Discover Sudbury: Cutting Edge Education for the 21st Century

[The following is initial rough-draft material for a short book on the topic described in the title. So far, I'm only "publishing" here the Table of Contents and the rough-draft Intro. Feel free to comment. -ZL aka Z4]

Contents

Intro: What is the Cutting-Edge?

Attribute One: Independence (Freedom)

Attribute Two: Trust

Attribute Three: Responsibility

Attribute Four: Democracy in-Action

Attribute Five: Flexibility

Attribute Six: Engaged Enthusiasm/ JOY in Learning

Attribute Seven: Creativity and Individual Vision

Attribute Eight: Global Community/ Local Focus

Outro: It Comes Down to Freedom







Intro: What is the Cutting-Edge?

In our technological, globally-connected, fast-paced age, what sort of approach to educating our children through elementary and high school ages could rightfully and accurately be described as the “cutting-edge”, the pioneering forefront of method and philosophy most equipped to prepare our children for the world they’ll inherit? What are features of such an educational model? Would it be somewhat similar to conventional, mainstream public (and private) education in most schools—or would there be ways in which it departs radically from conventional models—as radically as internet-connected computers, global economy and a changing planet have changed (and changed us within) the world we occupy? Would such a model be hierarchical, demand and mold obedience from students like the factory employees industrial-era education was designed to “educate” and produce (and which is still used as the template for our public education institutions)—or might it be an educational model aimed to produce the flexible, self-motivated, responsible “cultural creatives” and “small business entrepreneurs” who are considered widely to be the backbone and (importantly) future of our world and economy? Do we want to raise the coming generation to be versed and competent in memorizing and repeating-back information fed them by “authority”—or does the current economy, and the world we inhabit, challenge us to instead produce independent, self-guided thinkers who chart their own path with confidence, who have the focus to pursue such a path, who know how they learn, and how to absorb information they deem necessary to succeed? Could we trust our children enough to allow them such autonomy, responsibility, and freedom to choose their own educational agenda—and to see it through—on their own timetable?

If such a “cutting-edge” model for education existed, what would it look like, day-to-day? What kinds of policies would enable students to thrive, and learn, in an environment in which the school wasn’t the one choosing what the student is “supposed” to learn? And where should lines be drawn, if any, to limit or guide the freedom and autonomy this sort of education implies? Would the reality be “anarchy” of a sort? Would children not told what to learn really discover how to learn? And how would such education handle behavior problems, vandalism, and disrespect between students—would they be “free” to behave the way they like, and work out solutions “on their own”?

The cutting-edge of education, as described (at least implied) by the above probing questions, does in fact already exist. It has existed for 40 years now—which makes sense historically, as the late-60’s was a time when the major shift from an industrial to a post-industrial economy really began to take hold, and the tremors of a new “world” being born were widespread and clearly evident. Of course, that period had yet to see the inception of personal computers, internet interconnection, and a fully-globalized economy—but the history of the educational model to be discussed in this book encapsulates that entire period—and has adapted as would be expected, nay required, of a truly cutting-edge educational model faced with such revolutionary changes.

What is this educational model? How does it propose to nurture the types of students described in the above paragraphs? How does it confront difficult behavior and inculcate socially-sensitive awareness in the face of its prioritization of educational autonomy and individual freedom? Do students really LEARN in an environment in which they are not, ever, told “what they need” to learn? Or is such a notion idealistic delusion, impossible to implement against the background of young people’s hesitance to do the work of learning?

Lots of questions… so here’s an answer:

Sudbury Valley School, in Framingham, MA (the fertile soil of our American Democratic Revolution, which is significant, as we shall see) began in 1968. Its founders—significant among them Daniel and Hanna Greenberg, a married couple; he a physics professor at Columbia, she also a successful professor and scientist— thought deeply about what they saw as missing in the approach of schools around them, as their children approached school age. Substantially educated themselves, these founders were not remotely interested in creating a “flaky hippie” school to foster anti-establishment values and ring-in the “Age of Aquarius”—since the school started when it did, and does in fact center around individual freedom and autonomy amongst the students, it seems important to provide this context. Many schools did start, and nearly-all failed, during this same period, that had an agenda along the lines of the previous sentence’s description. Sudbury Valley School, amongst those who knew of it at the time, might have seemed to some as being “just a hippie experiment”…

Then-again, people might have thought similar things about the long-haired, Jesus-lookalike Steve Jobs in the same period, inventing the first personal computer in his garage… People don’t tend to place him in that pigeonhole these days. They tend to think of him as ushering in the “cutting-edge” of our post-industrial computer technology, enabling people throughout the world to participate in our intensively-interconnected, technological, Information Age. Steve Jobs’ forward-looking, revolutionary attitude, challenging people to “Think Different” about the world we live in, the roles and capabilities of individuals to maximize their interconnectedness and usher in the new era we now live in—this sort of attitude and forward-seeking mindset is closely analogous with the intentions and accomplishments of the founders of Sudbury Valley School. Though “Sudbury School” is not (yet) as much of a household-name as “Apple Computer”—the school has, thus-far quietly, laid the groundwork for widespread acceptance of its model of cutting-edge education. The school has survived and thrived, entirely independent financially and philosophically (an essential connection), for 40 years now. Since the early 1990’s, new Sudbury-model schools have been opened and established throughout the United States and internationally—currently 30+ schools actively operate and identify themselves explicitly as Sudbury Schools, in Japan, Israel, Germany, the Netherlands, and throughout the U.S. The school was not birthed to become a high-tech business luminary, as was Apple Computer. It was created as a new model of education, dedicated less to the success of its “business” than to the success of its students.

So—it hasn’t grown as fast as Apple Computer. But it’s grown. It’s survived, thrived, and grown. And it’s about time for YOU to discover Sudbury Schools, because, if you haven’t noticed, conventional education languors currently on the brink of irrelevance and, quite simply, failure, in preparing coming generations to navigate and thrive in the current and coming world.

Maybe the problem with education isn’t (primarily) money. Maybe the problem is, primarily, the educational model being employed.

Just maybe… read on. Our children’s future lies in the balance. The world’s future does.