#31 Winter 2001 $4.95 The Education Revolution With special CHANGING SCHOOLS section The Magazine of the Alternative Education Resource Organization (Formerly AERO-gramme)
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Contents: The Next IDEC: Israel or Where? The 10th Anniversary Celebration of the founding of the Stork Family School Trying to Solve Youth Problems in Jacksonville, Florida Mail and Communications, Edited by Carol Morley Feedback from Education Revolution #30 International News and Communications: Brazil, Canada, England, Germany Guatemala, Haiti, Hungary/Yugoslavia, India, Israel, Japan, Scotland, Sweden, Thailand……… Home Education News Public Alternatives Teachers, Jobs, and Internships Conferences CHANGING SCHOOLS Section The Democratic Classroom, Edited by Albert Lamb A Circle of Desks GOING DEMOCRATIC: The First Seven Days of the School Year, by Rob Van Nood CLUB HOUSE DEMOCRACY, By Leonard Turton Soul in Education, by Jennifer Day The International Conference on Alternatives in Education Book Reviews: A Different Kind of Teacher, By John Taylor Gatto Waldorf Education and Home Schooling, Edited by Informed Birth & Parenting Failing Our Kids: Why the Testing Craze Won't Fix Our Schools, Edited by Kathy Swope & Barbara Miner Homeschooling: A Patchwork of Days & Homeschool Open House, By Nancy Lande AERO Books, Videos, Subscription, Ordering Information
The Next IDEC: In Israel or where?
Eighteen months ago at a meeting of IDEC at Summerhill School in England we planned the next two IDECs. The first was to be in Japan, hosted by Tokyo Shure. That was a big success. This year’s IDEC was to be in Israel and Palestine, co-hosted by Israeli and Palestinian schools. Little did we know about the current turn of events, which has shaken up the region and turned our plan on its head. We now have hundreds of pages of internet correspondence as we try to decide what to do about the situation. As of this writing the situation is not resolved. Just this week the representatives of the Israeli and Palestinian groups agreed that it would not be possible for them to co-host the IDEC at this time, since they are not even able to meet together now. This does not close the door to one or the other hosting. Some of the options have included; moving the IDEC to Cyprus so all participants could attend, postponing it until things settle down, having it somewhere else (with the Israel/Palestine IDEC to be held in a year), or have it in Israel as scheduled, and try to find a way to arrange for Palestinian participation. We’ll let you know as soon as we know something
The 10th Anniversary Celebration of the founding of the Stork Family School
The word ‘unique’ is thrown around a lot in the world today. But it does seem to me that the Stork Family School is unique among the many schools I have visited. The school, perhaps the first parents’ cooperative in the Former Soviet Union, does not have a formal democratic process, yet the relationships - between students, parents and teachers - all reflect respect, understanding and love. I first met Stork students, parents and teachers in the Crimea at the First New School Festival of the Soviet Union, in August of 1991. A week later there was no more Soviet Union! I’ve been a member of their “family” ever since. Since my grandmother was born in Ukraine they consider me American only by accident of birth! In 1998 we had the International Democratic Education Conference at Stork, partly as a way of supporting them.
I flew in from New York with no sleep for 24 hours, traveling via Switzerland to Kiev, where I was met by Alla Chukhas, a Stork staff member. We waited for about an hour for Ana Kobiljski to arrive from Yugoslavia. I had met her in Japan where this young, very skilled, linguist was translating from Japanese to English. Now she wants to start a school in the newly revolutionized Yugoslavia, so AERO helped her come here for the celebration, to see the Stork school and meet people from several other alternative schools in Eastern Europe. These include the Kluch School and Tubelsky’s School of Self-Determination from Moscow, and the Rogers School from Hungary.
We took a taxi for an hour to get in from the airport to Kiev, then a four-hour train ride south to Vinnitsa. After getting a few hours sleep at Oleg Belin’s house, we went to the school where the celebration was beginning. Oleg, the grandfather of current Stork students, was one of the first staff members at the school, giving up a career in mathematics and technology to teach math and English at the school.
The central room was jammed to overflowing with children from Stork and the other schools - including the teachers, parents, and the principals from about 30 local schools. They were invited but it is something of a mystery why they came. They stayed for the morning, but we were told they had a conference or meeting to go to and they left en masse just before lunch. We were still left with a standing-room only crowd.
Starting that morning we were given a detailed history of the school; its philosophical roots in the Eureka movement, and its contacts with the progressive educator Amonoshvili; also its contact with the wonderful teacher, Nadezhda Vitkovskaya, who is still the core of the school; and we heard of the help of the many pioneering parents, teachers, and local officials who have made the existence of the school possible Other supporters were honored, including myself. I spoke about AERO's support through the years with the help of the Paul and Edwards Foundations.
The honors and history were interspersed with much music and singing, and short plays performed by the students and staff. The unstoppable energy and spirit of the school shone through during the whole process. Particularly notable was the animation of expression on the faces of the students. Visiting schools, particularly the Kluch School from Moscow, also did skits, which were received with great enthusiasm.
During the official two-day celebration various activities, including evaluation and discussion sessions, were non-stop, interspersed with tea and meal times. There were workshops on various aspects of the school. I did one on IDEC, showing videos from past conferences, including the one they hosted here in 1998. We discussed democratic process and the ideas of compulsory and non-compulsory classes, and how they could be legally and successfully applied in societies still suffering from old totalitarian habits.
The Rogers School had traveled by train from Budapest with five students and two staff members. The trip took 22 hours. Kluch School came by train from Moscow with 15 people, including one graduate, Andrew, who is now studying at university level. I had met him at the 1998 IDEC and was interested in how he would make the transition from the school to university level. He said he struggled to pass Greek but otherwise has done quite well.
The Stork School’s graduates are doing outstandingly well at university, in a wide variety of areas, and about a dozen of them came back for the celebration. Nevertheless the school continues to suffer one financial crisis after another. At one point the local government contributed to the cost of educating the Stork children. Then they stopped their support and started charging them outrageous taxes on their tuition. Those have been reduced somewhat, but the latest assault is an attempt to get two years back rent for the municipal building the school is using, at about $1200 a month. Teacher’s salaries at Stork come to about $25 a month.
During the week a presenter who is a follower of Davidoff’s developmental approach to education had a series of workshops on innovative approaches to teaching music. The school pays for him to come from Moscow but he donates his services and the workshops are free to local teachers. We videotaped some of his work.
I had several meetings with staff members and students, discussing how other schools tackled a variety of academic and financial challenges. I also taught a lot of table tennis to several dozen people. When I first met people from Stork, in the Crimea in 1991, I taught table tennis to many of the students and they subsequently set up a program at the school. One of the students I taught, Sergei, helped organize the program. Now he has graduated from university is married with a child and has come back to work for the school.
We had a special workshop with Ana Kobiljski, from Yugoslavia, to discuss her various initiatives. She is about to start teaching in Yugoslavia at the school from which she graduated. They have given her a lot of latitude in how she will teach. She will also be organizing a center for educational reform. Since going to the Japan IDEC she has visited the Rogers School in Hungary.
On the second day of the celebration, in addition to the workshops, there was some really great music, including a group of university students singing Ukrainian traditional music – all a cappella. This was absolute perfection. Equally stunning was a performance by a 12-year-old Stork student, Marina, of technically challenging pieces for the piano, by Chopin and a Ukrainian composer, Pillipenko.
