The Weekly Newsletter of Educational Alternatives - www.EducationRevolution.org
2014 School Starters Now With Credit
Board of Brooklyn Free School on 10th anniversary

The 9th annual AERO School Starter's Course will begin this year on Monday, September 29th. It will go to January 2015. AERO has helped start at least 70 schools that we know of, but there are many more out there! You can see a map a listing of over 70 of them here.

 

Something remarkably different is happening with year's course! For the first time you will have the option of getting transferrable graduate credit! Of course for many people this has not been an issue-the bottom line is that they wanted help to start their school. But for some people is could make a difference, for a variety of reasons. It can enable more funding. It can bestow more credibility for some people in their communities. The credit will be given by the highly esteemed Antioch University New England Graduate School of Keene, New Hampshire.  We've been talking to Antioch University for years about this. They have great respect for AERO and for this course, and worked very hard to help make it a reality.

 

We know that the course will fill up quickly this year, but it is still limited to 25 students and has been full for years. The cost for the basic course is still only $1000 but will definitely go up next year. For those who want graduate credit the cost is only $1500. Again, this can include a group of up to 5 people on your team. 

 

Click here to find out more about the course or to enroll.

 

 

Announcing a New AERO Book!

Last week we announced that AERO is publishing a new book by famed educational pioneer Len Solo: We sold many copies last week but we still have some left. 

 

Jonathan Kozol calls Len Solo, "One of the greatest educators of our time."

 

The book has not yet been officially published, but we made a special, pre-publication edition for the AERO conference and have a limited number that you can order now.  We'll take down the possibility of ordering them when we sell out of this version. (Despite what it says in the bookstore we will ship these special copies immediately)

 

I first heard of Len back in the early days of alternative education. He was running the "Teacher Dropout Center," a clearinghouse for teachers looking for alternatives in which to teach. He spent many of his later years of as principal of a truly remarkable public alternative in Cambridge, MA, the Graham and Parks School, named for Rosa Parks. I visited once and was truly impressed at what he was able to do in that setting, particularly with a large number of Haitian immigrant students.

 

His new book, AERO's newest publication, directs us to learn from what was accomplished in the '60s and 70s and apply it to today's education. You can read the full description here.

 

Here are some early reviews:  

Legendary educator Len Solo offers reflection and insight into his 40-year career as an alternative teacher and school leader. Only a handful of our contemporaries have had such long and productive careers in building alternatives to the school system. Len is one of them, and there is much to ponder with him as he reflects on how children learn and how best to teach for them and with them, rather than at them. [Len's stories] capture the passion for knowledge and justice which Len Solo brings to this book and has brought to the many classrooms he graced in his long career.

 -Ira Shor, Professor, City University of New York

 

This book forces us to think about deep questions around learning. As I was reading, I found myself always learning, growing, and engaged.

-Carlo Ricci, Ph.D., Professor, Graduate Studies, Schulich

 School of Education, Nipissing University

 

Len Solo, a very wise experienced educator. The reader comes away with a clean version of what would be superb schools for children and youth. A must-read book for educators and the public-readable and chock full of nuggets. 

-Wayne Jennings, Ph.D., Founder, Designs for Learning

 

I found myself in conversation with Len throughout the book. I think the best parts of Len's book are his memories of learning from his own children, his perspective on the cycles of change, and the many tips that someone starting a new school would find particularly helpful. Reading Len's book has led me to ask some important questions of myself about my development as an educator.

 

-Arnold Langberg, Education Consultant & School Founder

 

Len Solo came of age in the whirlwind of social movements fifty years ago challenging traditional society. From his front row seat Len Solo steers a wise course through those vast experiences, highlighting what might be most relevant and helpful today. Solo has crafted here an important book that draws on a lifetime of teaching and parenting to chart a smart and hopeful path forward for us today. Anyone who is troubled by the sorry state of our schools and the anemic discussion surrounding them that masquerades as productive debate will find this book essential reading and an important resource in the struggles to come.

