Category: News

Dear Friends of AERO,

 The AEROx virtual conference is just a few weeks away.  There are exciting new updates and more will be added very soon.   
This is truly an event like no other.  Thanks to our friends from the Sri Aria School in Malaysia, we will have over 30 hours of continuous programming!  Presenters span 6 different continents and are a mixture of youth and adults.  So far we have participants from a few different countries already registered. 
Please do not wait too long to register as we will close registration once we hit our cap. Here are some FAQ’s about the AEROx Virtual Conferenc

Frequently Asked Questions 

What is the AEROx Virtual Conference? The AEROx was started in response to the demand for more AERO events.  About five years ago we decided to do a completely virtual event so that as many people as possible could attend.  Literally anyone can attend from just about anywhere in the world that has internet connections.

 What’s different about the AEROx Virtual Event? AERO events are unique in that they bring together anyone who is interested in learner – centered alternatives together under one roof.  There are no other events like it anywhere in the world. 
The AEROx is shorter in duration, and is designed to be a more intimate gathering than the larger AERO events. 

 
What Time Zone is the AEROx conference scheduled in?  Eastern Standard Time – USA  – Time Zone Converter

 Will there be overnight (Eastern Time) programming? There will be over 30 hours of continuous programming beginning Friday 2/12 at 3 pm Eastern time and ending Saturday 2/13 at 10 pm Eastern time. 

Will the overnight (Eastern Time) sessions be monitored? Yes, our friend Kristy Cheng and other members of the Sri Aria school in Malaysia have generously donated their time.  They will be monitoring the overnight sessions. 

Will the sessions be recorded? We are planning to record all sessions.  They will be available to conference participants sometime after the conference. 

What platform will the conference take place on? The conference will take place on the Zoom platform.  Please make sure that you have a stable internet connection and functioning equipment.  

How will I be able to get into the sessions? All participants will receive a link the day before or the morning of 2/12/21 (Eastern Time Zone).  This link will have the sessions with clickable links.  All you will need to do is click the link to the session you want to go to. 

Will there be time for networking? There are built-in break times for networking.  Of course, participants are welcome to network whenever they like. We will also have a discord server where participants can network.

How will the discord server work? Participants will receive the link to the discord server soon. Once you create a login you will have access to the discord server and you can participate as you like. 

Will there be a main room where participants can gather? Yes, the main room will remain open during the entire conference.  Keynote sessions will be in the main room.  

How will popup (impromptu) sessions work? Anyone can schedule a popup session.  They will be responsible for setting up the session using whatever platform they wish.  They can be promoted on the discord server. 

What do I do if I have questions during the conference?The main room will be open and monitored throughout the entire conference.  That is your go to place for questions. 

Are there group and student rates?  Please contact us for group rates.  peter@educationrevolution.org ; jerryaero@aol.com
We are offering student rates at $10 per student.  

How can I help promote the conference? You can help by sharing the information far and wide. www.aeroconference.org .  Here is a press kit to help you with that. 

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LinkeIn

AERO Office – (800) 769-4171

Respectfully, 
Peter Berg Ed.D., AERO Representative peter@educationrevolution.org http://www.educationrevolution.org/store/about/

The Attempted Coup

On Wednesday, January 6^th, we were witness to an unimaginable insurrection, at attack on the United States Capitol, the center of our democracy.

How could this have happened? To understand it, it is important to understand the history of public education. In his book, the Underground History of American Education, John Gatto finds the smoking gun that showed that some of the founders of the current education system were clear about their intent to create a process to control and manipulate students, rather than to foster creativity and empowerment.

We’ve often said that the best way to prepare children to participate in a democracy is for them to grow up in one. Conversely, it makes no sense to have children spend 12 years in an authoritarian school system if we want them to become good citizens in a democracy.

In the current system, students are rewarded for following orders, doing what the teacher says, respecting the teacher’s and the principal’s authority, not for being entrepreneurial or independent.

This is perfect training to prepare students to be part of an authoritarian, dictatorial society. This, then would naturally lead to training people to follow orders, be competitive, climb over others to be the top ones, and crave authoritarian leaders.

I was witness to this process when I visited the USSR and Russia, just as the coup happened. There was an explosion of creativity and innovation, especially in education. But as time went on, many of the people felt uneasy about their freedom and craved the system in which there was an authoritarian leader who would tell everyone what to do. Now they have it.