The next day the seven from the Rogers School had arranged a bus excursion to Kiev, and it snowballed to 35 people. AERO contributed to the cost, so that Kluch and Stork students could come. Two Stork administrators, Lubov Stepanenko and Tatiana Yazykova, also came because they had arranged a meeting for me with the UNICEF director in Kiev, to support an application which they had made to them for funds. The director is promoting an initiative for ‘children-friendly schools’.
After we arrived and met the director I asked him how much time he had, since we were a little late. Jokingly he said, “How much time do you need?” I said we needed a half-hour.
Then I asked him how much space he had. Quizzically he said, “How much space do you need?” I told him we had 35 children outside, and he said to bring them all in. We had a very nice meeting in which the students participated. A Stork student presented him with one of their symbolic bells.
On the last day in Vinnitsa they organized a farewell party at the school with lots of toasts and compliments all around. Sasha, Gena, and Nina, three of the students who spent a lot of time with me this week and who helped me a lot, came to the dinner. As we talked we realized that they all had access to the Internet at home and we hatched the idea of a regular IDEC class which we could have on the AERO chatsite every week. We agreed the first class would be on the Friday after I flew home.
After last exchanges of presents we got into cars and taxis and about ten people came to the train to see me off. Alla, and her son Vanya, a Stork student, went with me to Kiev.
Oleg's son Misha and his friend Sasha met us at the station and drove us to his friend’s apartment where we had a nice meal and then walked around central Kiev. We then stopped by a military museum near the Dnepr River, which we could walk around even though it was late and closed. Vanya was excited about the tanks and the helicopters. It was hard to get him to leave.
After breakfast we went to the airport. Vanya got to see jets close up for the first time. He said he was, “a lot more than happy.” I too was a lot more than happy about being here this week, and sad I had to go. JM
Trying to Solve Youth Problems in Jacksonville, Florida The city of Jacksonville, Florida, in Duval County has been experiencing a high rate of minority youth entering their juvenile justice system. They discovered that many of them have been in the county’s at-risk type alternative schools. They felt that if these schools could somehow be reorganized to attack this problem, it might successfully help reduce the rate of juvenile crime by minority youth.
While searching the Internet, Ed Jones, a researcher in Jacksonville, discovered the AERO website. He invited me to do a workshop there to help people become aware of programs around the country which have developed successful approaches with such children, in order to help them better tackle these problems. It was a daunting task and I asked for as much help and information as I could get from the extended AERO network. Many people sent me information about programs that are working well.
I flew into Jacksonville to do a full-day workshop. An impressive group of 45 people came there on December 4th. They included teachers and school principals from Duval County’s alternative schools, juvenile justice professionals, community activists, judges, attorneys, sheriffs and law enforcement personal, truancy officers, violence prevention coordinators, and, luckily for me, students from the county’s alternative schools. We were honored by the full-day participation of Judge Brian Davis, of the 4th Judicial Court.
When we started there were clearly two different orientations: one somewhat authoritarian and punitive or ‘disciplinary,’ the other more therapeutic and learner-centered. At first some of the former group were frustrated because they expected me to simply present some discrete models of ‘best practice’ from which they could choose. As I saw it, I needed to help the group create their own model, perhaps drawing from the examples that I brought, but ultimately finding an approach to working with these children that will be successful in this community.
As the day went on I felt that the participation of the alternative school students in this process was very important and powerful. Although they differed in their backgrounds and in their opinions, they all agreed that they perceived placement in the alternative schools as a punishment. They are embarrassed to be in these schools and feel negative things are expected of them. They appreciate the smallness of the schools but they can’t really have an experience of success there, because any apparent accomplishment they experience is in ‘one of those’ schools.
We had one dramatic turn of events when a woman had to leave at lunchtime to get her granddaughter who had been suspended that day for saying a prohibited word. This was not this girl’s first suspension. The grandmother brought her back to the afternoon workshop. During the evaluation session the girl said, “I need help and I’m not getting it. At this point in my life I could go one way or the other.” When asked about specific resources, she said she had tried unsuccessfully to access them. “They are very slow,” she said. People in the room made strong, specific commitments to help her.
It was felt, while talking about current intake and evaluation procedures, that a significant percentage of emotionally disturbed and other special education students may have been inappropriately placed in the alternative schools. It also became clear that the different agencies are duplicating services and not coordinating with each other. Children are falling between the cracks.
There was general agreement that this was a good beginning and that future follow up will be crucial. A teacher-of-the-year at her school said she hoped for a real paradigm shift toward a learner-centered approach. The principals of the alternative schools invited all present to come visit them. In the final evaluation, people used phrases such as “lots of good options,” “hope the group stays committed,” and “no one has taken the approach you’ve suggested here.” By the end, people were more in accord about approaches that might work. The judge even said that if it hadn’t been for strong and supportive people in his life at crucial times, he might have been in the juvenile justice system himself.
Mail and Communications
To me and, I imagine, to everyone else of my generation, school was dark, sad and unreal; unreal in the sense of life-denying, in the sense that it showed all the truest and solidest things in life in a completely dead, abstract sort of way. It was therefore, profoundly, a non-education. Then there was the sense of guilt . . . that time spent in class was all wasted. Federico Fellini.
The PEN NewsBlast is a free weekly e-mail newsletter featuring school reform and school fundraising resources. The PEN NewsBlast is the property of the Public Education Network, a national association of 53 local education funds working to improve public school quality in low-income communities nationwide. To subscribe or unsubscribe, visit: http://www.Public Education.org/news/signup.htm. Howie Schaffer, Managing Editor, Public Education Network, 601 13th Street, NW #900N, Washington, DC 20005.
Tees Valley Communities Online is a group of small very poor mining communities on the East Coast of England. I am artist in residence at Skinningrove and have open house for young people every evening, because otherwise they meet in the dirt on the street. They are quite frightened of the computer but have suddenly realized the possibilities; they are desperately looking for pen pals. No one in the village has a computer at home. The village is very isolated socially, no employment, and it is cut off from the transport systems. The young people go ferreting for rabbits and catch trout as they swim upstream, miss school whenever possible, and feel like foreigners when they do get there. The village was badly flooded three months ago and is still a national disaster area Even if your young people do not want pen pals, they may be interested in the web pages. Best wishes, Jean Grant. Web: http://www.tvco.org.uk/skinningrove.
From Oleg Belin, Stork School, Ukraine: We are so grateful to you for your invaluable help. The support you give us is vitally important to our school and it makes us feel that we’re not left all alone with our problems and troubles. Thank you for being our true friend for 10 years.
Writer John Adcock advocates a radical change in the way we help children learn, with parents playing an active role. Recently, Roland Meighan interviewed him for Natural Parent. Here are some of Adcock’s comments from that interview: “Today, the possibilities for educating children at home – each according to his need – are infinite, with more space, time, money, knowledge and other resources, together with the controlled support of multimedia, making an enjoyable, encouraging and personalized study program possible for every boy and girl. We no longer need classes of 30 pupils in schools of hundreds, following a politically contrived, centrally administered, imposed and externally inspected national curriculum based on targets, tests, performance league tables, and the naming-and-shaming antics so beloved of civil servants and politicians…. How much more could a gifted teacher do if she were given a free rein to spend her time, energy, imagination and other resources – including compassion – to devise schemes for her pupils, aided by their parents, to work in small study groups at different times and places. School as we know it would be superfluous…. For thousands of years, the family – several generations of it – educated its own children. Universal and compulsory schools changed that during a particular period of economic development in Western society in the late 19th Century. That period has passed. Now the family can benefit from the huge opportunities that period gave rise to and resume its original work. The school will be seen as a blip in recent social history – no more.” For more information, contact Education Now, 113 Arundel Dr., Bramcote Hills, Nottingham NG9 3FQ.
