We have just finished the creation of the first AERO podcast. We're very excited about this. The first podcast consists of three interviews on the topic of how homeschooled and alternative school graduates go through the process of applying to colleges, what happens when they get in, as well as financial considerations. We interviewed an actual admissions director of an alternative college, an author/expert of the whole process and the questions to expect from admissions people, and the director of an alternative high school with his perspective. The sound quality is pristine. 

 

When we announce it this week we would like you to repost this far and wide, to your mailing lists, organization members, Facebook and Twitter accounts, etc. If it is successful we will greatly extend the reach of learner-centered education.

 

We'll be posting this very shortly and informing you when it becomes available.

 

Call for a show of solidarity

Exclusive to AERO

By Karen M. Giuffre', M.Ed. Founding Director, Voyagers Community School

Voyagers' Community School in Eatontown, New Jersey, is proud to announce that we have been recommended for accreditation by the Middle States Association visiting team! Our Prekindergarten through High School program offers "Traditional academics in non-traditional ways" based on a constructivist philosophy.

For those of us in the progressive education field, the challenge of explaining and often defending our approach has become part of an ongoing dialogue that reaches well beyond the classroom. Although we know, as professionals who work closely with children everyday , that our pedagogy is successful, there are times when we are called to prove ourselves by parents, students, educators, community leaders and others. Sometimes the call comes from collaborative colleagues around a table asking,"How do we know?" About three years ago, Voyagers' Community School committed to taking a good look at itself through the eyes of Middle States Association (MSA). We decided to seek accreditation through a rigorous process set forth by an impartial entity.

Through our first ten years, we measured success by looking at our process and ensuing outcomes. We were certain of our effectiveness. Then came a time when we decided to prove it to the naysayers, and to allay the fears often expressed by unknowing prospective students, parents and grandparents. We thought, "Accreditation could help "prove" that our approach is valid." It was a risk because the opposite could be found and revealed, or worse yet we could find ourselves shifting and changing to meet the standards expected by MSA.

In Service,

Jerry Mintz

Executive Director

Alternative Education Resource Organization