 -Bill Ayers, Distinguished Professor of Education and Senior University Scholar at the University of Illinois at Chicago (retired)

 

Len Solo's book gently identifies primary thoughts to consider in shaping education as being more than one way and a continuing effort. He uses storytelling and identifies specific schools, programs, and documents that serve to help us in shaping what we might call education in the future and brings forward the construct of understanding how children learn-something we should be continuously considering to achieve profound results. 

-Dr. Ray Morley, Director EdOptions

 

As we said, the book is not yet officially published, and may be further revised. To get this special early copy, which included Herb Kohl's foreword, go here . 

  
AERO Conference DVDs & CDs Available
Gathering of Our America (ENA) group at AERO

  

We've now sent out all of the orders of the high quality DVDs of the AERO conference.  We  have DVDs of all 7 keynotes and CDs of 27 workshops! We will shortly be getting more sets in to fill out our commitment to the videographer, but will not make more after that. You must order them not to get them. This is the first time we've had such professionally made recorrdings

The complete list of keynotes is below and you can review the full list of workshops here. Only a few of the DVD sets previously made are still available. Those who purchase the DVDs immediately will have them sent out right away! This is one of the best sets of keynotes we have ever had. Once those sets sell out, additional copies will be sent out in about three weeks. Please reserve the full set of keynote DVDs which will be $49 or individual keynotes at $15 each here.

 

To help guide you in selecting keynotes and workshops to order, these are unedited excerpts from the first evaluations to arrive in our office.
  • AERO is the only conference I never miss!
  • This was a first AERO conference for my wife and me, and it went well beyond our expectations. Thank you Jerry for bringing together such wonderful people. We have left well fueled for growth. 
  • To read dozens of more reactions to the keynotes and workshops, click here (scroll to the bottom).
Please select either a whole set of 27 workshop CDs at $79 (about $3 each), $40 for 10, or $5 each for the ones you select here (name them in the notes section or in a separate e mail). The complete workshop descriptions can be read on our website here.

The keynotes include the talks by:
  • Lenore Skenazy
  • Zo� Neill Readhead / Summerhill
  • Justo M�ndez Ar�mburu
  • Jerry Mintz
  • Ramchandra Das
  • Ron Miller
  • Lily Mercogliano/Brooklyn Free School

Click here to read bios of the keynoters.

 

New Podcast by Nikhil  Goyal

Marc-Alexandre Prud'homme, a presenter at this year's AERO conference sent us this podcast he just did with Nikhi Goyal. AERO publishes Nikhil's book, One Size Does Not Fit All. Both were presenters at this year's AERO conference. Their presentations are available on CD

 

In this 15-minute interview, Nikhil Goyal, a 19 year-old journalist and author, told us about how his opinions on education have evolved since publishing his first book on the topic, One Size Does Not Fit All, at the age of 17. We also talked about bullying, the school-prison comparison and the subject of his upcoming book.

Podcast: Nikhil Goyal on education, bullying, his books... (

 

NewsNews, Resources, & Calendar
Do you have a news or resource item you think Education Revolution newsletter readers would find useful? Send it to jerryaero@aol.com.
 
Thank you for your ongoing support. With your help, we will make learner-centered alternatives available to everyone!

Sincerely,

Jerry Mintz
Executive Director
Alternative Education Resource Organization

tensignsThe Ten Signs You Need to Find a Different Kind of Education for Your Child
Many parents don't realize that the education world has changed drastically since they were in school. Schools and class sizes used to be smaller, dropout rates lower, in-school violence almost unheard of, and teachers weren't terrified of showing affection to their students, or of discussing moral values. Of course, even then, school was far from perfect, but at least the teachers-and usually the principal-knew every student by name, something that is increasingly rare today.

Because our public school system has deteriorated considerably, many parents, teachers, and individuals have taken it upon themselves to create public and private alternatives to that system; and it is important for parents to know that they now have choices.

So how do you know that it's time to look for another educational approach for your child? Here are some of the signs:

1. Does your child say he or she hates school?

If so, something is probably wrong with the school. Children are natural learners, and when they're young, you can hardly stop them from learning. If your child says they hate school, listen to them. 

July 20, 2014 
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