Paths of Learning: Options for Families & Communities is a journal with the purpose of encouraging an understanding of education as a means of nourishing holistic personal development and a sustainable, democratic, and peaceful community life. The latest issue includes the interview with Zoë Readhead that Jerry Mintz conducted on his radio show regarding Summerhill School’s recent court victory. Zoë is Director of Summerhill and the daughter of A.S. Neill, the founder of the school. The issue also features articles by Joseph T. Hinds, a public-school teacher of special-needs students in Texas; Mary Goral, about Waldorf education; Jeffrey S. Cramer about his homeschooling family; poems and stories by young writers; an alternative education resource directory and more. PO Box 328, Brandon, VT 05733. Web: www.great-ideas.org/paths.htm.
The Montessori Leadership Institute in affiliation with The Montessori Foundation hosts workshops and interactive seminars for Montessori school community leaders. These include Building a World –Class School, Fundamentals of Fundraising, Master Teachers Model Programs, and The Art of Managed Growth. For more information, contact The Montessori Foundation, 17808 October Court, Rockville, MD 20855. Tel: (800) 632-4121. Web: www.Montessori.org.
Committee for Children has introduced “Steps to Respect,” a new school-wide bullying prevention program, intended for use in elementary schools. This is a school-based social & emotional learning program designed to decrease bullying and help children build more respectful, caring relationships. Committee for Children’s mission is to promote the safety, well-being, and social development of children by creating quality education programs for educators, families, and communities. They can be contacted at 2203 Airport Way South, Ste. 500, Seattle, WA 98134. Tel: (800) 634-4449. Web: www.cfchildren.org.
For the past five years we have been field-testing and implementing a graduate program that leads to an M.Ed. in Integrative Learning. It's uniqueness stems from the context under which we operate. That context includes: the implications of modern science on our world views; a natural systems approach to teaching and learning; the development of a collaborative learning community; and a web-based environment enabling a global exploration of ideas. Students can complete all requirements via the e-campus; or they may choose the option that includes two short-term summer residencies. The course of study is 18 months or three semesters. For more information contact: Philip Snow Gang. Email: t ties@endicott.edu.
Living Routes - Ecovillage Education Consortium’s programs are based in ecovillages, communities that are striving to create cooperative lifestyles in harmony with their local environments. Bring your college education to life and learn skills needed to help heal our planet and build sustainable communities. Earn college credit while designing ecological communities in western MA and upstate NY; monitoring a "Living Machine" waste treatment facility in Scotland; gardening organically in Australia; meditating at Thich Nhat Hanh's Buddhist monastery in southern France; identifying rare medicinal plants in a rainforest in southern India; or building a straw bale house on a green kibbutz in Israel. For more information, email: info@LivingRoutes.org. Web: http://www.LivingRoutes.org.
The European Forum for Freedom in Education (EFFE) celebrated its tenth anniversary this year. It was founded in 1990 in Budapest for the purpose of disseminating materials outlining the basic principles behind an independent, pluralistic and democratic education system. Since its inception, EFFE has acted as a monitor on the human right to education and the freedom of education in Europe. It is producing an atlas illustrating the right to education and the freedom of education, which will list countries that respect the right to education and freedom of educational choice and those which obstruct or suppress such rights. For more information, contact EFFE, Annener Berg 15, D-58454 Witten, Germany.
The Education Freedom Index Report, a study released in September by The Manhattan Institute for Policy Research shows that there is a link between a state’s educational freedoms and its student’s performance. An Education Freedom Index (EFI) was developed using equally weighted portions of five criteria. Fifty percent of the criteria used in evaluating home school freedom came from Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) and the rest came from the U.S. Department of Education. The tests used to measure student achievement included the SAT and the National Assessment Education Progress (NAEP). Overall, the study found that a statistical one-point increase in the EFI equaled a five-percent growth in students' achievement scores. The study can be downloaded for free at www.manhattan-institute.org.
The Clearwater School celebrated the grand opening at their new location this past November. The beautiful, spacious building includes a computer room, multipurpose room, and kitchen/art room. Clearwater is a democratic, Sudbury school located in Washington State with 30 students in attendance. They are located at 11006 34th Ave. NE, Seattle, WA 98125-6806.
The Foundations of Holistic Education Series is now available from The Foundation for Educational Renewal, Inc. The series includes Caring for New Life: Essays on Holistic Education by Ron Miller; Education for Awakening: An Eastern Approach to Holistic Education by Yoshiharu Nakagawa; Unfolding Bodymind: Exploring Possibility Through Education by Hocking, Haskell & Linds; Under the Tough Old Stars: Ecopedagogical Essays by David Jardine; The Primal, the Modern, and the Vital Center: A Philosophy of Holistic Experience & Place, the Cultural Preconditions of Educations by Oliver, Canniff & Korhonen; and Holistic Education: A Pedagogy of Universal Love by Ramon Gallegos Nava. For more information, contact the Foundation at PO Box 328, Brandon, VT 05733-0328. Tel: (800) 639-4122. Web: www.PathsOfLearning.net.
“Kids listening skills deteriorate if they are not encouraged. In one study, 90% of first-graders could repeat what was said in a lecture, but only 28% of high school students could. To help children become good listeners: Listen carefully when they speak to you – stop what you are doing, look at them and listen when they talk…ask questions – to show you are paying attention and are interested … play games that require children to listen carefully, such as Simon Says, Mother May I, and Trivial Pursuit.” Ralph G. Nichols, PhD, University of MN, St. Paul. As reported in Bottom Line Personal, 9/1/2000.
From East Dallas Takes Its Private Success Public, by Mark Anderson, Public School Montessorian: The East Dallas Community School, a private Montessori school, has won acclaim throughout the nation because of the successes its mostly low-income, minority students achieve in the classroom. The schools director, Terry Ford, and her partners have believed for years that, given the right learning environment, all of Dallas’ inner city children can achieve those same academic success. Last year they embarked on a groundbreaking – and risky – partnership with the Texas public education system to try to prove that. They have opened its first publicly funded Montessori program, Lindsley Park Community School last fall, aiming to repeat East Dallas’ success using public school finds and public school rules. Fall, 2000.
A new book has been published called Failing Our Kids: Why the Testing Craze Won’t Fix Our School, edited by Kathy Swope and Barbara Miner. It contains over 50 articles that provide a compelling critique of standardized tests and also outlines alternative ways to assess how well our children are learning. The articles cover origins of the latest testing craze, parents and teachers talk back, views from the classroom, alternatives to standardized testing, policy and background, and resources. It is available from Rethinking Schools, 1001 E. Keefe Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53212. Tel: (414) 964-7220. Web: www.rethinkingschools.org.
School building for sale; includes all instructional contents including 8,000-volume library. State approved for 50 students grades K-8. Built in 1991 as a private academy. 3,000 square feet on an acre. In Hanover, PA, one hour from Baltimore, MD. Director retiring. Call: (717) 632-1709 or e-mail: davidandbobbie@yahoo.com.
Democracy is Born in Conversations: Recreating N.F.S. Grundtvig for Lifelong Learners Around the World, edited by Clay Warren, afterword by Chris Spicer has just been released. The publication is of 12 interviews with Danish teachers, students, folk school directors, and Grundtvig scholars. The conversations provide a snapshot of late twentieth century Grundtvig-inspired folk education, with an afterword reflecting on its relevance to non-Scandinavians - particularly North Americans - at the turn of another century. Order from Institute for People's Ed and Action, 107 Vernon St., Northampton, MA 01060. Email: cspicer@admin.umass.edu
The Danish Free School Tradition – A Lesson For Us All?, a 24-page booklet by Robert Powell is now available from AERO for $5 plus $2 postage.
