Describes an open-format laboratory school housed on the campus of Manakato University in Minnesota that was the antithesis of dominant schooling patterns in 1968. Wilson Campus School practiced early forms of authentic assessment, participative decision making, cooperative learning, nongraded student grouping, multicultural education, and…

Examines why technology and media are critical to distance education, what attributes may contribute to distance education, and factors that must be taken into account when adopting and integrating media into distance education, including changing roles and responsibilities. Looks at barriers to expanded use of media in distance education and the…

Followup student interview about Kinokuni Children's Village, a Japanese residential free school modeled after Summerhill School. School features include voluntary lessons, self-government through schoolwide and dormitory meetings, and extensive project work. The school now has secondary programs and another campus. Eight-year-old Akira, in his…

Presents data management issues faced during the design and development of an open distance learning (ODL) system for the University of Patras, Greece. Outlines the architecture, design, and services of a network-based information system that supports ODL activities. The Web-based open and distance learning information system offers synchronous…

The two issues of the journal SKOLE for 1993 contain original articles and reprints about small alternative schools, home schooling, school as community and community as school, racial and class inequalities in public schooling, and various educational philosophies and innovations. Major articles include: (1) "School As Community:…

Beginning with a definition of open learning as flexible learning systems in which people study how, when, and where it suits them, this summary reports on activities of the Council of Educational Technology (CET) that are designed to promote open learning systems; explains different forms of open learning systems, such as flexistudy, learning by…

This handbook is designed to help administrators, educators, politicans, and others engaged in distance education who seek to introduce, extend, or improve correspondence education for adults. In the first of six chapters, the background and history of correspondence study, particularly in Britain and the United States, are reviewed. Chapter 2…

Designed to provide a general guide and stimuli for lifelong learning, this book examines all the positive factors of independent study. Lifelong learning is defined as self-directed growth free from the traditional schooling procedures. Chapters discuss the following: the lifelong learner; profiles of such learners in action; how to be…

This paper summarizes the results of a participant observation study conducted on two public alternative high schools in the St. Louis, Missouri metropolitan area. Phase I of the study consists of a literature-generated delineation of larger societal factors which create student unrest and give impetus to the development of alternative schools.…

Marcy Open School has developed an educational reality where students are given freedom to be creative within a structured curriculum. Reflective of this philosophy are the three priority goals developed by Marcy staff and parents which are: (1) We want girls and boys to speak, listen, write, read, and deal with mathematical concepts effectively…

A Title III, Elementary and Secondary Education Act, open concept school program has been serving the Ojibway Indian Community for 4 years and has recently been evaluated. Derived from a project evaluation submitted August 19, 1974, this informal report presents comparative data on the open concept and traditional school. Using a "frequency…

This volume includes ten articles. In the first, "After Deschooling, What?" Ivan Illich goes beyond his argument for deschooling, to the beginning of some thoughts about what society and education might look like following it. The remaining nine articles contain the reactions of a number of serious and active educators to the Illich article. They…

Based on the premise that learning takes place everywhere, not just within the confines of a classroom or institution, this catalog lists places to learn that don't include credentials, that are ongoing programs open to all ages, colors and persuasions, and that are not easily found by persons searching for alternative learning places. It is…

The four issues of the journal SKOLE published in 1998 contain articles, personal narratives, and interviews about educational philosophy, small alternative schools, freedom and democratic practices in education, and the overuse of Ritalin in schools. Feature articles discuss holistic education, how classroom technology promotes passivity and…

Established in 1973, a progressive Charlotte, North Carolina, elementary school has been subjected to trends and pressures (particularly the back-to-basics and direct- instruction movements) that threatened its integrity and survival. Irwin Avenue must cover citywide academic objectives, but organizes its curriculum around themes and active,…