Author Archives: Wayne Jennings

Learning Outside the Ivy Walls

October 12, 2008 – 1:42 pm

Recently, I attended the Macalester College celebration and was struck by the number of community based and service learning opportunities touted as powerful for their students. In fact, there was little mention of conventional educational practices of courses, classes and lectures. Mentioned were international experiences with businesses, embassies, human rights, peace organizations, world hunger and local [...]

Posted in Choices, Reform, Students, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

A Most Remarkable Book

October 9, 2008 – 8:10 pm

IALA promotes educational choices and there would not be the compelling call for change in district schools if they engaged students more. Here are my comments about an amazing book by an extraordinary teacher in a most democratic program.
If Holden Caulfield Were In My Classroom: Inspiring Love, Creativity and Intelligence in Middle School Students by [...]

Posted in Alternatives, Democratic schools, Personalized Educ, Private schools, Reform, Students | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Recalled for Revision

October 6, 2008 – 9:32 am

We thought you might like this favorite piece from 1971 and consider its relevance for today.
Recalled for Revision
William C. Miller
Dear Parents of Our Graduates:
As you are aware, one of your offspring was graduated from our high school this June. Since that time, it has been brought to our attention that certain insufficiencies are present in [...]

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)

International Democratic Education Conference

September 12, 2008 – 10:22 am

The International Democratic Education Conference (IDEC) provides some of the most provocative and growing challenges to conventional education and probably some of the most extreme examples of choice. John Loflin has attended all of the recent conferences and filed comprehensive reports on their proceedings. The first conference was in 1993 and most recent was in [...]

Posted in Choices, Community schools, Democratic schools, IDEC, International Educ, Loflin, John, Reports, Small schools | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Courses Available on Alternative Ed and Starting a School

August 26, 2008 – 11:10 am

The Alternative Education Resource Organization (AERO) is providing courses on how to start an alternative school and on the history of alternative education. Start a School 101 begins September 15, 2008 and is taught by Jerry Mintz among others. The Theory and History of Educational Alternatives is taught by Ron Miller and will also start [...]

Posted in AERO, Alt, Ed. Res. Org., Alternatives, Conferences, Democratic schools, Mintz, Jerry, Training | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Democratic Education Resources and IDEC Conference

August 26, 2008 – 10:00 am

Dana Bennis has started a website specifically devoted to promoting democratic education  and can be reached personally at dana.bennis@yahoo.com. Dana has a long standing interest in democratic education having studied it in several countries and being part of a democratic school. He advocates giving students voice in decisions about their education and their school’s operation. You will [...]

Posted in Choices, Democratic schools, Reform, Research, Students | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

IALA is a Great Resource for You!

July 24, 2008 – 11:30 am

If you think our website has changed, your perceptions are correct. We’ve changed our platform to WordPress for an update and better control. Please have patience as we work out some bugs.
We emphasize that the same huge body of resource material is still available on this website. You will notice that the left panel (at the [...]

Posted in Database, IALA, Intern. Ass. Lrng Alts | Tagged , , , , | Comments (1)

Online Learning: Growth and Evaluation

July 10, 2008 – 7:46 pm

In a certain to be much talked about book, Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns by Clayton M. Christensen, Curtis W. Johnson, and Michael B. Horn describe how a majority of students will use online learning within a decade. They suggest we must disrupt, that is change, thinking about [...]

Posted in Alternatives, Charter schools, Choices, Online learning, Personalized Educ, Reports, Virtual schools | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Radical New Kind of School Proposed

July 4, 2008 – 1:08 pm

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick proposed Readiness Schools, as a radical departure from conventional district schools according to an article in the Boston Globe. Officials said these schools would be “freed from many constraints imposed by unions, school districts, and the state. The readiness schools would adapt to community needs and offer new alternatives in school [...]

Posted in Alternatives, Charter schools, Reform, Reports, Statutes | Tagged , | Comments (0)

Democratic Schools Paper

July 3, 2008 – 12:58 am

Arising from discussions with Politeia, Brazil’s democratic education institute, at the 15th International Democratic Education Conference last summer in Sao Paulo a new work “A History of Democratic Education in American Public Schools” by democracy advocate and IALA member John Harris Loflin is now available.
Supported by IALA, this comprehensive 161 page paper aims at persuading American urban [...]

Posted in Alternatives, Articles, At risk programs, Democratic schools, IDEC, International Educ, Loflin, John, Reports, Research | Tagged , , , | Comments (2)

Singapore: Teach Less, Learn More!

June 22, 2008 – 8:40 pm
Posted in International Educ, Part 21st Cent Skills, Personalized Educ, Reform, Students | Comments (0)

Questions Raised about High Standards/Testing

June 22, 2008 – 12:55 pm

‘Restoring Value’ to the High School Diploma: The Rhetoric and Practice of Higher Standards, a new report raises serious questions about the standards and testing movement as a vehicle for reforming high schools. It starts, “Four themes emerge from the fray: that standards and rigor are too low; that the high school has lost its [...]

Posted in Alternatives, Choices, High schools, Policy, Reform, Reports, Research | Comments (0)

School Choice is the Wave of the Future

June 17, 2008 – 10:43 pm
Posted in Alternatives, Choices, Gates Foundation, Reports, Research | Comments (0)

Baccalaureate Degree at Community Colleges!

May 15, 2008 – 11:07 am
Posted in Alternatives, Choices, Policy, Reform | Comments (0)

Early College High Schools Grow Dramatically

May 14, 2008 – 10:46 am
Posted in Alternatives, At risk programs, Choices, Early College HS, Middle college schools, Policy, Reform | Comments (0)