Feedback from Education Revolution #30:
Just to let you know we got the new issue of The Education Revolution. Looks very interesting. I like all the articles in this time, and am always especially happy to see anything Japan-related in ER. I'd hate to see advertising in the Education Revolution. We are bombarded with advertising everywhere else in the world, and it's like a breath of fresh air when we get to read a magazine like yours that is devoid of advertisers. We were also pleasantly surprised, of course, to see the photo you included of our son Kenya with Marie Kobayashi during our Kyoto get-together. Thanks very much for including us in the memoirs of your Japan trip. Seeing the photo in your magazine reminded me how much fun Kenya had that day. For weeks afterward, he keep wanting to go back to Kyoto, thinking you all were still there: "Let's go see Jerry!" he kept saying. We had to explain that Jerry wasn't in Kyoto anymore, but I don't think he believed us. So, you'll just have to come over to Japan more often! We'd all love to see and talk with you again. I like it, especially the fact that it's a nice, thick 48 pages!. Best wishes, Brian Covert, Japan.
I take this opportunity to thank you so very much for the important news you send me each time. It assists a lot in keeping up to date and opens new correspondence and communication with educators all over the world that will hopefully forward peace among all human beings. Thanks, love and blessings, Malyah, Israel
I've read about half and so far I love the article about Denmark best! No wonder my friend from Kirkdale School (a free school in London) who has lived in Denmark for ten years feels no qualms at sending her kids to the local public schools. She couldn't understand my complaints about the schools around me and I couldn't understand her complaisance with the schools around her. Both of us were totally ignorant of the differences between Danish and American education systems. I am not surprised as I spent several years in Dutch schools and they were pretty great compared to German and American high schools. Liz Reid.
Yesterday I received the magazine and immediately delivered it to the school. There was much joy among the students when they found Kostia's photo holding the "KLUCH" sign! Teachers were reading the magazine all the time. The article about IDEC is the most interesting article for us, of course, but others are interesting, too. Thank you! We will use this and previous issues of Ed Rev in our looking for grants because there are some words and photos about us. It is very important for a Russian school! Andrew P, Moscow.
I love Jerry Mintz's work and the huge contribution he has made to the movement through his exhaustive research, networking, etc., as well as his monthly publication, The Education Revolution (a powerful title). I also think its really cool that he provides a web forum for alternative education advocates to share information, insights, ideas, feelings, etc. It strengthens our "community", which is vital to the health and growth of our movement. We need to continue to strengthen our voice in order to effect transformation in the mass-consciousness around "education". Like Jerry says...."revolution". From homeschooler in CA.
The idea of a homeschooling resource center really appeals to me. I call it a learning resource center because I really want it to be something for all ages--although homeschoolers will be the main "market" because they are the ones who need this the most. Perhaps I will help build a bridge between the intentional communities and alternative education--I think it is a bridge that is really, really needed, and could enrich everyone. Again, thank you for making such a big difference in my life. Really...it was a huge revelation to find my right livelihood and to figure out how that connects to community! And you have the resources to help me. What a gift. In peace, Patricia. Email: patriciamik@hotmail.com.
I wanted to write a note to acknowledge the role that AEROlist plays in supporting change in education. The knowledge that we gain from one another on this list helps us as individuals in our struggles, as recent postings show. Beyond that, the knowledge that members share in their individual communities multiplies and benefits everyone. With a heartfelt plea for help in dealing with reluctant administrators, students, and teachers who were affected by the change he was introducing into his classroom, a poster asked very important questions. The beauty of it all was being able to read everyone's responses and opinions about his situation. The support he received was significant, and he thanked everyone. And, I know that this is just the beginning of the change that AEROlist engenders. For example, I plan to share those letters and the responses with teachers at our high school where my daughter attends. Those letters will serve as touchstones for important discussions and dialogue, and help another group of teachers to think about change and their own way of thinking about education. Thank you for your hard work and dedication to the group, which you have 'set free' to learn together. Sincerely, Debbie Smith, Director, Lancaster Athenaeum.
I enjoy my hard copy of Ed Rev. I read a great deal of information and articles on the computer, but hard copies are much more valuable to me. I tend to print off so many papers already in order to show teachers and parents. I prefer to just take my Ed Rev as a complete magazine. Of course the PDF file is great for reference. As to advertisements in the magazine, I appreciate ads - they remind me of books I want to read, or suggest places to buy things. Advertising over the Internet is wonderful for you, but I do hope you will continue to publish a hard copy - especially for those of us who love to read on the run, over coffee, or to share with a friend or colleague. Thanks. Barbara Shpack.
Discussion on ADHD: I have been conducting an anthropological cross-cultural study of ADHD for several years now. I compared the behavior of "normal" children in England, where diagnosis is rare, with "normal" children in the United States, where non-diagnosis is rare. Interestingly, my results seem to show that the children's behavior is identical in both settings; it is the social interpretation of that behavior which varies. That is, we can with enough observation diagnose any child with as being ADHD or not being ADHD. All children exhibit the behaviors. If a child is not “achieving” up to the politically defined standards of their society, then, since all children exhibit the behaviors, the label can easily be applied. As I share these findings, I find the people least able to accept them are psychologists committed to the idea that better diagnosis will sort out the "faux" cases of ADHD from the "real" cases. It isn't even a case of degree, with the "real" ADHD kids being much more hyperactive/impulsive/ distractible. The behavior of all children varies from extremely off task to extremely on task. My research seems to indicate that this is a clear case of correlation without causality. Accordingly, my interest in the free school movement came from a desire to find non-political ways in which to let children grow and learn. We absolutely need to stop labeling/blaming the children and look to their environments (personal and political) for reasons their behavior appears "abnormal". Cheers...Ken.
International News and CommunicationsBRAZILFrom Helena Singer who is working with Ricardo Semler in Brazil: We keep on struggling to raise money for the school. We've finished the project and built the school council with people from university, foundations and NGOs. The biggest problem is that we can't find a building. As all large cities, land is really expensive here in Sao Paulo, so we are trying to receive a donation, but it's not easy. We'll send the project to American and European foundations and companies trying to convince them to support the poor children in the school. It'd be really important for us to have AERO as a partner. The idea of Semco Institute is to be a catalyst of all the important groups committed to making the education revolution. The basic principle of the school will be that students will be free to choose the subjects they pursue and to set their own timetables and goals. Semco Foundation School will begin with 0-6 year-old children and will gradually expand until reaching 18 year-olds. As equal members of a democratic community, the students will be actively involved in the events of daily life. Semco Institute is being created as a think tank in education that will connect schools, institutions, experts in new technologies and children’s products creators in order to redesign the school model for the present day. A. V. Angelica, 546 AP. 95, Sao Paulo SP, Brazil-01228-000. Email: hsinger-99@yahoo.com.
