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Announcing a New AERO Book!
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We're proud to announce that AERO is publishing a new book by famed educational pioneer Len Solo: .
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. (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 .
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AERO Conference DVDs & CDs Available
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Gathering of Our America (ENA) group at AERO
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.
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Transition & AERO Job Opportunity
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As you can see below, after working with AERO since 2003, when he was only 16 years old, Isaac Graves has accepted a great job in the San Francisco area, where he now lives with his wife. There is no way to describe how important Isaac has been to AERO and its development over that time. Among other things, after helping us put on the IDEC that we hosted in 2003 as an intern, he came to me and said, "I think AERO needs to build on this by having its own AERO conference, and I can organize it for you." He thus became our conference director and ran the first eight of them! But that's only part of the story. For example, he has been an editor and main designer of Turning Points and our latest book by Len Solo as well as all of our ebooks. So, we will sorely miss Isaac. His impact on the movement of educational alternatives has been very significant. We wish him well!
You can read Isaac's departure letter below, and below that the job description for AERO webmaster.
 AERO Friends:
After ten years of working for AERO in nearly every capacity, it is with both joy and sadness that I announce I am moving on. At the end of this month I will begin a new challenge working for a nonprofit working in the socially responsible business sector. I began AERO as a part-time employee in 2003, after dropping out of high school to begin homeschooling. I had worked with AERO the previous year on the IDEC 2003 organizing committee, but I was still very new to the world of educational alternatives. Over time, with Jerry's support and mentorship, I grew into a more prominent role in the organization. I organized the first eight AERO conferences, served as outreach coordinator for a time, and worked on more small jobs than I can remember-the life of working for a small, but mighty, nonprofit. For the past two years, I've focused on managing the website, Facebook page, and the bookstore.
AERO has meant a lot to me, especially the community of people working to make educational alternatives available to all. I need to acknowledge the most important supporter I've had over these years, Jerry Mintz. Jerry took a leap of faith in hiring me as a 16-year-old and has supported me in pursuing a wide range of opportunities during my time at AERO, including helping to start a high school in Albany, teaching at The Patchwork School in Colorado, and organizing the 2013 IDEC. Most importantly, Jerry has been a dear friend all along the way, always prioritizing people--including me--above work; often putting the needs of others before his own. This attitude has led Jerry and AERO to start, save, and transform countless schools and education communities around the world, as I'm sure many of you can attest to. I'm announcing my departure, but my commitment to educational alternatives as an option for all young people hasn't changed. So I'm going to claim this space Jerry gave me to thank him publicly for everything he's done in supporting my personal and professional life. As I move on, AERO will be stronger than ever, because Jerry's commitment, your commitment, and the need for educational alternatives continues to grow.
Thank you, Isaac
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AERO Needs a Part-Time Webmaster
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Job Description
10 Hours/week. Pay is negotiable.
Applicant must have the following skills:
- Strong knowledge of WordPress
- Basic HTML knowledge
- Ability to learn new technologies
- Strong writing ability
Recommended skills and experience (not required for consideration):
- Advanced HTML, CSS, Web Design
- Photoshop, InDesign
- Experience with WordPress networked sites
- Experience with WooCommerce
- Knowledge of/Experience with educational alternatives
- Experience managing Facebook pages
- Experience managing a professional Twitter account
Applicant should submit cover letter and resume to [email protected]. We will review applications on a rolling basis and it is suggested that you submit your application ASAP. Please address required and recommended skills/experiences in your cover letter.
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Excerpt from editorial by Tim Linehan, Every Child Journal
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| The views of the Finnish educationalist, Pasi Sahlberg, are cited to describe "a European-wide movement towards a narrowing of perspectives in education characterised by 'standardisation; overemphasis on narrow core subjects; minimising experimentation through low risk strategies; economically-based corporate organisation and, most damaging of all, high-stakes test-based accountability'.
All of this is deeply confusing for schools. On the one hand, the message is that schools should have more independence, while on the other, there is an ever-narrowing definition of what education looks like. Even governments with an avowed commitment to decentralisation can't resist the allure of control freakery.
But as Nigel Utton points out, the trends go further than that - the new standardisation is becoming the received view. Policy Churn In 2009, Action for Children published policy research called 'As Long as it Takes: a new politics for children', which argued that the churn of legislation and guidance was becoming oppressive. It noted that between 1987 and the publication of its report 21 years later, there had been 400 different initiatives, strategies, funding streams, legislative acts and structural changes to services affecting children, including 98 separate Acts of Parliament and 40 Green and White Papers. It's exhausting just to contemplate.
This isn't an experience unique to the UK. On page 74, we look at research from the United States. In 'Not another special initiative!', academics from the UCLA describe the US experience of what they term 'projectitis' in which new legislation and policies, usually foisted on schools following a knee-jerk reaction to a particular calamity, come with funding strings attached so that cash-starved schools - especially in times of austerity - can't resist following the money trail
despite the disruption and minimal gain they offer.
As the authors say, in a paragraph that every teacher in the land will probably echo: 'The good news is that there are many schools where the majority of students and staff are safe and successful, and in all schools, one can find young people who are doing just fine. The bad news is that in too many schools, particularly those serving lower income families, large numbers of students are in harm's way, academically in trouble, and dropping out. And the impact on teachers and teaching is detrimental.'
The solution, they argue, is school-wide policies that capture the scope of the problems that children face. In other words, it calls for schools to embrace the complexity of diversity on their own terms. The authors have created ... frameworks for this."
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Do you have a news or resource item you think Education Revolution newsletter readers would find useful? Send it to [email protected].
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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
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 The 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.
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