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I've recently added an excellent paper on holistic education philosophy to the Resources section of this website, under Writing by Other Authors. See "Systemic, Integral Education" by Anne Adams. Anne recently completed her Ph.D. at the California Institute of Integral Studies and her research involved an extensive study of various schools based on integral (holistic) approaches.
We've had some interesting discussions about whether "integral" means about the same thing as "holistic" (I think it does) or goes beyond it (as Anne maintains). Maybe it's an east coast/west coast thing, and I should start a "Vermont Institute of Holistic Studies" to complement CIIS.
In any case, be sure to take a look at her paper.

Comments from readers

Thanks to each of you who commented on my previous entry. In a way, this revolution really is as simple as two of you put it: "follow the child" and get out of their way so they can learn! If we could accomplish nothing else but to get a significant number of people in our society to appreciate these principles, it would be a huge step. Still, as Jason so eloquently explains, there is value in developing a coherent, comprehensive philosophy that supports not only those who choose to unschool, but people from many different backgrounds and situations who find various other kinds of educational alternatives suitable for their children. Sometimes it does make sense to thoughtfully guide rather than completely follow the child, to provide what Montessori called a "prepared environment" to help them structure their learning rather than completely staying aloof from their learning process. But how do we know when this makes sense, and to what degree? That is where a coherent philosophy helps. And I'll continue to think and write in pursuit of this task.

Jason, I deleted a few earlier blog entries and comments because I wanted to keep this space as current as possible. I'm sorry you lost some entries you wanted to revisit. But I really appreciate your very thoughtful comments as well as your support, and I look forward to our continued dialogue and collaboration. Your ideas for additional sites for discussion and networking are great. Let us know when they're up and running.

The education revolution

I've just returned from the fourth annual conference of AERO--the Alternative Education Resource Organization. Over 300 people were there, representing diverse kinds of schools, learning communities, and homeschooling/unschooling. There was a lot of enthusiasm, and it was clear that momentum is growing for building a completely new system of education that will be more child-centered, democratic and decentralized than the authoritarian and standardizing monstrosity we now have. Parents and teachers are getting together in many parts of the U.S.--indeed, in many places around the world--to figure out how to provide more caring and nurturing learning environments for young people. I believe that an education revolution is in the making. It is almost completely off the mainstream radar, but it is growing at the grassroots.

The rallying cry of this popular rebellion is CHOICE. Parents and student-centered educators want freedom from the oppressive authority of government mandates and corporate-style standards and "accountability." They want room to experiment, innovate, and respond spontaneously to the real and shifting needs of individuals and small communities. There is a healthy streak of individualism in this movement, sometimes bordering on the eccentric and anarchic, but vitally necessary for counteracting the fascist standardization of learning that our culture has sanctioned. The revolution is not exactly a coherent movement; trying to find agreement on any concerted action, beyond calling for "choice" and "child-centered" learning, is very much like herding cats. I've spent my 25-year career trying to describe some unifying principles that might weave these scattered efforts into a social and political force of some kind, but now I'm starting to wonder whether a spontaneous, unchoreographed uprising from the grassroots is exactly how this revolution needs to happen. Readers, what are your thoughts?

I'm working on a new book that will describe this revolution and my vision for the future of education. A lot of good books have come out recently, or are in the works, including Emmanuel Bernstein's The Secret Revolution, Kristan Morrison's Free School Teaching, Chris Mercogliano's In Defense of Childhood, and a new Directory of Democratic Education. These are all available through AERO's online bookstore (see www.edrev.org). I've also just reviewed a manuscript for a book that proposes a sweeping vision of educational freedom, drawing on an unusual but potent blend of ideas from Montessori, Dewey, and Ayn Rand. (I never thought I'd see Dewey and Rand brought together in the same discussion!) So a lot of thoughtful people are envisioning a new educational system, and I hope to weigh in with my own thoughts in the next few months.