No Grades, No Tests At 'Free School'

Students Are Unbounded At The Brooklyn Free School In New York

(AP)  Even among some champions of alternative education, free schools are considered a bit too radical.

"You don't throw the baby out with the bath water," said Jeanne Allen, president of the Center for Education Reform, a leading advocate of charter schools. "You don't get rid of all structure and standards if you want your child to be able to deal with all different settings."

Others say free schools could gain popularity if the emphasis on testing and regimented curriculums keeps up.

"Not only is there more interest, this is the wave of the future," said Jerry Mintz, director of the Alternative Education Resource Organization. "The other approach doesn't work, and everybody knows it."

The Brooklyn Free School isn't free in the financial sense. Tuition is $10,000 a year, but many parents just give what they can. There's a waiting list of about 35 students.

Watching the change in her son, David Johnston, has been worth the risk for Randy Karr.

While David did well "statistically" at previous schools, he hated going, sometimes crying when she dropped him off. Getting him to do homework was a struggle, and in Karr's opinion, the homework was useless anyway.

"There's very little about learning that goes on in school," Karr said. "A lot of it is being still, being quiet, not talking to your neighbor, not moving around too much. Especially if you're a boy, it's lethal."

At the Brooklyn Free School, David, now 12, is blossoming. He helps run a class on pharmacology and carries a notebook where he writes down things he's learning.

But what about the basics? Long division, spelling, algebra? Is it enough to let a child to decide when to learn those things? This concern is there, and a few parents use outside tutors for their children, Berger said.

Some students said the flexibility made sense for the youngest and oldest, but not as much for those in the middle.

"I feel like they're definitely going to have a hard time with college, where you have to sort of do that sitting down and shutting up thing," said Victoria Rothman, 17, a public school refugee who now spends much of her school day studying music. "There are kids who sit here and play video games all day. I'd put a limit to that or ban it."

Others disagree, noting most adults can barely remember, or rarely use, most of what schools pounded into them.

Experts say it's nearly impossible to figure out how successful free schools are. While some report that many of their students go on to college, their descriptions of alumni "success" tend to be holistic and not numerically driven.

In some ways, as the Brooklyn school evolves, it is becoming more structured.

Students will soon have to meet a set of graduation "requirements," where they must present a portfolio showing proficiency in the areas such as communication, investigation and reflection.

But the definition of proficiency, like much of the school, is flexible.

[bseece]

This sounds like a cool alternative to traditionl schooling but I would like to hear from those that have gone on to college. Are they doing well or are they having a tough time since they did not have traditional teaching and testing.

[bellal-2009]

Don't be so quick to judge this education model. You might be surprised at what you will find. I have spent several years working at a school like this and I was very impressed with the students. One particular memory was on the one year anniversary of 9/11. I had just come from a large suburban high school where they had observed a moment of silence which was anything but. Basically the students completely ignored the observation with loud indifference. I arrived at the alternative school just as they were doing teh same observation. Kids were hanging out, playing hacky sack, jamming with musical instraments, studying, playing chess and various other activities. When they announced a moment of silence all the kids stopped immediately and lowered their heads in deep thought. The diffrence was stunning. After a few minutes they slowly returned to their activities a bit quieter.
I could tell many amazing stories about the kids at the free school based on the Sudbury Valley School.

[twoell76]

A kid would have to be a "self-starter," since he isn't required to start anything. Granted, public schools are a mess, but for $10k/yr there are excellent traditional private schools out there that just might turn your little darling into someone useful. Part of the learning process is about learning a work ethic - God forbid an employer to require you to do something you "don't want to do."

This school is typical of our society, which has been trending hedonistic and away from the principle of hard work. Children need to learn that work itself can be fun. And adults need to take leadership to decide what children learn and when they learn.

[channel88]

We sent our children to a school like this and really liked it. It's a great experience especially for those that are self starters.