Category Archives: Alternatives

Alternatives, the National Scene

September 5, 2010 – 10:10 am

Dan Daly, executive director of IALA wrote recently of the organization’s efforts to impact state and national policy: This past June, IALA hosted the Tri-State Alternatives Leadership Summit in Bloomington and formed The IALA Coalition for Innovative Education. Leaders from the following ten organizations participated; IALA, MN Association of Alternative Programs, IA Association of Alternative [...]

By Wayne Jennings | Also posted in Choices, Education Evolving, EdVisions Cooperative, Policy, Reform | Comments (0)

Gardner, Advocate for Educational Pluralism

September 4, 2010 – 3:52 pm

Howard Gardner, professor of education at Harvard and well known for his books including Multiple Intelligences and Five Minds for the Future, writes of the importance of a variety of educational programs to fit different students. In a recent article, he writes that after studying various approaches such as Reggio Emilia (a program he particularly [...]

By Wayne Jennings | Also posted in Choices, Personalized Educ, Policy, Research, Uncategorized | Tagged , | Comments (0)

Project Based Learning un-Conference

August 11, 2010 – 8:43 am

In July Project Foundry hosted the 2nd annual Project Based Learning un-Conference.  The keynote speaker was Peter Pappas.  He shared many great examples of how Project Based Learning is transforming schools and helping students explore their worlds, rather than subjecting them to the repetitive lower order thinking tasks characterized by most traditional schools.  I would [...]

By admin | Also posted in Alt, Ed. Res. Org. | Comments (0)

Alternative Education Course

June 5, 2010 – 9:23 pm

Here is an opportunity for anyone interested in 3 semester hours of graduate credit on the topic of alternative education from an expert. For about a decade Roy Weaver served as editor of Changing Schools (national journal of alternative education for 20 years) and organized alternative education conferences during the late 1970s and 1980s. The course is offered entirely online and [...]

By Wayne Jennings | Also posted in At risk programs, Charter schools, Choices, IALA, Magnet schools, Reform, Uncategorized | Comments (0)

Lake Superior as Your Classroom

May 14, 2010 – 8:28 am

 For the next 5 months Lake Superior will become a living classroom for two lifetime educators and the school groups that follow them, either physically or via the world wide web. Mike Link and Kate Crowley are currently walking the entire shoreline of Lake Superior in an effort to bring attention to the environmental and cultural changes [...]

By admin | Also posted in Articles, Ed Alt for Everyone, Environment, Green Schools, Online learning, Research | Comments (0)

Ethics and Excellence in High School

May 14, 2010 – 8:11 am

  A report recently released outlines eight strengths of character that can helpboth students and schools achieve ethical and productive futures. http://www.cortland.edu/character/highschool/chapters/SnGReport.pdf

By admin | Also posted in Alt, Ed. Res. Org., Articles, At risk programs, Reports | Comments (0)

Blueprint School

April 19, 2010 – 12:00 pm

I’ve waited for years for this marvelous book, Lives of Passion, School of Hope: How One Public School Ignites a Lifelong Love of Learning. It tells a story of a K-12 progressive school (Jefferson County Open School, Colorado) that combined the best features from research and practice such as: strong advisory system, personal learning plan, [...]

By Wayne Jennings | Also posted in Choices, High schools, Personalized Educ, Reform, Students | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

High School Graduation in Four Years – Why Not Two Years or Even Six?

February 28, 2010 – 7:57 pm

High Schoolers have many more options today then they did even a decade ago.  There are Alternative, Charter, Private and On-Line options, and now there are options in many states to graduate early or if necessaryto stay one, two or even three additional years.  Recently both the New York Times and U.S. Today had articles [...]

By admin | Also posted in Alt, Ed. Res. Org., Articles, Ed Alt for Everyone, High schools, Personalized Educ | Comments (0)

Green the New Alternative in Education by Peter Wieczorek

February 15, 2010 – 11:01 am

  Schools have been involved in environmental education and the “Green Movement” for nearly 40 years now, but now with advances in technology and connections with the internet schools and students are able to connect, create and learn in ways that were not possible in the past.  Several sites of interest are available that either [...]

By admin | Also posted in Charter schools, Environment, Green Schools | Comments (2)

Graduation For All

January 13, 2010 – 4:11 pm

Here are a couple of very interesting and extensive articles on graduation rates and the need to promote graduation for all students.  The first article talks mostly about the graduation gap between the upper 2/3 of high school students and the lower 1/3, made up mostly of urban, low-income African American and Latino students.  The [...]

By admin | Also posted in Articles, At risk programs, Policy, Reform, Reports | Comments (0)

New Center for Research on Digital Media and Learning

November 9, 2009 – 6:44 pm

There’s little doubt that the Internet will transform schooling (read choices) and how students learn, play, socialize, and participate in civic life. A newly-created Digital Media and Learning Research Hub at the University of California-Irvine will explore the impact of digital media on learning and its potential for transforming education.  The Center is funded by a $2.97 million grant from [...]

By Wayne Jennings | Also posted in Choices, Education Revolution, Online learning, Personalized Educ, Reform, Reports, Research, Technology | Comments (0)

Constitutional Law Change Proposed

September 15, 2009 – 4:21 pm

David Bly, former President of the Minnesota Association of Alternative Programs and a co-founder of IALA has written a powerful booklet, The Middle Class Amendment, which you can read online. Bly, a Representative from Northfield, is a member of the Minnesota Legislature. While IALA does not make political endorsements, we think the topic of interest to alternative educators [...]

By Wayne Jennings | Also posted in Reform, Statutes | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)