Open education, or informal schooling, is a growing educational trend in the United States. This sourcebook is made up of chapters by many different authors describing open education, how it functions, actual experiences with open education so far, and the basic philosophy and scientific findings behind open education. (RH)

The "Open Classroom" approach offers an unconventional view of teachers, students and describes what schools should consist of. This book explains how the open classroom could work by suggesting that students will learn if they are placed in an environment far less structured than the traditional school. It suggests that learning takes place…

A description of a teacher designed classroom research project which focused on individual and group responses to open and closed teaching techniques. The article encourages teachers to develop and use classroom research to enhance their teaching skills. (BD)

Describes the roots and components of the alternative schools movement. (JF)

Describes Philadelphia's massive program of alternatives at the secondary school level. According to the author, more than fifty alternative programs are now in existence -- some within a school, some functioning as annexes in off-site locations, and others operating as semiautonomous organizations. (Author/JF)

Describes the move of New Haven, Connecticut, toward schools of choice to serve a variety of community needs. (Author)

Open learning offers a coherent methodology and a range of practical techniques for developing continuing education. (JOW)

Examines the relationship between attendance in personal contact programs (PCPs) and achievement in open distance education. The sample consisted of 83 secondary level students of National Open School (NOS), India. Findings indicate a positive correlation between attendance in the PCPs and learner performance. (AEF)

As prototypes for new forms of education, public and private alternative schools have much to offer regular schools in the way of new ideas. This paper provides an overview of alternative schools and the options available. Alternative schools are characterized by a more selected student body, a smaller and less bureaucratic structure, values…

Findings from a study that examined the relationship between two educational movements--effective schools and nongradedness--are presented in this paper. Methodology involved: (1) a research review of studies conducted from January 1968 to June 1991 that compared graded and nongraded student performance using standardized objective measures; and…

The philosophy of the open classroom is examined in detail by constructing two ideal typical classrooms to summarize both the open and closed classroom models, demonstrating how the open education approach responds favorably to three major areas of criticism for the present system: the classroom environment, teaching and learning, and…

This booklet on open education contains seven articles. The first two articles describe the concept of openess and give a description of open education and how it is affected by American values. These articles also discuss some of the differences between open education and traditional education. The third article contains the author's reflections…

The Far West Laboratory Model (Far West School) in downtown Oakland, California, an employer-based career education program of experiential learning, has focused on the developmental issues of how high school academic requirements and career exploration in the community can be integrated into a common set of learning activities, and the virtues…

Three professors of education examine constructively the kinds of environments, relationships, concepts of content and curriculums, evaluations, and settings for learning that the struggle for humane educational change requires. They propose an alternative model of education that emphasizes values and processes consistent with a commitment to an…