The Weekly Newsletter of Educational Alternatives - www.EducationRevolution.org
AERO Conference: Registration Now Open - June 26-29, 2014 in NYC Area
Two Days to Register!
Two years ago, at the AERO conference in Portland, rooms were over $100, meals were in a required package and averaged $15. When we came back to New York, rather than everything becoming more expensive, we decided to find a place that would make the conference more affordable to our network. We did. You can stay in the dorms for as little as $55 and the food is now on your own in the inexpensive cafeteria. Meanwhile the registration price has not gone up. For the next two days, if you are an AERO member you can register for $228 for adults, $160 for students and $80 for children under 12. It's even less expensive to fly here. But this will end in two days at midnight Pacific time on June 1st. The conference starts June 25th with school visits and the 26th with workshops.

Although we have a record 37 different states and provinces registered, as well as seven countries, our total attendance is disappointing at this point, less than last year. So we will probably not be back in New York next year unless things improve. This year's program looks like it will even top last year's, and many people called that our best ever.

So we'd even like to encourage people who have already registered to invite more people to attend. There are things planned for this conference that you may never get to experience again.
 
We also have specially priced package rates for those looking to reserve rooms and conference fees. Click here for more information on the packages.

Scholarships & Financial Assistance Available for AERO Conference
We've actually had some direct donations from people in the AERO network that will take us beyond our regular discounts for volunteers to help people who need scholarship assistance for registration fees. We do not want anyone to be excluded who wants to attend. Also, if you are local and could house an attendee during the conference, let me know directly. For special arrangements please contact me directly ASAP at jerryaero@aol.com. Funds are limited.
 
Learn more about the conference, our workshops, and registration information here.
 
Brooklyn Free School's 10th Anniversary

Eleven years ago AERO hosted the International Democratic Education Conference in Troy, NY. We had 600 people from all over the world. Attendees from New York City wondered why we didn't have any democratic schools there and we organized a group to create them. Our first meeting was at Renaissance Charter School in Queens, where Monte Joffe was the principal.

At about the same time I received an email from someone interested in starting an alternative school in New York City. Of course I get these from people everywhere every day.

This was the email:
8/18/2003 6:44:19 PM Eastern Daylight Time, Apberger writes:
Dear Jerry, I think there is a market, particularly in light of the ever increasing emphasis on standardized exams and the resulting disenchantment of students and parents--there's going to be a growing backlash or counter movement at some point. I will check out your listserve for others interesting in alternatives in NYC, thanks. I'm also sorry I missed the recent meeting you mentioned, please add me to your list for any upcoming events. Take care and good luck! Alan

It was from Alan Berger who had been an assistant principal at a public school after switching over from business.

My response:
Dear Alan:
We are about to explore all of this. I got a call tonight from one of the listserve members. Together with a couple of others she connected with at the IDEC, they will organize a meeting soon of people who want to start a democratic school in the NY area. Do you want to be in on this?

Of course, the rest is history. One committee in our group made a wonderful proposal to create a public democratic school. That just sat on a bureaucrat's desk until we forced a meeting with NYC education officials who told us it didn't fit their cookie cutter idea of what a new school should be.

The other committee worked with Alan to start Brooklyn Free School. We met every other week in various apartments and buildings. I went to all the meetings, demonstrated democratic process, organic curriculum, and helped organize a two day mini-school. That did it. Brooklyn Free School opened in the fall of 2004.

Recently we celebrated its 10th anniversary. The school has become internationally known, with several articles in the New York Times, a feature on NPR's This American Life, etc. It has a continuous waiting list. This year Alan Berger retired from the school, although he is still on the board, and Lily Mercogliano became the new director.

Brooklyn Free School will be one of the keynoters at this year's AERO conference, with Lily, students and staff presenting. Don't miss learning from this incredible school and community!

Read a parent testimonial of 10 years at BFS here.

The 2014 Education Jam - Apply Today!


30 leaders and visionaries will gather for six days in a beautiful retreat center in the New Hampshire wilderness. We will spend the time building community, deepening in stories and perspectives, sharing places of growth and struggle, and co-creating inspiration and vision.

We will be inviting folks from around the education world: public, private, independent, and charter schools, unschooling, homeschooling, learning communities, youth empowerment, and more. We acknowledge that in the education sector there is a fair amount of division around definitions of the "best way forward". We also know that across the spectrum, people working in the education world are constantly giving of themselves. The Education Jam will make space to listen and learn from our diversity, engage in new synergies, find inspiration and rejuvenation, and begin to build towards a common vision with each of our own unique contributions.

Find out more about the 2014 Education Jam and apply today here.

Liberated Learners Conference
Liberated Learners will hold their annual summer conference from July 11-13th in Hadley, MA. The conference is for those who want to learn more about the North Star model as well as those who are interested to start their own programs. You can find out more and register for the conference at www.liberatedlearnersinc.org/conference.


Testimonial on 10 years of Brooklyn Free School

Bruce Zeines   
testimonial
Last evening my wife and I attended the 6th annual Brooklyn Free School year end gala. It was held at The Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture in Park Slope. It is the school's biggest fundraiser and an opportunity for the community of parents, advisors, supporters, graduates and students to come together at one grand and festive event. It is also a milestone: the school is celebrating its' 10th year of existence.


As part of the 10th anniversary of the founding of the school, the gala also surreptitiously included honoring several parents and others who helped get the school started over a decade ago. Yours truly is among that group and one of the last with a child still in attendance.

Since there were too many of us to get up on the microphone and give a speech, one has been rolling around in my head this morning, and I felt maybe it needs to exit my head and go out into the ether.

I would like to say how proud I am to be a part of this experiment in democratic education. I call it an experiment because at the very core of its' mission, there is a process of understanding children and how they learn. It must forever be reevaluated and adjusted. So it is here that I will interject my own story on how it began from my particular vantage point.  

 

Read more here. Brooklyn Free School will be keynoting this year's AERO conference. Find out more here.
 
Job Opportunity: Little River Community School Elementary Teacher


View this and all our latest job ads here.

Job seekers and schools with job openings can post ads for free if they are or become AERO members, just email jerryaero@aol.com or reply to this newsletter with your ad.

Important Conference Links
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Do you have a news or resource item you think Education Revolution newsletter readers would find useful? Send it to jerryaero@aol.com.
 
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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

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. 

May 30, 2014 
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