How can we re-envision the university? Too many examples of what passes for educational innovation today--MOOCs especially--focus on transactions, on questions of delivery. In "Alternative Universities," David J. Staley argues that modern universities suffer from a poverty of imagination about how to reinvent themselves. Anyone seeking…

Alternative and flexible education settings may come in different forms, but they generally have in common a focus on young people who have been disengaged from conventional schooling. One challenge of these settings, therefore, is to change the way education is offered in order to better engage these students. Much of the onus for this changed…

The future competitiveness of the United States in an increasingly interconnected global economy depends on the nation fostering a workforce with strong capabilities and skills in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). STEM knowledge and skills enable both individual opportunity and national competitiveness, and the nation needs…

In "Teacher Quality 2.0," American Enterprise Institute (AEI) education experts Frederick M. Hess and Michael Q. McShane convene a diverse array of contributors to examine fruitful innovations that promise to improve teacher quality in a more strategic way. Much of the cutting-edge work in teacher quality is happening in nontraditional…

Learning environments continue to change considerably and is no longer confined to the face-to-face classroom setting. As learning options have evolved, educators must adopt a variety of pedagogical strategies and innovative technologies to enable learning. "Practical Applications and Experiences in K-20 Blended Learning Environments"…

"Changing Schools" places educational and social aims at the centre of a discussion of educational change. It draws on 14 case studies to explore school change which is oriented towards social justice and democracy. In an age of global mobility, economic polarization and unprecedented environmental and cultural challenges, the education…

The philosophy and structure of programs of coordinated study at Evergreen State College from 1970 to 1980 are discussed, and comparisons are made to the experiment at the University of California, Berkeley, promoted by Joseph Tussman. Both programs are based on ideas suggested by Alexander Meiklejohn and his Experimental College at the University…

This book catalogues the free university/alternative school movement's exploration of ways education can be organized, directed, evaluated, and modified by its consumers. Emphasis is placed on the purpose of free universities, unlearning, course organizing, credit, the mechanics of organizing courses for credit, publicity, funding, bureaucracy,…

A form of individualized instruction called "managed" learning is proposed. Three personnel types would be required in such a system: (1) coordinators responsible for providing some education to assigned students and "managing" the rest of the student's education; (2) general service personnel such as guidance, library,…

This book presents suggestions for teenagers who are considering quitting schools. It argues that, for the most part, America's formal educational system hinders the acquisition of real-life learning and individual freedoms. Written specifically for adolescents, it offers guidelines for youth who decide to leave school and undertake home…

This book explores the history and evolution of six innovative colleges, examining how these institutions have adapted and transformed themselves in today's social, political, and economic environments. The book contends that these institutions, which emerged in the 1960s and 1970s, can serve as models today. Case study chapters describe the…

This history of Goddard College (Vermont) and its founder and first president, Royce S. Pitkin, discusses the founding, growth and success of the college. The hypothesis for this experimental college was that the education necessary to a civilized society is a process of dealing with the growth and realization of potential in the context of the…

This publication is a collection of eight articles concerned with the open education movement in the United States. The articles include "The Concept of Openness: An Introduction," by Vincent Rogers and Bud Church; "Open Education and American Values: A Tentative Exploration," by Bud Church; "A British View of Open Education in the U.S.," by…

In the early 1970s, pessimism about public education in the United States was on the rise. To counter this outlook, researchers held a conference to identify public schools that were humane, caring, and effective, and from this conference arose a heightened awareness of alternative schools and their place in education. Subsequent years of…

This book is designed to give administrators and faculty a model to follow in developing and maintaining a Learning Center of any size at any educational level, from preschool to college. Basic to the Learning Center concept presented here are the following four services: (1) a multimedia library, (2) audiovisual services, (3) nontraditional…