This self-directed learning concept finds expression over a long period of time in such places as the Sudbury Valley Schools where during five decades K-12 students have determined their entire education apparently with good results and by the recent replication of 22 Sudbury schools in the US and 14 schools in other parts of the world.

A la carte schools allow students to build a personalized curriculum by choosing from 1,000s of courses and vendor programs.

Another example is the concept of unschooling, somewhat related to homeschooling described as “Unschooling places little emphasis on traditional school curriculum and encourages children to learn through their natural life experiences including play, game play, household responsibilities, personal interests and curiosity, work experience, travel, books, elective classes, family, mentors, and social interaction.”

These examples fly in the face of conventional predetermined curricula that trumps personal direction. Might these examples provide clues to break the  precipitous decline in student engagement as shown in a Gallup poll of 500,000 students?

The Michigan Alternative Education Association will hold its annual conference April 24-26 in Thompsonville, Michigan.

The California Continuation Education Association will hold its annual conference April 26-27 in North Hollywood, California.

The Magnet Schools of America will hold its annual conference May 5-8, 2013 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The Alternative Education Resource Organization will hold its 10th annual conference May 23-26, 2013 in New York City.

The Reclaiming Youth and Black Hills Seminars will hold the 20th annual conference June 22-24, 2013 in Rapid City, SD.

The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools annual conference will be held June 30-July 3, 12013 in Washington, DC.

The Arkansas Association of Alternative Educators will hold its 14th annual conference July 7-10, 2013 in Tulsa.

The Tennessee Alternative Education Association will hold its annual conference July 10-12, 2013 in Jackson, Tennessee.

The International Democratic Education Conference will hold its 21st annual conference August 4-8, 2013 in Boulder, Colorado.

The Brown Center on Educational Policy at the Brookings Institution has published “Expanding Choice In Elementary and Secondary Education: A Report on Rethinking the Federal Role in Education,” a 31 page report. It says, “The types of school choice now available include choice among traditional public schools within districts (intra–district choice), choice between school districts (inter-district choice), charter schools, school vouchers, virtual schools, and finally, the oldest and most pervasive form of school choice–choice of school when selecting one’s residence.” The report describes each of these with pros and cons. The report recommends expanding choices so that all parents of school-age children have options to better meet needs and values. This requires more choices and well designed information systems. “The reauthorization of ESEA should incentivize districts to establish open enrollment plans such as those currently in place in New York City and Boston.” A well-written valuable report with references.

Also noted is the  National Center on School Choice at Vanderbilt University. Their federally funded work appears to be primarily the publication of scholarly papers and books on the topic.

IALA promotes giving schools greater autonomy over program, staffing and budget; multiple measures for gauging program effectiveness; flexible licensure; and, pilot programs as a way of supporting innovation. See position paper.

We now see interest in spelling out the specific competencies of effective teachers with training programs established to accomplish that result. Public Impact’s report Using Competency-Based Evaluation to Drive Teacher Education and School Turnaround Leaders: Competencies for Success describes the  thorough and successful training of teachers in Singapore and elsewhere. Similarly, the concept of badging  or badges and here is finding greater acceptance as a way of indicating successive accumulation of skills and knowledge, not unlike merit badges of Scouts. The competency approach applies to children and youth as well.

One well-developed plan describes the teacher competencies for a progressive school and how to assess competence. This is a document on our website and available for all to use.

IALA espouses this policy as its core mission.

CASEL promotes the development of five interrelated sets of cognitive, affective, and behavioral competencies: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making. The result: A shift from being  predominantly controlled by external factors to acting with internalized beliefs and values, caring and concern for others, making good decisions, and taking responsibility for one’s choices and behaviors.

Besides full time programs, blended learning programs are increasingly found in almost all high schools in the nation and now spreading to middle and elementary schools. This describes students taking regular courses along with one or more online courses for credit endorsed by their school. A new 178 page report “The Rise of Blended Learning: Profiles of Emerging Models” by the Innosight Institute describes 40 blended learning organizations and 48 different models.

From IALA’s standpoint, this is an overdue but welcome affirmation of our position that all students should have a choice of distinctively different programs.

Take the time with this webinar to consider the impact of this rapidly growing segment of computer use. The implications may blow your paradigms.

This pathways system would be based on three essential elements. The first is the development of a broader vision of school reform that embraces multiple pathways to help young people successfully navigate the journey from adolescence to adulthood. The report contends that at present, we place far too much emphasis on a single pathway to success: attending and graduating from a four-year college. Yet only 30 percent of young adults successfully complete this preferred pathway. Meanwhile, even in the second decade of the 21st century, most jobs do not require a bachelor’s. The report notes that while the United States is expected to create 47 million jobs in the 10-year period ending in 2018, only a third of these jobs will require a bachelor’s or higher degree. See reference for other points.