"A person's freedom of learning is part of his freedom of thought, even more basic than his freedom of speech." John Holt

Seth Godin on Education At TED: Full bio and more links Sir Ken Robinson makes the case for a radical shift from standardized schools to personalized learning -- creating conditions where kids' natural talents can flourish.

Assumptions About How Children Learn by Wendy Priesnitz, from Challenging Assumptions in Education Education is Something That is Done to You Knowledge Belongs to a Cult of Experts Others Know Best What Children Should Learn Schools Provide Effective Training Schools Have a Noble Purpose

" If it would be wrong for the government to adopt an official religion, then, for the same reasons, it would be wrong for the government to adopt official education policies. The moral case for freedom of religion stands or falls with that for freedom of education. A society that champions freedom of religion but at the same time countenances state regulation of education has a great deal of explaining to do." James R. Otteson Freedom of Religion and Public Schooling

The Philosophy of Liberty Animated introduction to the philosophy of liberty from the International Society for Individual Liberty.

Not Back to School Camp
Added to: Teens & Youth (Resources) ; Homeschooling & Unschooling (Resources)
EXTRA SESSION ADDED FOR 2010!
Not Back to School Camp aspires to create a sanctuary that affirms, inspires, and mentors unschoolers; where campers and staff transform spiritually, emotionally, physically, creatively, intellectually; where profound friendships begin and grow; and where adventure, mystery, music, wild spontaneous fun, and magic prevail.

Unschooling Rules
Clark Aldrich
Added to: Teens & Youth (Resources) ; Homeschooling & Unschooling (Resources)
50 observations from homeschoolers and unschoolers that can be used to simplify all childhood learning and evolve the Industrial Education Complex

National Youth Rights Association
Added to: Teens & Youth (Resources)
NYRA is a youth-led national non-profit organization dedicated to fighting for the civil rights and liberties of young people.

Announcing the First Annual
NATIONAL YOUTH RIGHTS DAY
April 14, 2010
National Youth Rights Day will be an annual event celebrating our nation's young people and looking forward to the time when young people are judged not by their age but by their abilities; young people are afforded basic rights commensurate with their abilities; young people are guaranteed equal treatment under the law. Read more»

Youth Rights Network
Added to: Teens & Youth (Resources)
An encyclopedic resource detailing various aspects of youth rights, including core issues, history, publications, organizations, and prominent figures within the movement.

Training
David H. Albert
Home Education Magazine (J/F 2009)
A requirement of being a state employee and a manager is that I attend "training." I can say with some certainty that, in terms of assisting me in doing my work better, the taxpayers are not getting their money's worth.

A Teacher Questions
Compulsory Schooling
Jim Strickland
Natural Life Magazine (N/D 2008)
"Compulsory attendance laws undermine learning by creating an atmosphere of coercion, mistrust and manipulation. They do this by their very existence as the faint (or not-so faint) hum in the background of each potentially joyful moment in every classroom. We all know the best way to make anyone hate doing something is to force their compliance under threat of punishment. Learning that is meaningful, lasting and real can only take place with the consent and willing participation of the learner. One cannot teach the values of freedom and democracy using a totalitarian pedagogy. The medium is the message."

Assumption 5: "Schools Have a Noble Purpose"
Wendy Priesnitz
Excerpt from Challenging Assumptions in Education (2008, The Alternate Press)
"Scratch the surface of most public school systems and you will find something quite different than justice and democracy, in spite of good intentions. You will find an archaic institution, which defies everything we know about effective organizations and what we have learned about cognitive development. You will also find an institution that perpetuates social hierarchies, disempowers people and forces them to do things against their will – supposedly for their own good – while encouraging a destructive level of consumerism and consumption. If a democratic society is one in which people are collectively in control of their lives and the lives of their communities, then our present-day school systems are anti-democratic."