine doesn't want to give Crimea to Russia and doesn't react to provocations but doesn't have clear positions as well. What are people in Crimea thinking about that – I don't know – too much propaganda is around. What is the Russian plan? – I don't know either. I know for sure that Russian-speaking Ukrainians never were in any danger for all these years.

There's not a person that I know that thinks differently. Hope that everything will come to terms. It's just unfortunately, I don't know how. 

By the way, with new government, it seems to me that the situation with home schools and home education in general might get better. They are very open at the moment. I know at the moment about the existence of about six homeschool centers in Kyiv and region!

We will have our first conference (more a workshop) for about 20 people on the 30th of March.

All the best to AERO!

Best wishes,

Yaroslav

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Brooklyn Free School Early Childhood Teacher

Brooklyn Free School is now accepting applications from interested teachers for the 2014-2015 school year. Our early childhood program is growing. We seek a teacher who is a self-starter, energetic, creative and highly motivated, who can establish positive relationships with parents and colleagues.  Applicants must have early childhood/elementary teaching experience, Early childhood certification, and an interest in actively and joyfully engaging with young learners in multiple ways. The school is located in the Clinton Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY.  Teachers receive an annual salary of approximately $42,000 and employee health insurance. Teachers will report to work on Tuesday, September 2, 2014.  Teachers are expected to work full time, including 5-10 evenings for occasional meetings and events.  Teachers receive time off for all school holidays and breaks and during the summer months.

Brooklyn Free School engages students and staff in democratic decision-making and problem solving. We honor student choice and facilitate student centered learning through play and exploration, constructivist teaching, collaborative course work and self-directed student initiatives. We support social and emotional development through conflict mediation, personal reflection, diversity awareness and community responsibility.  For more information visit our website: www.brooklynfreeschool.org

We seek a staff that reflects the diversity of our community.  Candidates of color are encouraged to apply.

To Apply: Submit a cover letter, current resume, three references, including one from an educational supervisor, and any additional information you think we should consider in evaluating you as a candidate. Strong applications will succinctly address the following questions:

  • What makes you a strong candidate for the position?
  • What assets/skills/knowledge would you bring to this position?
  • What challenges do you anticipate and how do expect to address these challenges?

All materials and inquiries need to be submitted electronically as an attachment or in the body of an email to: hiring@brooklynfreeschool.org

The deadline to receive full consideration is Friday April 4th, 2014.

All candidates will be informed if they were selected for a first-round interview on a rolling basis through April 11th, with an anticipated hiring decision made by May 16th.

Brooklyn Free School is an equal opportunity employer.