CANADA Season's greetings from -34 degrees centigrade and blowing snow, by definition, a blizzard. It has been a good year for the Manitoba Alternative Schools Special Area Group. Our Fall conference was well attended and there is some new blood on the executive. Transfusions are a critical part of the ongoing renewal of all forms of alternatives. I'm currently working at designing an access program for aboriginal students to gain entry to and graduate from the Science and Technology departments of the local College. Their record with the aboriginal community is dismal to say the least and needs a shot in the arm. I glad to be designing the hypodermic in collaboration with the community. Am enjoying the magazine so keep it coming. Gerry Moore, demoore@MINET.gov.MB.CA
ENGLAND Lewes New School, which opened its doors on September 11, was totally flooded on October 12th when the River Ouse burst its banks. The children had just been sent home early from school when the water swiftly swirled in, reaching waist high within an hour. The water remained high for well over a day before receding, by which time the plaster was sodden, the electrics bust and the floorboards buckled. Our surveyor and architects say it may be six months before we can reoccupy our beautiful listed buildings. After a couple of days of reeling with shock, things seem brighter: the insurance will pay for all our losses, including loss of business. We were just beginning to get into the flow of things when the flood happened. Twenty families are involved with around 30 children, including the nursery. We've been keeping in close contact with the families, and they are still strongly supporting us, every one has offered to help re-create the school. The school has so many assets: visionary, dedicated people, vibrant children, strong support, a wonderful location (even though a little too close to the river) and a real feeling of team spirit. These precious qualities and other less tangible ones will carry us forward. Please pray for us in this challenging time. Adrienne Campbell, Lewes New School, Talbot Terrace, Lewes BN7 2DS. Tel: 01273 477074. Email office@lewesnewschool.co.uk.
Over 700 people attended the Alternatives in Education Fair which was organized by Human Scale Education in London on September 30th. This was the second fair. There were 40 exhibitors representing small alternative schools, organizations, publishers and home educators. Human Scale Education, 96 Carlingcott, Nar Bath, BA2 8AW. Hse@clara.net, www.hse.org.uk, 011441 275 332516.
GERMANY My nearly 6-year-old son is at the Freie Schule Frankfurt, the free school there, and my 3-year-old son will follow next year. The FSF is a day school with 47 kids age 3 to 13 in three age groups. Every group has more or less three grown-ups watching over them and making offers or working out ideas the kids have. There are no formalized school hours. The FSF is probably the oldest free school in Germany. It started out as a kindergarten in the sixties and as a school in 1972, I believe. My son is there now for three years. By profession I'm a judge. I'm 40 years old. Never went to Summerhill but sympathize with it for obvious reasons. Michael. Email: gerlinger-kato@web.de. (Former student at Lewis-Wadhams School, which was based on Summerhill.) GUATAMALA Social Transformation through Democratic Education by Pauline Bartolone: (Ed: Paula visited as an intern as part of her college studies) Perhaps the most important tool for transforming oppressive systems is the democratic process. In Guatemala, more than 36 years of military dictatorship has deprived the population the opportunity to create the structures that regulate their lives. Without the education for using dialog to resolve conflict, many Guatemalans have never experienced democracy. In Guatemala City, there exists a regional rarity, the participatory and relatively decentralized private school called Colegio Naleb. In this school of kindergarten through 12th graders, I found the students to be well spoken, informed, respectful, responsible, enthusiastic and friendly. I attribute these traits to the opportunities they have had to represent themselves in the primary institution that they belong to, granting them ownership and responsibility for the way their institutional structure functions. In this holistic process of educating, emphasis is put on how to participate in the system, institution, or community that one belongs to. In a traditional school setting, students are only oriented to the content of a prescribed curriculum or method of teaching, not to interacting with the structure that regulates how the institution functions. A participatory approach to education is most important in order to implement an egalitarian, just, and empowering society. When a population understands the system that they belong to, they become more active, careful, informed and conscientious citizens. I observed the inequality, oppression and consequences of a society without alternatives in my stay in Guatemala. Just social and political change begins with democratic orientation through the institutions that dictate the lives of citizens. In a society trying to redesign itself, Colegio Naleb is a model for the development of democratic processes, and gives a brighter outlook on the future of democracy in Guatemala.
From Lucrecia at Naleb: The Guatemalan Education Ministry is about to pass a law ordering the creation of school governments in all the schools of the country, and they asked us to supervise it and orient these institutions in dialogue and other democratic tools that we practice at Naleb School. For our country this is going to be a big step that begins to break the culture of silence and non- participation in order to be safe. We are also working with companies, government institutions and municipalities, giving them tools for dialogue, as a model of peace, strength and efficiency.
HAITI Dear Jerry: I am very happy to be in contact with you. Most Haitian schools use the French system of memorization, and it is a horrible system. Exactly what Paolo Friere talked about "the banking system" of depositing information and getting graded on how well you spit it back out! There are some Montessori schools here. My daughter just started in a Haitian school run by a man who professes to worship Summerhill. This is a rare find in Haiti! School just started and we have discovered that the teachers hit and pinch and scratch and twist ears! However, hitting by teachers is expected in Haiti, and the school is learning-centered and the children love the school, love learning and love the director. I want to really work on getting information for the directory and having Haiti represented in it. It will be positive reinforcement for those trying to respect children, their rights and their desire to learn. If you'd ever like to come here, you're more than welcome and I could give you a tour of different types of schools. What an experience! The most exciting is what former resident Aristide did with the home for street children. The center isn't functioning now but the kids still run a TV and radio station. Most children who go to school here (and that's the minority of children) don't learn. It's all rout and only a tiny percent of the country can actually pass the final exams to graduate high school. Please let me know how I can be of help to you. Michelle M Karshan.
HUNGARY/YUGOSLAVIA It Can Be Different, Observations on Rogers School, By Aleksandra Majstorac Kobiljski (from Yugoslavia; she was translating Japanese into English as an intern at the IDEC): I arrived in Budapest and was happy to see the familiar smiling face of Kristina, English teacher at Rogers School, an IDECer I met in Tokyo a few months ago. The whole evening and the following day were filled with my questions to Kristina about the modus operandi of the school and how it came to life. The next evening, the two of us met Istvan, art teacher at Rogers who was also at this year’s IDEC. We had a long and fruitful discussion about where to start. Since the atmosphere has changed in Yugoslavia it seems a bit easier, although long years of conflicts in the region and severe economic deprivation have left marks. At the school, there were two boys who spent some time in the States so Kristina thought it would be nice for them to get somebody fluent to talk with. It turned out they were more fluent then I was and we had half an hour of fun. One of them told me something striking: "I was going to a regular school for the first two grades. But I couldn’t take it any more. It was like a prison." We also talked about freedom of alternative schools and I was amazed how articulate they were about their opinions. It was like listening to the spokesmen of alternative education at a press conference. After lunch I had to catch the train back to Belgrade. As I sat on the train the notes were pouring in --it was so inspiring. (Rogers School’s principles of) Kindness and devotion to children, the patience and love I felt left me speechless but deeply motivated to tell all the people I know how different it can be. The clash of the still-fresh memories from Budapest came the next morning when I took my brother’s child to school. Huge classroom. Desks faced teacher's desk that was 3 times the size of the child’s desk and a teacher who looked like the winner of Miss Serious Face that makes you freeze in the morning. The bag full of homework that was heavy even for me to carry. I was sorry that Teodora, first grader, has no other school to go to. And that was it. Something has clicked in me and I knew that things would be different from now on. It is impossible that I am the only one feeling like that. I realized that I came from Budapest with less answers but much more support and encouragement then I could ever expected. I knew that before long Yugoslavia will have Alternative Solutions in Education Club. Belgrade, October 2000.
INDIA (Note: Amin is a 15-yea- old "working child" who lives in the Delhi train station. He and a representative of "Butterflies," a democratic education center for street children, came to the Japan IDEC where Amin was a presenter, speaking about working children in India.) Dear Jerry Bhaiya (Elder brother): How are you? I am fine here. I am glad to know from your mail to Rita Didi that you remember me and have spoken about me. Bhaiya, I still very fondly remember the way you taught me how to play table tennis. It was a new game for me and you taught me the technique of playing the game. You were very affectionate. I sometimes wonder how I met you -- you from USA, myself from India met in another country, Japan. We became friends and departed for our ways. I do not know if ever I will meet you again but I will certainly remember you forever. But I must mention that I was very fortunate to meet friends like you and others who came from different countries. You will be happy to know that I have enrolled for class VIII exam through National Open School and I have established link with my family. Now I write to them regularly. I am also getting trained for street theatre. I would like you to come to India and visit us. My friends and I will be very glad to meet you. Please do come to India. Hope to meet you someday, somewhere. Amin.
