Category: News

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Exit Stage Left: National Coalition of Alternative Community Schools (NCACS)

ncacs
 
Editor's Note from Jerry Mintz: As you can see in the article below, the National Coalition of Alternative Community Schools has just announced its closing. I was involved with the NCACS for many years.

 

In some ways this stems from the meeting a few of us had with Jonathan Kozol in a church basement in Boston around 1974. We talked about creating a national organization of alternatives. The NCACS was created a few years later but the original organizers then dropped it a few years after that. Pat Montgomery of Clonlara then resurrected it.
 
I learned a lot from the NCACS after getting involved again in the 1980's and this helped in the creation of AERO, which in some ways continues its work.
 
Exit Stage Left by Pat Montgomery 
 
Thirty six years ago the National Coalition of Alternative Community Schools opened its doors as a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization. Its members are people who founded and/or staffed alternative schools and programs or home schools. They were then, and still are, dedicated to the precepts of the NCACS by-laws: 
  • empowering youngsters and adults to actively and collectively direct their own lives;
  • placing the control of education in the hands of the learners-students, parents, teachers; and
  • developing tools and skills to work for social justice.
These commitments marked the NCACS at the outset as one-of-a-kind. Over the years, more and more individuals and groups embraced the same beliefs to the point where, today, more people the world over practice and promote empowerment, self-directed learning, and social justice. The networking skills of Jerry Mintz, for example, have spread the word throughout the world. People in every clime who work for social justice and empowerment have coalesced. The forum of IDEC allows like-minded people to meet in person, to visit schools and programs in various parts of the globe, and to share. The work started by NCACS continues and reverberates through these and other similar efforts.

One of the treasures of the NCACS was its annual conference – from 1978 through 2009. In these assemblies, students of all ages, staff members from schools and programs, and parents presented workshops, seminars, and dramatic presentations, living and playing together for a week or so. All participated. The only restrictions to attending were in the regulation passed by those assembled at the Arizona gathering in 1983: no banned substances, no alcohol, and no objects which could be construed as weapons were permitted at any conference site, throughout the duration of the event. Youngsters from all over the U.S., from Canada, Japan, Columbia and from several other countries, were able to form friendships and stay in touch during the year. Talented youngsters – like Isaac, Takatomo, Angela, Eric, Webb and Josh and Kim (to cite but a few) – grabbed the banner of active participation in one's own learning processes and ran with it.

On April 1, 2014, the National Coalition quietly closed its doors with a tip of the hat to all of the AEROs and IDECs and IDEAs and others that carry on. Long may its principles prevail! 

Pat Montgomery
April 2, 2014  

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Brooklyn Free School on This American Life

Brooklyn Free School (www.brooklynfreeschool.org) was featured in Act Three which starts at the 38 minute, 53 second mark of the MP3 here. Let us know what you think!

ACT THREE. MINOR AUTHORITIES.
Jyllian Gunther visits The Brooklyn Free School, where there are no courses, no tests and no homework, and where the kids decide everything about how the school is run, including discipline. Jyllian is a filmmaker, working on a documentary called Growing Small. (16 minutes)
Song: “If the Kids are United (They’ll Never Be Divided)”, Sham-69

This American Life is a weekly public radio show broadcast on more than 500 stations to about 1.7 million listeners. It is produced by Chicago Public Media, distributed by Public Radio International, and has won all of the major broadcasting awards. It is also often the most popular podcast in the country, with more than a half million people downloading each week. From 2006-2008, we produced a television version of This American Life on the Showtime network, which won three Emmys and is now re-airing on Current TV. We’re also the co-producers, with NPR News, of the economics podcast and blog Planet Money. And a half dozen stories from the radio show are being developed into films.

The radio show and TV show follow the same format. There’s a theme to each episode, and a variety of stories on that theme. It’s mostly true stories of everyday people, though not always. There’s lots more to the show, but it’s sort of hard to describe. Probably the best way to understand the show is to start at our favorites page, though we do have longer guides to our radio show and our TV show. If you want to dive into the hundreds of episodes we’ve done over the years, there’s an archive of all our old radio shows and listings for all our TV episodes, too.

For more information: http://www.thisamericanlife.org

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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