Some historians have pointed out that modern social and political movements seem to follow a rhythm of ebb and flow. A period of innovation and revision is followed by a conservative reaction, which eventually produces a hunger for renewed change. These cycles seem to take twenty or thirty years to play themselves out.
Well, the last period of radical change in education came in the late 1960s and early 1970s--about 35 years ago. Since then, the right wing counter-revolution has effectively forced progressive, humanistic, and holistic approaches to the margins of educational policy and practice. A Nation at Risk, Goals 2000, and now the policy of No Child Left Untested (sorry, I mean "Behind") have turned schools into a mechanical arm of the corporate state. Education becomes ever more controlled, narrowed, and standardized.
Yet there are signs that this reactionary cycle is reaching its zenith and may be heading into decline. Opposition to the No Child Left Untested (excuse me, "Behind") agenda is growing across the nation. Parents and educators are discovering that children who are denied freedom and self-expression, artistic experiences, and even recess in an obsessive quest to meet ironclad standards are truly unhappy in their learning. There is a growing rebellion against the cult of homework. And hundreds of thousands of families are turning to homeschooling and diverse alternative schools to provide their children with an educational experience that honors their dignity and the fullness of their humanity.
I have watched the alternative education movements struggle in isolation against the corporate juggernaut for my entire 25-year career. But something new has been happening in the last few months. They are talking to each other. They are showing interest in collaborating. They are sensing the possibility of reaching the mainstream public with their ideas for the first time. A few of us have begun an email and now a phone conference discussion to consider a "think tank" or some sort of center that could speak on behalf of progressive/democratic/holistic education to journalists, parents and policymakers who are beginning to realize that educational fascism is unsustainable (and just plain wrong) but don't know what educational freedom might look like. What might happen if we relax "standards" and eliminate ruthless testing? Alternative educators have many important stories to tell, and data to back up their stories, and we're going to go public with them in the coming months.
It's time to come together and get involved. This year, consider attending the conferences being hosted by the Alternative Education Resource Organization and International Association of Learning Alternatives. (See the Resources section of this website -- www.pathsoflearning.net -- under useful websites. ) Read about the new collaboration in the magazine Education Revolution, of which I am editor. A new cycle has begun--and you ought to join in.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Let's imagine an educational rights movement
Thanks to the several people who posted comments in response to my introductory entry. It seems that my idea of an "educational rights movement" has some appeal, though of course it also raises questions. Let's explore the possibilities together.
For me, the notion of an "educational rights movement" arose from my research on the social movements of the 1960s that gave rise to the free school and homeschooling movements. It is quite clear that the activism of that era was largely inspired by the vision and courage of African-Americans' struggle for legal and social equality --the civil rights movement. I was particularly struck by a statement of Vincent Harding, a theologian who worked with Dr. King and recounted the struggle in his book Hope and History. He said that the civil rights movement should not be understood as simply an effort to gain rights for black people, that in a larger sense it was "a powerful outcropping of the continuing struggle for the expansion of democracy in the United States" and "for the freeing of all of our spirits." This is why it moved so many young people, black, white, and every other color, in the 1960s, and this is essentially what I believe the diverse movements for educational alternatives are about--the expansion of democracy and the freeing of our spirits.
Whether one supports "free" or "democratic" schools, Montessori or Waldorf models, homeschooling, charter schools, progressive ideals in public education, or other alternatives, I think we share these core values: democracy, and freedom of the human spirit. The differences in our teaching styles, classroom design (or lack thereof), choice of educational heroes, and so on are superficial in the context of these fundamental goals. The key question is what we mean by "democracy" and what we mean by "the freeing of our spirits."
For me, democracy means more than personal liberty. It involves a commitment to social responsibility, to collaborative community decision making. Sometimes such cooperation means that we willingly yield some of our personal preferences in order to serve a common good that ultimately serves us as well. (This is the Deweyan/progressive response to standard conservative notions of "liberty" and the "free market.") In his comments on this blog, "CZALE" (who I think is my friend Coop, am I right?), emphasizes liberty as an antidote to overly concentrated power, and while I agree that in many contexts, such as the founding fathers' rebellion against colonial domination, liberty is a "key" value, I think that a holistic understanding of democracy recognizes common purposes and social endeavors in balance with personal autonomy.
