What Works! - 10th Annual AERO Conference | Bookstore | Become a Member!
March, 24 2013 
Dear Readers,
 
This week we have an update on our discounted conference rate which ends in nine days, an important new video by Yaacov Hecht, three featured books, an invitation for public and private alternatives to support the high-stakes testing opt-out movement, and our weekly selection of noteworthy news and resource items form around the world of educational alternatives.

Conference Updates
The AERO conference is now less than two months away! Join attendees from 29 states & provinces & 7 countries who have already registered for our 10th annual conference!
 
We're only going to do this once, because the bookkeeping would be too cumbersome. But we need to have accurate figures about how many will be coming to the AERO conference right now. We need this to plan events, transportation, housing, and food. Everything is different when you are dealing with a university instead of a hotel. Yes, it's cheaper for everyone, but it's much more work! So, please reply to this newsletter or email us now if you intend to come to the AERO conference, or if you think you will come. If you do, we will hold your registration at the discount rate, which will go up in only nine days. The conference is now just two months away so there are things we have to commit to now. Let us know if you will be bringing others and if you or your group will want to participate in the pre-conference school visits, the Broadway musical back stage tour, or the free tickets to the Metropolitan Museum. Let us know if you have any questions. Thanks for doing this. We really need the info now.


The Discount Registration Rate Ends in 9 days!
The discounted conference rate is $225 for just nine more days, but if you reply to this newsletter with your intention to attend (as written above) you can lock in at the current low rate! If you are currently, or become, an AERO member you can now get the 10% member discount on the conference fee, bringing it to only $202.50! The conference rate will eventually go to $325.
VIDEO: What is democratic education?

Watch this new and concise video of Yaacov Hecht's important talk, "What is democratic education?" Yaacov is an old friend of AERO's and delivered a keynote talk at last year's conference. He convened the first IDEC (International Democratic Education Conference) and has worked tirelessly to promote democratic education and educational alternatives around the world. 
 
(scroll down on page to see video)

Featured Books: All on Sale!
Better Than College: How to Build a Successful Life Without a Four-Year Degree by Blake Boles
 
Real Teachers: True Stories of Renegade Educators by Stuart Grauer
 
Blake Boles & Stuart Grauer will both be speaking at AERO Conference this May. 

After Summerhill: What Happened to the Pupils of Britain's Most Radical School? by Hussein Lucas packaged with a copy of the original Summerhill by A.S. Neill at one low price!
 
AERO is the exclusive distributor of After Summerhill.
 

 
Opting Out of High-Stakes Testing
Dear AERO Community:

Most of you are opposed to the high-stakes testing that, in the United States, has come down from the No Child Left Behind legislation. We feel it is antithetical to the learner-centered approach for which we advocate. You may not realize that parents have the right to opt their children out of this heavy-duty testing. Recently, I heard from Monty Neill, director of FairTest, and others who are organizing for awareness of opting out. One stumbling block to some parents is finding another place their children could go to during the testing. It occurred to us that alternative schools around the country might be willing to have students, who were opting out of the tests, visit their schools on those days. They asked me to compile a list of those schools who might be willing to let these children visit on those days. Of course it would also give these children and parents a chance to see what your school is like.

If you would be willing to let children whose parents have opted them out of testing visit your school during that time, reply to this newsletter ASAP (or email [email protected]) so we can put you on the list. 

Please write back in the next few days if you'd like to be on the list of those open to opt-out visitors.
 
Here is a short article about opting out that was written for us by Monty Neill of FairTest:
 
What is "opting out"?
Opting out is when the parent or student decides that the student will not take a standardized test - that is, they "opt out" of the test. Across the country, growing numbers of parents and students have taken this step. It is akin to a boycott, but is a term many parents prefer using.

In some states, opting out of state exams is entirely legal. California, for example, enshrines it in law as a parental right. Other states say students must take the tests, so opting out becomes civil disobedience. In yet other states, the issue not clearly defined. Some advocates argue that parents do have that right regardless of state law or policy, based on the FERPA law and U.S. Supreme Court decisions concerning parental rights to direct their child's education. However, I don't know of any legal precedent in federal court precisely on this issue.

District tests are another story, and in many places those far outnumber the state- and federally-mandated tests. In Chicago, for example, where kindergarteners face 14 tests, parents have the clear right to opt their children out, which they don't have with the Illinois state exams. Seattle teachers boycotted MAP tests mandated by the district, and many parents and students opted out when the school administrators were forced by the district to administer the MAPs.

Despite difficulties, opting out is growing as a significant part of the resistance to the overuse and misuse of standardized tests. What happens when one or many students opt out? In some cases schools create alternatives for the duration of the test, such as working on projects or reading in the library. In other cases, students receive no assignments, it becomes free time. Parents have also kept their children home, but in some cases they have been threatened with truancy or child endangerment statutes.

A suggestion arose among supporters that private schools could offer to work with students who are opting out during the testing period. This could provide a significant alternative for parents where their public school is not cooperating. AERO has volunteered to assemble a list of schools that would help boycotters, and post that list to its website, along with location and contact information. Then parents and students can reach out to AERO schools in their community if they choose to opt out. For more on this topic, go to http://www.fairtest.org/get_involved. There you will find descriptions of and links to several groups that focus on supporting opting out. For the growing test reform movement in general, see www.fairtest.org, including our newsletter.

Monty Neill
Executive Director
FairTest

News & Resources
Do you have a news or resource item you think Education Revolution newsletter readers would find useful? Send it to [email protected].
Thank you for your ongoing support. With your help, we will make learner-centered alternatives available to everyone!

Sincerely,

Jerry Mintz
Executive Director
Alternative Education Resource Organization

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