Dear Jerry, Greetings from Butterflies! It has been lovely to meet you and other friends who believe in democratic education. It was worth knowing how much you yourself have done for this. Despite our country being democratic, there are very few educational institutes who run along that line. I would like to pass on your magazine to a few of my other friends who work or run democratic education institutes. Hope to be in touch. Ishani.
ISRAELFrom Ha’aretz, Schools Need a Revolution, by Shiri Lev-Ari: The traditional role of the modern school, as it functioned for the past 200 years, has come to an end, say educators, particularly those who deal with futurism. Even now it is possible to find educational methods that challenge the ordinary school. For example, e-learning, distance learning via the Internet or the method of homeschooling, which are providing much food for thought. Engaged in this also are 80 experimental educational institutions, as well as parents’ associations that are taking responsibility for the education of their children and setting up schools with their own curricula. All these phenomena are signaling to the education system the need for change – in curricula, in teaching methods and in the organizational structure of the school. “We are now in a transition from the modern age to the post-modern age, which is characterized by a series of revolutions,” says Dr. Aaron Aviram, head of the Institute for Futurism in Education at Ben-Gurion University. “In the past decades a relativist culture has developed in the world, in which there is no absolute truth but everything is a matter of perspective, and it we ourselves who produce the truth. We are putting the young people of today into a 12-year ritual of doing things that they see as meaningless. This is not only a huge waste of money, it also teaches the young people that the world is absurd and that there is only one thing of significance in it: the matriculation certificate.” In recent years, several companies have been set up that deal with e-learning. Studying by Internet is an accompaniment to the regular classroom. One recent study showed that 85% of weaker students passed their tests as a result of taking part in live lessons that were transmitted over the Internet. There is talk of a more advanced version of learning via the Internet. However, in Israel “the use of e-learning is practically zero,” says Dr. Asher Idan from the Open University, “Less than one third of the schools are linked up.” 10/17/2000.
Anything that is related to homeschooling in Israel is a confused issue. The first step is to be lucky enough to reach the right people at the Ministry of Education to submit reasons and intention to homeschool. Next, the Ministry is supposed to send a delegation to the home, and permission is granted to homeschool for one year. In reality, today in Israel there are 40 families who choose to homeschool their children. Most of the families (90%) didn’t send any letter to the Minister. From the very few who sent such a letter, one didn’t get any answer and one received a confirmation that the letter had been received. Only one family had anyone from the Ministry visit the house and confirm that the family doesn’t abuse the children. Israel is very pluralistic about the education issue; it lets everybody teach without real supervision of content, even though it sometimes budgets for unique systems of teaching. I think it is a good idea to send a letter to the Minister of Education. The letter should explain that this is your way and your belief; it is strongly recommended not to attack the system. I don’t believe you gain much care from the system, but it is important that you understand that the Ministry is incapable of telling you what to teach, when and how. Mara List, The institute for Democratic Education, maralist@ort.org.il.
JAPANFrom Homeschool Movement Goes Global, by Andrea Billups, The Washington Times: Homeschooling is rapidly expanding worldwide as families abroad search for options to guide their children's education amid growing concerns over lax educational standards and increasing violence in government-run schools. Christopher J. Klicka, senior lawyer at the Home School Legal Defense Association, says, "There seems to be a thirst for this by parents everywhere," In Japan, he says, homeschooling is becoming all the rage, and is being supported by several leaders in the corporate business community. The country has experienced a 300,000-student per year dropout rate in junior and senior high schools over the past several years, and is seeking solutions that might give children who have left school a reason to return to their studies. "The business community is driving the home-school community in Japan," he said. "They want kids to be educated." Homeschooling, while not yet officially approved by the Japanese government, continues to garner the support of many education officials, Mr. Klicka says. They include a professor of education at Hyogo University who is the president of a newly formed home educators group called HOSA (Home School Support Association of Japan). Japanese educators say the freedom and creativity home schooling gives students may be an effective alternative for those who are disenchanted with the country's rigid system of public education.
From Brian Covert of Osaka, Japan, regarding the above article: In this article, Dr. Christopher Klicka of the controversial, US-based Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) speaks on home learning in Japan as being "all the rage" and that "the business community is driving the homeschool community in Japan." Which is strange, because I was under the impression that only a vast minority of Japanese society is even AWARE of home learning as an educational option -- and that it is ordinary, everyday home learning families in Japan who are the real "driving" power behind the home learning movement in this country. In one sense, Klicka may not be too far off the mark when he notes that the engine of the home learning community is currently Big Business and by extension, academia). So already, the PR spin is being cast: It is Japanese companies and schools -- not Japanese families -- who are supposedly "driving" the home learning movement in Japan. What a load of crap.
Child’s Interests Come First, by Kazuko Fujimoto, Special to Asahi Evening News: Is there room in Japan's rigid school system for a school that aims to help each student cultivate his or her particular talents? Not likely, would be the reply of pessimists, who tend to associate this country's schools with such terms as "standardized" and "control." But an attempt to prove them wrong is being undertaken by students and their instructors at the Dream Planet International School, which opened a year and a half ago in Okinawa Prefecture. Breaking with tradition, the school has no end-of-term exams or report cards, and the students are not required to attend lessons that do not interest them. Tomoko Shirai, Dream Planet's 27-year-old principal, does not believe that children need to learn the same thing at the same time or be told off for failing to do so. What she does believe is that "recognizing where children's talent lies, and helping bring out their personalities and refine their communication skills, count more than simply teaching them how to read and write or to obey the rules." 10/2000.
SCOTLANDSchoolhouse Times is a newspaper project for home-educated young people supported by the Schoolhouse Home Education Association, a recognized Scottish charity that offers information and support to families who educate their children without school. The publication includes home education news, young contributors’ articles, reviews, and a contact list. Schoolhouse, 311 Perth Road, Dundee DD2 1LG. Email: editor@schoolhouse.org.uk. PHOTO (Use Picture at top left at http://www.netdesktop.co.uk/he/march.shtml Participants at Scottish Home Educator’s march
SWEDENA homeschooling family in Sweden with three children 6, 10, and 12 is having big problems with the local school authorities. They are facing a fine if they don't send their children to school right away. They have been forced to flee their home to another school district. Homeschooling is legal in Sweden and the same laws apply for the whole country but they are not interpreted in the same way in every district. The Swedish Minister of Education has expressed that she wants to make it even more difficult to homeschool in Sweden in the future by changing the laws. This will mean that there will be more refugees from Sweden because of their beliefs as the interest for homeschooling increases. If there are any questions or if they can be of any assistance for other homeschoolers, email Magnus Drysén & Maria Berkestam at magnus.drysen@telia.com.
THAILANDLast November, the Thai government introduced a home school system that allows parents to educate their children at home. Since then, a total of 50 families, either dissatisfied with the cramming style of school education, fearing the spread of drugs among students or trying to keep closer contact between family members, have started teaching their children at home. Yutthachai Chalermchai, a 45-year-old magazine editor who works from his home in Bangkunon, 20 kilometers south of Bangkok, is one of the pioneering parents. His two sons, 14-year-old Saipan and 12-year-old Sarntor, decided in May to study at home instead of going to school. The Daily Yomiuri. 10/30/2000.