As for "the freeing of our spirits," I think this points to the mysterious, active, creative source of human consciousness and experience. Something stirs within each human soul, which cannot be explained by biological, social or psychological categories alone. Many people have definite ideas about what this source is (e.g. Rudolf Steiner's complex and esoteric cosmology), but I don't. I think it's enough to acknowledge that something spiritual, something mysterious, animates our lives, and that a truly good society, and a truly good education, respects this mystery enough to support children and youths to discover and express their own deepest true selves. Although an unschooler does this one way and a Waldorf educator in an entirely different way, can we not agree that their goals are similar, and that they can be allies in a broader movement for human liberation?
So this is the basis for my idea of "educational rights." Ruth's comments (hi Ruth--I'm glad you're connected!) show us that there are still a lot of questions to work out, and I'm interested in people's thoughts.
Finally, I want to thank Jason for his comments. All of his ideas for expanding the movement are important to pursue. Some of us are working to bring the idea of non-authoritarian education to the attention of Bioneers and other "cultural creatives" who have brilliant holistic solutions to many cultural problems but who often seem absolutely clueless about holistic educational alternatives. This could be an ongoing topic of this blog, so please share your thoughts about this issue, too.
For me, the notion of an "educational rights movement" arose from my research on the social movements of the 1960s that gave rise to the free school and homeschooling movements. It is quite clear that the activism of that era was largely inspired by the vision and courage of African-Americans' struggle for legal and social equality --the civil rights movement. I was particularly struck by a statement of Vincent Harding, a theologian who worked with Dr. King and recounted the struggle in his book Hope and History. He said that the civil rights movement should not be understood as simply an effort to gain rights for black people, that in a larger sense it was "a powerful outcropping of the continuing struggle for the expansion of democracy in the United States" and "for the freeing of all of our spirits." This is why it moved so many young people, black, white, and every other color, in the 1960s, and this is essentially what I believe the diverse movements for educational alternatives are about--the expansion of democracy and the freeing of our spirits.
Whether one supports "free" or "democratic" schools, Montessori or Waldorf models, homeschooling, charter schools, progressive ideals in public education, or other alternatives, I think we share these core values: democracy, and freedom of the human spirit. The differences in our teaching styles, classroom design (or lack thereof), choice of educational heroes, and so on are superficial in the context of these fundamental goals. The key question is what we mean by "democracy" and what we mean by "the freeing of our spirits."
For me, democracy means more than personal liberty. It involves a commitment to social responsibility, to collaborative community decision making. Sometimes such cooperation means that we willingly yield some of our personal preferences in order to serve a common good that ultimately serves us as well. (This is the Deweyan/progressive response to standard conservative notions of "liberty" and the "free market.") In his comments on this blog, "CZALE" (who I think is my friend Coop, am I right?), emphasizes liberty as an antidote to overly concentrated power, and while I agree that in many contexts, such as the founding fathers' rebellion against colonial domination, liberty is a "key" value, I think that a holistic understanding of democracy recognizes common purposes and social endeavors in balance with personal autonomy.
As for "the freeing of our spirits," I think this points to the mysterious, active, creative source of human consciousness and experience. Something stirs within each human soul, which cannot be explained by biological, social or psychological categories alone. Many people have definite ideas about what this source is (e.g. Rudolf Steiner's complex and esoteric cosmology), but I don't. I think it's enough to acknowledge that something spiritual, something mysterious, animates our lives, and that a truly good society, and a truly good education, respects this mystery enough to support children and youths to discover and express their own deepest true selves. Although an unschooler does this one way and a Waldorf educator in an entirely different way, can we not agree that their goals are similar, and that they can be allies in a broader movement for human liberation?
So this is the basis for my idea of "educational rights." Ruth's comments (hi Ruth--I'm glad you're connected!) show us that there are still a lot of questions to work out, and I'm interested in people's thoughts.
