Examines the rise and fall of the open education movement of the 1960s and 1970s, considering the lessons that current school reformers might take from it. The paper notes that contemporary educational research indicates children can and should be taught in the ways they learn best, and it is time to reconsider the benefits of open education. (SM)

Nongraded education is the practice of teaching children of different ages and ability levels together, without dividing them into groups labeled by grade designations. As the year 2000 approaches and schools are being re-evaluated in light of changing social and economic conditions, nongradedness is the focus of renewed interest. This publication…

This model portfolio of school choices describes the following four types of schools available in the Detroit Public Schools: (1) specialty high schools at four locations, which offer scientific and artistic studies, aerospace technology instruction, science and applied technology, and a rigorous college preparatory curriculum; (2) the high school…

This book brings together in a convenient form a large amount of recent research on open classrooms. Pointing out that open education is more a philosophy than a set method, the book begins with an attempt to sketch the dimensions of the term. The chapter on recent evaluative research is especially helpful. A large number of studies are grouped by…

This report examines the efforts of a secondary school to develop comparable alternatives to those implemented at the elementary level in one Chicago school. Specifically, it examines the decision-making process of the staff to develop a 9-12 open school within the high school. The report traces the history of innovation in the high school and…

This study replicates and extends an earlier study of interracial interaction patterns in an open enrollment "magnet" school. The earlier study conducted during the school's first year of operation found that: (1) race is an extremely important grouping criterion even for students who have chosen a segregated school, (2) sex is an even more…

As interest in open education has increased, so have demands for systematic evaluative research on its effects. There now exists a fairly sizable body of work on academic and psychological effects of open classroom teaching. In 1975, the author reviewed the relevant literature and summarized it in a monograph published by the North Dakota Study…

The directory presents comprehensive information on the availability of 22 external degree programs and other innovative educational programs and is aimed at drug abuse personnel. The programs presented are diverse, with many offering credit for life experience and incorporating a variety of independent learning programs. Programs are arranged…

A wide variety of selected innovative or nontraditional programs in accredited two- and four-year American colleges and universities is described, using information derived from an extensive study covering over 2200 accredited institutions. Although the intent is to aid career preparation, the scope is broader than the title suggests. Chapters…

The success of educational expansion can be seen in the decline in illiteracy rates, improved achievement scores, more years of teacher training, innovative curricula development, and in the greater independence and openness of young people. Despite such positive trends, a crisis in confidence in our system, stemming from the great expenditure in…

This report examines the Ford Foundation's efforts in developing and implementing alternative schools to the public schools or in providing seed money to new alternatives designed for public support. The publication begins with a look at the origin of the alternative school movement and then describes several kinds of school alternatives assisted…

This document contains a State-by-State directory of 464 alternative public schools. Each listing in the directory contains the school name, address, grade levels, and enrollment. For purposes of this directory, an alternative public school has been defined as any school within a community that (1) provides alternative learning experiences to the…

Describes the current crisis in public education and proposes a new paradigm of holistic education aimed at increasing students' abilities to direct their own lives and learning. Students would experience directed, assigned, self-directed, and open learning every year, and the twelfth year would be self-designed and managed. (MJL)

Discusses Jewish adult education and suggests incorporating a university crediting system into existing synagogue adult education programs. Describes the open learning system and presents reasons for developing properly accredited adult education programs within synagogues as a viabe lifelong education alternative. (MF)

Teachers conducting more open programs and/or teaching in architecturally open schools had significantly more positive attitudes towards education, teaching, pupils, and educational innovation than did teachers conducting less open programs and/or teaching in architecturally closed or partially closed schools. This apparently reflects more…