4/17/2016
AERO Conference Ramping Up Fast!
Sugata Mitra meets with attendees at 2015 AERO Conference
The annual gathering of the alternative education community lands in Portland, OR this year with keynotes from Yong Zhao, Peter Gray, and Stuart Grauer ! Find out more about AERO Portland !
The Week In Revolution - 
Table Of Contents
Learn Different: Silicon Valley Disrupts Education.
By Rebecca Mead

Se en from the outside, AltSchool Brooklyn, a private school that opened in Brooklyn Heights last fall, does not look like a traditional educational establishment. There is no playground attached, no crossing guard at the street corner, and no crowd of children blocking the sidewalk in the morning. The school is one floor up, in a commercial building overlooking Montague Street. On the building's exterior is a logo: a light-blue square, with rounded corners, bearing the word "alt." It looks like an iPhone app awaiting the tap of a colossal finger.

Read the rest here.
Uncle Sam Wants You... to Spy on Other Students.
By Alan Singer

The F.B.I. has introduced an interactive online program called " Don't Be a Puppet " for teachers and students to help them identify potential violent extremists. Gamers maneuver through a series of activities designed to help them identify someone who may be falling under the influence of radical extremists. After every correct response, a scissor cuts the puppet's string, until the puppet is finally "freed." Individuals with ties to Islamic fundamentalist groups like ISIS and Al-Qaeda have not been involved in school shootings in the United States. However religious and civil rights leaders who previewed the game report the website focuses almost entirely on "Islamic extremism."

Read the rest here.
Joe Nathan column: Honoring a remarkable educator.
By Joe Nathan

Almost 200 people gathered on April 9 to celebrate the work of a marvelous man, 85-year-old Dr. Wayne Jennings (Long-Time AERO Member).

After building houses and canoes and serving in the Army, Jennings has for more than 60 years inspired, encouraged and promoted research-based improvements in public schools. A modest, understated person, Jennings mostly smiled and quietly thanked people for coming. But he has attracted national attention. The ceremony featured former students, from a playwright to a University of Chicago professor, who flew to Minnesota just to honor Jennings.

Read the rest here.
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Please send us feedback on this issue. also, we would like to have more articles written by AERO members and about AERO school and organizations. 
Thank you for your ongoing support. With  your help, we will make learner-centered alternatives available to everyone!

In Service,

Jerry Mintz
Executive Director
Alternative Education Resource Organization