Finally, I want to thank Jason for his comments. All of his ideas for expanding the movement are important to pursue. Some of us are working to bring the idea of non-authoritarian education to the attention of Bioneers and other "cultural creatives" who have brilliant holistic solutions to many cultural problems but who often seem absolutely clueless about holistic educational alternatives. This could be an ongoing topic of this blog, so please share your thoughts about this issue, too.
Thursday, December 7, 2006
Welcome to this new conversation
Welcome to PathsOfLearning.net and this discussion of education alternatives. Hosting a blog is a new experiment for me, and I'm curious to see where our conversations will lead.
I've been working since the mid-1980s to help build a more unified, connected movement for educational alternatives. I'm convinced that as long as the groups of Montessori and Waldorf educators, democratic schools, homeschoolers, progressive activists in public education, charter schools, and other alternative approaches remain separate and scattered, we will not effectively change the authoritarian educational culture that dominates U.S. and other societies. I have long suggested that the philosophical perspective of "holistic education" could offer a broad, unifying set of principles, but so far this suggestion has not caught on widely.
More recently, I have begun to think in terms of building an "educational rights movement" that consciously honors and builds upon the struggles of the civil rights movement of an earlier generation. I see our work in education as a natural extension of the ongoing struggle for a more authentic and participatory democracy. I'll write more about this here and in essays that I'll post on www.PathsOfLearning.net .
By the way, if you've visited this website before, you'll notice that it has changed dramatically. Here's a bit of history: In 1999, I opened the Foundation for Educational Renewal to publish the magazine Paths of Learning. A very bright graduate student named Robin Martin contacted me and wondered whether the Foundation would sponsor her in establishing an online database containing resources on educational alternatives. We worked together for several years, and Robin did a fabulous job creating this website and filling it with great material. A couple years ago, having completed her Ph.D. work, Robin went off to other adventures (she's teaching at a university in the Middle East) and the site has been rather passive. Even though I discontinued the magazine and shut down the Foundation, I realized that this could still be an important resource and networking tool, and decided that I would use it to gather and make available my recent writings and conference presentations. I've kept what I thought was Robin's best work, but removed material that has grown outdated. I hope to keep PathsOfLearning.net fresh and stimulating.
So, who's reading this and what are you interested in discussing? What do you find useful on this website and what other writings or resources would you like to see added?
Let's get this blog rolling...
I've been working since the mid-1980s to help build a more unified, connected movement for educational alternatives. I'm convinced that as long as the groups of Montessori and Waldorf educators, democratic schools, homeschoolers, progressive activists in public education, charter schools, and other alternative approaches remain separate and scattered, we will not effectively change the authoritarian educational culture that dominates U.S. and other societies. I have long suggested that the philosophical perspective of "holistic education" could offer a broad, unifying set of principles, but so far this suggestion has not caught on widely.
More recently, I have begun to think in terms of building an "educational rights movement" that consciously honors and builds upon the struggles of the civil rights movement of an earlier generation. I see our work in education as a natural extension of the ongoing struggle for a more authentic and participatory democracy. I'll write more about this here and in essays that I'll post on www.PathsOfLearning.net .
By the way, if you've visited this website before, you'll notice that it has changed dramatically. Here's a bit of history: In 1999, I opened the Foundation for Educational Renewal to publish the magazine Paths of Learning. A very bright graduate student named Robin Martin contacted me and wondered whether the Foundation would sponsor her in establishing an online database containing resources on educational alternatives. We worked together for several years, and Robin did a fabulous job creating this website and filling it with great material. A couple years ago, having completed her Ph.D. work, Robin went off to other adventures (she's teaching at a university in the Middle East) and the site has been rather passive. Even though I discontinued the magazine and shut down the Foundation, I realized that this could still be an important resource and networking tool, and decided that I would use it to gather and make available my recent writings and conference presentations. I've kept what I thought was Robin's best work, but removed material that has grown outdated. I hope to keep PathsOfLearning.net fresh and stimulating.
So, who's reading this and what are you interested in discussing? What do you find useful on this website and what other writings or resources would you like to see added?
Let's get this blog rolling...
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