And in the past four years, many of the authoritarian oriented people in the United States began to follow a very authoritarian president. Those people tended to follow him in a cult-like fashion, even if he often promoted capricious and prejudiced ideas. No matter how bad it got, the “base” (a well-chosen word) believed and followed everything he said, the way an abused and unloved child might still worship their father, no matter what he did.

Therefore, is it no surprise that this process may have led to January 6^th? Yes, it was a minority of people. Most of us were appalled at this attack. But when that authority called upon his followers to attack the heart of our democracy to keep him in power, they gleefully complied. Father had spoken.

A significant number of American people are authoritarian in orientation, enough to almost reelect him (over 70 Million). We are not the only country in which this process is taking place. This general approach to education is world-wide.

If we hope to move humanity away from this dangerous precipice, we need to change our education system NOW. It must become one that respects and empowers students, helps them become cooperative not competitive. It needs to encourage creativity, entrepreneurialism, tolerance and initiative. It needs to be democratic!

[su_document url=”https://www.educationrevolution.org/store/files/2020/12/Dont-come-back-but-recreate-the-school-1.pdf” width=”1600″ height=”1600″]

By Jerry Mintz

Our organization is founded on an awareness of the power and justice of learner-centered
education. We think that most teachers and administrators in the public school system agree
that learner-centered education is supported by experience and science, as well as by our
principle that schools must above all, take care of all children well and promote their well-
being. But the antiquated system with roots in the 18th century hasn’t kept up with that belief.

We think that now is an opportune time to change that. For two months we have convened a
think tank of mostly present or former public school educators to help develop structures that
can be used in schools across the country and the world to move the system toward a more
learner-centered approach when students return to physical schools, or even before. Many of
these ideas are not new, and have been developed by public school innovators who have
previously created islands of learner-centered, empowering education.

School Within School (SWS)

In this model, which goes back to at least the 1970’s, a group of less than 100 students are

based in a classroom in a school building, or sometimes a stand-alone site. The classes are co-
designed by students and staff members and decisions are often made democratically.

Sometime class attendance is optional and there are no grades, just evaluations. Independent
studies are encouraged. This idea has been so effective that there are SWS’s that were founded
in the “70’s and still are going strong.

Here’s a link to SWS in Brookline, Massachusetts that was founded in 1970:
http://bhs.brookline.k12.ma.us/sws.html

Here’s a link to another SWS at a public school in New York
https://thewheatleyway.org/tag/sws/

Independent Study Programs

In many states, notable California, almost every school district has an Independent Study
Program. In these programs, parents primarily responsible for their children’s education, but
they are part of their local public school systems There are many thousands of students in these
program is California and elsewhere.

Here is a link to the Independent Study Programs in California:
https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/eo/is/

Public Micro-Schools

Some public educators have created micro-schools that are learner-centered. There are quite a
variety. For example the Big Picture Learning organization https://www.bigpicture.org/
is an umbrella for the MET schools. https://www.themethighschool.org

Started by two pioneering public educators, Dennis Littky and Elliot Washor, they started the
first ones in Providence, Rhode Island, but now there are over 100 around the country. They are
generally limited to under 100 students, have democratic meetings, and feature internships for
all of its students.

The 20% Idea

Pioneering public democratic education proponent Derry Hannam has proposed an idea that is rapidly catching on around the world. He suggests that every school should reserve 20% of their time for students to pursue their own interests, with the support of their school and teachers. You can read his proposal here:

https://www.progressiveeducation.org/the-20-project-for-schools-a-modest-proposal-by-derry-hannam/

The System of Public Democratic Schools in Israel

In 1987, with the support of the Israeli Ministry of Education, Yaacov Hecht started one of the first public democratic schools, the Democratic School of Hadera, now with over 500 students. There are now over 25 public democratic schools in Israel.

Here’s the Wikipedia story the Democratic School of Hadera:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_School_of_Hadera

Here’s a story about public democratic schools in Israel:
https://forward.com/news/israel/349217/in-israels-democratic-schools-kids-are-in-charge/

They even have one of the few programs for training teacher to teach in democratic schools, the Democratic Institute.
https://www.democratic.co.il/en/ide/

Schools as Resource Centers

With the gradual reopening of schools, they may find themselves of most use by becoming local resource centers. It may be impractical to put large groups of students back into classes with one teacher at the front and the students in rows of desks. Resources and learning centers may need to be spread throughout the whole school and even in the community beyond.

Here is an example of resource centers in the Nyack, New York School System:
https://www.nyackschools.org/groups/6167/family_resource_centers/home

Here’s one in Oklahoma:
https://www.opsrc.net/

Here’s one in Arkansas:
https://www.apsrc.net/