Home Education NewsIn 1992 I started an email conferencing site that moved onto the Internet. I designed it for home learners and rented it to several home learning organizations for several years. The public system is no longer allowing their home learners onto the site (in other words they are no longer funding memberships). I designed the graphic metaphor to parallel a sustainable community. When you first log onto the Internet site you see an overview of a village. When you click on any area of the village you zoom in on that section. Each of the 13 sections shows people in groups in conversation. Under each group appears a name of a conference and when you click on the people you open up a conference full of emails on that topic. You can send email inside the village and also do live conferences. The entire environment is on the Internet. I want to get it running again this year and I would like to offer it to AERO; I think that this environment would offer a very unique opportunity. Brent Cameron M.A., Wondertree Foundation for Natural Learning, Box 38083 Vancouver, BC V0B 2C0 Canada. Tel: (604) 224-3663. Email: brentcameron@telus.net. Web: www.wondertree.org.
The National Home Education Network journal, Voices, will be honoring excellence in homeschooling publications by selecting a small number of articles written by and about homeschooling to be published in our new feature: "Spotlight on Outstanding Voices of the Homeschooling Community." Part of NHEN's mission is to support and encourage state and local homeschooling groups. One way we feel we can do that is to provide a national audience for writers who publish in local and state level newsletters. Starting with the Winter 2001 issue, each of our quarterly publications will honor up to four articles as outstanding contributions to the homeschooling community. For more information, contact Voices Spotlight Award, National Home Education Network, PO Box 41067, Long Beach, CA 90853. Email: Voices@nhen.org.
From US Parents Switch to Homeschooling, by Tom Rhodes, Sunday Times: As many as 1.7 million American children, 3% of the school-age population, are being educated at home. Spurred on by poor standards in state schools, a lack of moral direction in the classroom and the fear of murderous playground shootings, more parents are teaching their children. Once considered the preserve of evangelical Christians, home schooling is undergoing what experts describe as an extraordinary growth of up to 15% a year. The biggest increase is among the children of lawyers, doctors and other professionals. Ivy League universities including Harvard, Princeton, Stanford and Yale are reporting that applications with teachers' recommendations written by "mom and dad" have more than doubled in recent years. Fears that children taught in the comparative isolation of the home might find it hard to interact with others have evaporated with the emergence of such high-profile products of home schooling as the Hanson brothers - Isaac, Taylor and Zach - the teenage pop stars. Even Karen Hughes, chief spokeswoman for George W Bush, is teaching her 13-year-old son Robert on the road for the duration of the presidential election campaign. The Internet economy, and the ability of many parents to move away from cities they considered dangerous, has fuelled further interest. While most homeschooled children do their learning at kitchen tables and bedroom desks, swelling numbers in areas of the Midwest and the South have led parents to set up communal classes. Conferences for parents wanting to discover the best teaching methods have become a routine part of the cultural landscape in many states. 9/10/2000.
We are unschoolers/homeschoolers looking for connections with other like-minded people "out west". We have 14 and 11 year old sons. Do you know of any supportive unschooling type communities or good alternative high schools in the state of Washington, or even in the NW region? We are looking to move and wish to find the "best" place for these boys. We have always homeschooled and I have a Waldorf background, but we are now mostly unschoolers. Any direction or connection you can help me with would be appreciated. Thank you, Joni Stemple, 2482 Hawks Rd., Colville, WA 99114. Email: joni@plix.com
Update on North Star School: We were going to pass it along to a 7-12th grade independent, alternative school that is in the town next to us. As it turned out, the whole thing fell through. The sad thing is that we had achieved some recognition in the community and a lot of people were very interested in enrolling their kids - some even with "preschool age" kids that were asking about getting on a waiting list. It was such a great opportunity and this is a fairly progressive area so we were really surprised that there wasn't more interest in it. I wish we had the stamina to continue it on our own, but as 2 homeschool moms, it was just too much for us to run full time. I guess having it operate for one really great year was something! We had a really great core group of parents at North Star that agreed to form an informal homeschool group. We voted on the name "Compass Homeschoolers" and started an e-list, like AERO, so that we could make our group plans and throw out questions, ideas, thoughts to each other. There is a teen group that is meeting monthly just to hang out and listen to their CD's. It's a pretty active, diverse group and growing all the time. A lot of our families are doing some really great things individually, too. North Star is what pulled the Compass group together so I guess that is another good thing. In a lot of ways it’s as if North Star just "morphed" into Compass. Kara.
Katherine Houk has written a new book entitled Creating a Cooperative Learning Center: An Idea Book for Homeschooling Families. It is a practical, realistic, yet inspirational guide for those desiring a nurturing and challenging context for children involved in home education. Through telling the story of a center founded by a few dedicated parents, Katherine provides ideas you can apply to your own situation. It is available from Longview Publishing, 29 Kinderhook St., Chatham, NY 12037.
Choice in Education is a monthly independent publication for home educators in the United Kingdom put together by a collective of home educating volunteers. A recent edition included articles on “A Home Educator’s Diary,” “News from the Press – Jail for Truant’s Parents,” and “Socialization and Home Education,” among others. It is available from Choice in Education, PO Box 20284, London LW1 3WY. Web: www.choiceineducation.co.uk.
Public Alternatives From Alternative Schools in City Lose Appeal on Regents Test, by Kate Zernike, The New York Times: A New York State’s appeals court has affirmed decisions that said students at charter and alternative schools in New York City must take the state Regents exam…. Since last year, the schools have argued that their alternative curriculum is the essence of being alternative, and that requiring their students to take the state tests would force the schools to change what they teach…. They went before state lawmakers and the Board of Regents to ask that they be allowed to assess students using different measures, like portfolios of work. Requiring all high school students to pass the Regents exams, however, has been at the heart of (state education commissioner) Richard Mills’s plans to raise standards across the state. In January, the commissioner ruled that students at the charter and alternative schools were not exempt. The 28 schools in New York City that sought exemption, he said, had failed to provide as rigorous a measure of student work. 11/18/2000.
From High Stakes vs. Democracy by Ken Jones, FairTest Examiner: When tests dictate whether teacher will lose their jobs or students will graduate, it is essential that the tests be able to stand up in a court of law, for surely these decisions will be contested by the inevitable “casualties.” It is this pressure that forces state departments to take a safe approach to testing, despite all best intentions about classroom visions. Content validity requires that the assessment align with the curriculum. And yet, how can this happen when the state is in charge of the assessment and the schools are in charge of the curriculum? In Kentucky, it has meant that the schools, held highly accountable by the mandated test, have demanded that the state define the curriculum to be tested. Over the years, we have seen greater and greater articulation from the state. Now there is a very precise, and extensive, core content for assessment published by the state. Almost universally, schools spend a great deal of time “aligning” their curriculum to this state document to ensure that they are providing their students with the proper instruction. Thus, opportunity to learn has come to mean teaching to the test. So much for local empowerment. The moral to this story is that the high-stakes use of tests dictates standardization. A democratic vision for the classroom will be undermined by the control taken by the state when it uses testing as a weapon. Let us not be deceived. It is the state that is empowered through high stakes, not local schools, parents, and teachers. Fall 2000. National Center for Fair & Open Testing, 342 Broadway, Cambridge, MA 02139. Web: www.fairtest.org. Congratulations, FairTest Examiner, on your 15th anniversary!
