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The Sudbury School of Atlanta is seeking a staff member

The Sudbury School of Atlanta is seeking a staff member with an entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for empowering K-12 students through the Sudbury model of education. In addition to working with young people every day as part of our learning community, staff are expected to work collaboratively with School Meeting (made up of staff and students), the Board of Trustees, and volunteers on administrative duties that accompany the effective functioning of a small, independent school. Training is provided. Application Deadline: Position is open until filled, priority will be given to applications received by Mon. June 14th, 2021. Anticipated Start Date: Aug 2, 2021


Interested candidates can learn more about SSA, staff duties, and qualifications and how to apply here:https://www.freedomatssa.com/employment.

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Jerry’s Letter to Newsday About Democracy in Schools

Schools don’t need to teach democracy

April 11, 2021

Stephen Gessner criticizes the failure of schools to teach about democracy in his op-ed “Our schools fail to teach democracy,” Opinion, April 7]. But I believe he misses the point.

The need is not for schools to teach “about” democracy, critical thinking and decision making. Students need to grow up practicing democracy, to be “in” democracy.

Obviously, the best way to prepare students to participate in a democracy is not to be subjected to 12 years of authoritarianism in schools.

In our current system, students get rewarded for doing what the teacher and the system tells them to do rather that initiating their own directions of learning, based on their interests. They do not grow up making decisions democratically about their education or their school.

It is important to note that the education revolution has just happened, thanks to remote learning. At one point, we went from less than 5% of students learning alternatively to more than 90%! Now, 50 million American families know they have choices.

Where will this lead? We don’t know, but we should make sure that it leads to a learner-centered, democratic experience for all children. This actually is practiced by more than 250 schools around the world and, for example, over 30 public democratic schools in Israel.

Jerry Mintz, Roslyn

Editor’s note: The writer is director of Alternative Education Resource Organization, based in Roslyn Heights.

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Full-Time Staff Position at Princeton Learning Cooperative for 2021-2022

Princeton Learning Cooperative is on a mission to make Self-Directed Education for teens a viable alternative to school and create a financially sustainable model that can be replicated by others throughout the world. We are looking for a person to join our staff who has entrepreneurial zeal for the mission and views this work as more than just a job.

PLC staff are responsible for making deep mentoring connections with teens and their families, leading classes (in particular math, science, and technology), and taking charge of various administrative roles (for example recruiting and managing volunteers, coordinating PLC’s math program). A strong preference will be given to people who have demonstrated a desire and ability to make things happen. No particular educational or professional credentials are required—we are most interested in what you have done and what you can do.

Starting salary is $57,000 and does not offer benefits.

Application deadline is April 26th. Please send applications to info@learningcooperatives.org

For further information, visit PLC’s website and our Employment page.