Dear Readers,
AERO conference is now just over two weeks away. If you plan on attending the conference, now is the time to register. Read on for information on how to inquire about group rates and special considerations. As always, we also have news and resource items from around the world of educational alternatives. We hope you enjoy the content.
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AERO Conference Two Weeks Away!
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Happy Cinco de Mayo!
The conference is just over two weeks away and there has been a flurry of activity. There are new people coming from Russia and Poland. The Polish group includes some people who were in the AERO school starters course and have some new democratic schools starting soon! We have others coming from Bahrain, Israel, England, Trinidad and Tobago, the Bahamas, Italy, Mexico, several Canadian provinces and more than 25 states. It is still possible to register for the AERO conference. The best deal is the package including food, a dorm room and a low registration rate. But we can still make special arrangements with groups or with individuals who need financial help and we're doing that every day. We have good deals for college students if they contact us directly. Just reply to this newsletter, write to jerryAERO@aol.com or call us at (516) 621-2195.
If you have any questions or need to make any special arrangements write to jerryaero@aol.com.
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The latest LibEd bulletin is out featuring many new articles and resources "for the liberation of learning." Click here to access the articles.
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Featured Book: Democratic Education
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Yaacov Hecht's important book, Democratic Education, is a necessary addition to every alternative educators library.
 In Democratic Education: A Beginning of a Story, Yaacov Hecht takes readers on a journey through personal discovery, the history of the Democratic School of Hadera, and the theories and practical application of democratic education. As he recounts the founding and early years of the Democratic School of Hadera, Hecht weaves the stories of students, teachers, and parents, together with theories of education, development, and methods of teaching. Equipped with an unwavering commitment to, and unconditional respect for students, Hecht shares how he and others have faced the unseen challenges of starting a school outside of the standardized norm.
An essential book for any educator, A Beginning of a Story explores the place of democratic education in one man's life, and its capacity to transform the world.
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| Being There with Jerry Mintz |
 | | Keynote speaker Kris McBride, a teacher who led the Garfield High School protest, Seattle |
I was invited by Arnold Dodge to attend a conference at Barnard College in Manhattan called Reclaiming the Conversation in Education. I had met with him and several other faculty members of Long Island University/Post at the college. They will be attending the AERO conference. Dodge moderated the first discussion panel at the conference. He had just come from the AERA conference in California where they had confronted Secretary of Education Arne Duncan about high-stakes testing and Common Core. One of the panelist was long time testing opponent, teacher and author Susan Ohanian, a former AERO conference keynoter.
Another keynoter was Kris McBride, a teacher who organized opposition to administering the tests at Garfield High School in Seattle.
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Nikhil Goyal, Panelist
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Later in the day the second panel included Ann Cook, another former AERO keynoter and founder of the Urban School a public alternative in Manhattan that is one of the "Coalition Schools" and exempt from the testing. They have won lawsuits to continue using portfolio assessment. Another panelist was Nikhil Goyal, the 17-year-old author of "One Size Does Not Fit All," published by AERO, who will be a keynoter at this year's AERO conference.
There were two long breakout sessions. One of the ones I was in talked about vision and mission. It seems worth repeating at this point that the reason we oppose these draconian tests is that they are antithetic to the concept of learner-centered education. They are not based on the interest of the learner but imposed arbitrarily from a great distance away. In that session one of the possible mission statements we proposed was that "We support the creation of an environment that nurtures the student's natural love of learning."
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Do you have a news or resource item you think Education Revolution newsletter readers would find useful? Send it to jerryaero@aol.com.
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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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 | | Sir Ken Robinson: Building a Culture of Innovation |
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Jerry Mintz:
The Power of Democratic Process in Schools
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