Like many other open-education schools of the 1970s, John Adams High School (Portland, Oregon) failed as an experimental school because it rapidly implemented large reforms without parent or teacher involvement, did not provide teacher training and support, and did not develop appropriate administrative or learning structures. (SV)

Two teachers discuss their experiences implementing Foxfire practices in an alternative high school. One teacher was apprehensive about changing from the "traditional" approach to "student-initiated learning." The other teacher also experienced moments of doubt, but both teachers realized the benefits of the Foxfire approach…

Attempts to move away from a model of change in English and Welsh primary education that relies heavily on the impact of strong personalities. Tries to identify a range of contextual or structural features of the English and Welsh systems that facilitate the spread of progressive ideas. (DSK)

All students are gifted in some special way. Today's classrooms must be individualized so well that, as teachers, we really know our students and their most effective patterns of learning, realizing that cognitive and affective learning are equally important. If individual children are to approach their potential in giftedness, in whatever area,…

Outside participation in two elementary schools in a city undergoing ethnic change is analyzed. This outside group, known as the Facilitation Team, worked with teachers and parents to develop a more open and effective school. The experiences of the Team are described and the following conclusions are reported: (1) social forces tended to overwhelm…

The development of optional alternative public schools is based on four simple concepts: (1) in a democratic society people should have choices about all important aspects of their lives; (2) different people learn in different ways; (3) learning in schools should not be isolated from the world outside the schools; (4) those closest to the action,…

This newsletter contains articles in French and English on events relating to educational policy in various European countries. Part 1 contains an essay on the essential aims of education and a suggestion for incorporating work and study in university education. Part 2 includes the following news items: Austria's school education act; Belgium's…

Case studies describe attempts to develop educational forms that are personally, intellectually, and socially valid in two Massachusetts elementary schools--the Charles River School, a small private school in Dover; and the Parmenter School, a public school. Both schools have tried to reorient the first six or seven years of formal education along…

In our pluralistic society, alternative programs in elementary schools should be offered to allow more innovation on the part of teachers, wider choices for children, and more involvement of parents. (JD)

Describes informal British schools and explains the reason for the great interest among American teachers, administrators, and parents in these informal primary schools. (DR)

A high school teacher describes the learning activities his students initiated to make math more meaningful. Students determined the height of objects without direct measurement, graphed statistical information from the presidential primaries, studied the evolution of architecture by building gingerbread models, and researched land-use problems at…

In his criticism of existing educational institutions, the author calls for a reform not only of educational institutions, but also of the underlying presumptions of society about the purpose and value of education in general. He explores alternatives to formal schooling, examines the assumption on which our system of universal compulsory…

New trends and emphases in education--increased individualization of instruction, new content for school programs, deeper parental and community involvement, and extension of the school's scope to include preschool and exceptional children--all call for more effective professional development programs in the education of teachers. (JD)

Article described new programs in preservice teacher education and inservice programs designed to usher in open education. (Editor/RK)