Minnesota Association of Alternative Programs (MAAP) hosted the 30th Annual International Affiliation of Alternative Schools & Programs (IAASP) Conference last June. An important result of the conference was the ratification of an official professional organization, the International Association of Learning Alternatives (IALA), which MAAP will lead in developing. Initial recommendations model MAAP, including an annual conference, website & communications system, a youth organization, and more. The goal is to finish organizational development including bylaws for ratification at the June Conference in Oregon. 4182 N. Lexington Ave., Shoreview, MN 55126.
The Pioneer Institute for Public Policy Research reports that a recent poll found that in Massachusetts, while charter school parents’ ratings of the schools have declined slightly, 84% gave their children’s school a high grade. Charter school parents are more satisfied than district school parents in virtually every important area. The results of the poll can be found at the Institute’s website: www.pioneernet.org. 85 Devonshire St., 8th Floor, Boston, MA 02109. Tel: (617) 723-2277.
The Alternative Network Journal is a resource for teachers, counselors, and administrators in the field of educating troubled youth. It is published bi-monthly during the academic year. It contains articles about various alternative programs for at-risk students, interviews with others in the field, news about programs around the country, lists of resources, first-hand accounts, and book reviews. It is available from Alternative Network Journal, PO Box 461, Ithaca, NY 14851.
Teachers Jobs and Internships
Liberty School in Blue Hill, Maine is starting a 13th year program in Homesteading and Community. This post-high school year is open to graduates who are looking for an alternative to college and to people of all ages who want to move from mainstream America into a more self-sufficient life style. We have a small farm less than a mile from the school and are looking for the right person or couple to be the director of this school--Liberty School of Homesteading and Community. The curriculum would include organic agriculture, food processing, animal husbandry, solar construction, wood lot management and cooperative living skills. Students could also have apprenticeships with local crafts people. We are also starting a Classical Music Program and are looking for someone to direct that program. We want to provide a program for talented music students from all over Maine who want to spend more of their day practicing, studying and playing with other serious musicians. With music and art programs being cut in most schools, we believe it is essential to offer this opportunity. Please contact Arnold Greenberg at grnbrg@downeast.net. Web: http://liberty-school.org.
The Graham & Parks Alternative Public School, a K-8, citywide school of choice, is seeking a principal. The school has 350 students, including a Haitian bilingual program, and serves a wide range of learning styles. The school has a developmental approach that includes multi-graded classes, active, hands-on learning, cooperative learning groups and integrated, multicultural curriculum developed by teachers. The school strives to be a community of learners. The school believes all students can achieve at high levels and encourages them to become independent learners who are drawn beyond the mastery of basic skills toward the rewards of inquiry, initiative and reflection. For more information, please contact Barbara Allen, Executive Director, Human Resources Office, Cambridge Public Schools, 159 Thorndike Street, Cambridge, MA 02141.
EnCompass School is looking for a principal, certified teachers, administrative officer, and conference center manager. This is a new holistic school set to open this fall. For information about these positions, contact the school at 11011 Tyler Foote Rd., Nevada City, CA 95959. Tel: (530) 292-1000. Email: connection@encompass-nlr.org. Web: www.encompass-nlr.org.
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho Waldorf Initiative is seeking a Waldorf-trained Kindergarten Teacher for September 2001 position. A fully trained Waldorf Kindergarten Assistant is available to assist you. We are looking to open a 2, 3, and 5-day Kindergarten program in the fall and have a Parent-Child group currently running. We are also seeking a Waldorf-trained Grade 1 Teacher for September 2001 position. You will have excellent support from not only Parents but also a solid group of community members. Our closest Waldorf School is the Sandpoint Waldorf School about 40 minutes north of us. We have a great rapport with them and they have been a wonderful resource in setting up the school. Nelson, British Columbia and Seattle are the next closest schools about four to five hours away from us. Please e-mail cover letter and resume to Penny Winton at pwin4115@msn.com.
Highland Hall Waldorf School is searching for a Grade 1 Class Teacher. 394 students. Full member of the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America, and the high school is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. 30 full-time and 25 part-time teachers, supported by an administrative staff of ten. We are interested in candidates with a bachelor's degree or the equivalent in addition to Waldorf teacher training who are enthusiastic about making a commitment to a full class of up to 30 children. $33,000 - $38,000 based on experience, with the possibility of earning $50,000 in time. Medical coverage, full tuition remission, and dental coverage for full-time employees and their dependents. We also offer support for relocation expenses and financial support for further teacher development. Please submit three references from people who know your work and a short autobiography with your resume. We are particularly interested in your experience, relationship to children, interests, and specific areas of strength. Contact Lynn Kern at 818-349-1394, fax 818-349-2390; email cegoodno@cs.com
A Child's Place School in Lincroft, N.J. near Red Bank is seeking Interns or Beginning Teachers for K-1 or Nursery (3-5 year olds) classroom in an innovative small private pre-school with individualized learning and integrating progressive traditions with new methods and the philosophies of Reggio Emilia and the Project Approach. Must have BA degree and training in Early Childhood and enjoy the Arts. A Child's Place School, 1409 West Front St., Lincroft, N.J. 07738. Tel: (732) 747-0141.
The Arthur Morgan School in Western North Carolina, is seeking teachers/houseparents for the 2001-2002 school year. We also have one opening for a teacher starting April 2001. The Arthur Morgan School is a small, alternative boarding and day school for 27 boys and girls in grades 7-9. Our 100-acre campus consists mainly of woods and meadows with creeks and a pond; it is surrounded largely by National Forest. The school fosters a loving, energetic living/learning community dedicated to supporting individuality while teaching group cooperation. A balance is sought between academics, outdoor activities, and meaningful work; experiential learning and responsible participation in community are emphasized throughout. Please send resume to Ana Pacheco or Sarita Hennesey, Hiring Committee, Arthur Morgan School, 1901 Hannah Branch Rd. Burnsville, NC 28714 For more information call 828-675-4262.
Horizons School is seeking live-in dormitory parent(s) for August 2001. Requires a mature person to take charge of evenings, weekends, and holidays; ideal for writer or home office. They also anticipate the need for elementary and high school teachers. Further, the school’s Spanish staff plans to supervise students in Guatemala next summer; earn one year of high school credit in six weeks of intensive training. Contact Lorraine Wilson at (404) 378-2219. Web: www.horizonsschool.homestead.com. Ed Note: I just received the a note from Les Garber of Horizons School (landjgarber@earthlink.net) in Atlanta, GA. He said they have an immediate need for one or two staff members. Horizon is a k-12 with about 150 students, democratic meeting, a boarding program primarily with international students (about 15) and a strong emphasis on drama. It would be an interesting place to work.
The Green Willow Charter School, with a scheduled opening for Sept, 2001 in northern Bergen County, NJ is seeking gifted educators to create it's art infused, thematic and interdisciplinary and character education program . The school runs k-8, one class for each grade with 16 students per class. Our website will be live soon: www.greenwillowcharterschool.org. We are accepting applications from general education and art, music, spanish and physical education teachers. For a brochure and employment application, please email jackiedevries@yahoo.com.
Brookline High School English teacher( may be part time) for democratic program called School Within A School at BHS 10-12 grades. Pretty traditional curriculum. Call or e mail me: 617-713-5401 ellen_kaplovitz@brookline.mec.edu
Elementary/Junior High Director; position available July 1, 2001. Oak Grove School, founded by J. Krishnamurti, seeks experienced educator/administrator. Needs strong interpersonal skills and deep commitment to consensual decision-making. Will work in development, admissions, public relations. Salary negotiable; benefits included. Contact Eileen McGuire, Oak Grove School, 220 W. Lomita Ave., Ojai, CA 93023; Fax:(805)646-5306; ph:(805)646-7008; e-mail: |