A Study of Students in Alternative and Innovative Schools
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University of Massachusetts Amherst ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014 1-1-1971 Some of our children may live : a study of students in alternative and innovative schools. Leonard J. Solo University of Massachusetts Amherst Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_1 Recommended Citation Solo, Leonard J., "Some of our children may live : a study of students in alternative and innovative schools." (1971). Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014. 2630. https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_1/2630 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014 by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. For more information, please contact [email protected]. BlEDbbOIBHTMBTS An Abstract of a Dissertation SOME OF OUR CHILDREN MAY LIVE: A Study of Students in Alternative and Innovative Schools Leonard J« Solo, Sr. Directed by: Dr. Glenn Hawkes Submitted to the School of Education University of Massachusetts in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION 1971 ABSTRACT A basic assumption and starting point for this study is the belief that there is a "crisis in the olassroom," that "our children are dying" in most schools,, The purpose of this study is not to again prove this point, but to examine schools where, reportedly, there is no crisis, where children learn joyfully in a humane environment 0 The study was done with a ten-point questionnaire that was sent to 500 private and 150 public schools. One hundred and twenty-five private and 37 public schools responded to the questionnaire. A catagory system was Imposed on each question when patterns were discovered in the responses and information from each question was placed in the established catagories for each school. Then a frequency count was made in each catagory and cross- correlations were done, finally, from analyzing and interpreting the responses and the catagorlzed and correlated data, general types of alternative and Innovative schools were defined. On the basis of these analysis and interpretations, the following types of schools were established* (1) Alternative Public School (2) Modular-Flexible School (3) Integrated Day School (4) Montessorl School (5) Free School (6) School for "Disturbed" Children (7) School for a Minority Group. A profile of each of the above types of schools was made from the nature of their responses to each questions (1) 2 The Alternative Public Schools (a) have small enrollments (b) do not have students Involved in formulating the schools' basic philosophy c) have been in existence only 2 or 3 years d) have heterogeneous populations e) have compulsory classes ! f) have a fairly wide choice of courses or subjects for students to choose from (s) have students rather significantly involved in the decision-making processes (h) evaluate students individually, in terms of the student' 8 own growth (l) realize the need for community and have moved somewhat in that direction by stressing sharing, cooperation, responsibility and* trust* The Modular-Flexible Schools (a) have large enrollments (b) have been in existence about 5 or 6 years (c) do not have students Involved in determining the schools' philosophy (d) serve mostly middle class students (e) have compulsory classes (f) have moved only somewhat away from traditional course offerings (s) do not have students significantly Involved in planning and regulating the schools' activities (h) evaluate students in groups with tests and grades (i) have not Involved themselves in striving for community. The Integrated Day Schools la) have small numbers of students (b) have been in existence only 2 or 3 years (c) do not have students substantially involved in determining the schools' philosophy (d) Involve middle class students (because of their tuitions) (e) do not have "classes" If; are set up with Interest areas wherein the student can pursue his own interests at his own pace (6) have students somewhat involved in the decision- making processes, especially the curricular ones (h) evaluate students Individually (i; are striving for cooperation, sharing and a sense of belonging together. The Montes sori Schools are similar to the Integrated Day — 3 schools except that they tend to be more manipulative and more discipline oriented. They also stress cognitive learning to a greater degree. The Free Schools in this study were found to be the most innovative and most radical: They (a) have very small numbers of students (b) have heterogeneous student bodies, in spite of having tuitions (c) have been in existence only 1 or 2 years (d) have their students somewhat involved in determining the schools' philosophy (e) do not have classes (f) emphasize the needs of individual students and thus have a variety of ways for students to learn interest areas, tutorials, contracts, small and large groups, individuals doing/learning what they want, etc. (g>v allow the student to pursue his own needs/wants at his own rate (h) have students rather significantly (some totally) Involved in the decision-making processes (i) evaluate students individually or do not evaluate them at all (j) have achieved a sense of belonging, togetherness, sharing, trust— community. The Schools for "Disturbed" Children (a) have small enrollments (b) have high tuitions (c) have students only minimally involved in formulating the schools' philosophy (d) have students who are "disturbed" and drop-out, alienated youths (e) do not have classes but deal individually with children (f) have a wide variety of learning situations available for students to choose from (g) have students substantially involved in the decision- making processes (h) evaluate students Individually (l) have achieved a sense of togetherness and belonging The Schools for Minority Groups (a) have small enrollments (b) low tuitions (c) do not have students Involved in formulating the school's philosophy (d) have students from various minority groups—Elack, Mexlcan-Amerioan, Ame r iean Indians, etc.—who are poor and also school drop-outs 4 (e) have compulsory classes (f) do not have a variety of course offerings '8/ do not have students Involved a great deal in the decision-making processes (h) evaluate students individually (i) realize the need for community, but have only achieved it in a limited way#- • The study tended to show that these schools espouse the needs and rights of the individual and that many of the schools are, or are becoming, student-centered. The modular-flexible schools started this trend, but they have moved the least in this direction# Alternative Public Schools have become more student-centered, but far less than the private Montessorl and Integrated Day schools. The Free Schools have moved the most in this direction# The main focus in many free schools is not just on learning subjects but on people learning and growing, alone and together, on personal relationships, on trust and honesty and dignity and sharing# Some of these free schools are evolving into non-schools or communes# The whole trend examined in this paper indicates a movement toward "deschooling” —of having learning naturally and constantly occuring in the entire community with people of all ages involved with the on-going processes of living in that community# This movement has not yet profoundly affected the lives of most children, but it is a just-beginning trend that is already providing several thousand students with a variety of alternative ways to grow up# The movement seems to be toward having a great variety of alternative starting and on-going places for learning (not just "school 1 ’), a world (or parts of it) in which children could naturally learn as they grew in it. SOME OF OUR CHILDREN MAY LIVE: A Study of Students in Alternative and Innovative Schools A Dissertation Presented by Leonard J. Solo, Sr. Submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Massachusetts in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION July 1971 Major Subject: Alternatives in Education 4— SOME OF OUR CHILDREN MAY LIVE: A Study of Students in Alternative and Innovative School A Dissertation * Leonard J. Solo, Sr* Approved as to style and content by: f - Ja .U/ V (. X Chairimm of Committee) 'UuJ.UV (Head'%6iC[ Department) 9--J\ ;; .AA' - 1 }9- /% /9tzZ (Member) j / )!h 9 ^ ' ft (Member) ,/ (Mbmber) Copyright by. Leonard J. Solo, Sr. 1971 All Rights Reserved ii TO DEANNA with ten fingers and TO MY FATHER: with two bare hands iii - you Uke school ,!?°, > Tom?", asked Tom's father. I juSt one of those things you have . i L®, to take. I don t think anyone likes school, do they, that has ever done anything else?” "I don't know. I hated it." ’’Didn't you like art school either?” "No. I liked to learn to draw but I didn't like the school part.” --Ernest Hemingway, Islands in the Stream One had to cram all this stuff into one's head, whether one liked it or not. This coercion -had such a deterring effect that, after I had passed the final examination, I found the consideration of any scientific problem distaste- ful to me for an entire year It is, in fact, nothing snort of a miracle that the modern methods of Instruction have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry . ^.or this delicate little plant, aside from stimu- lation, stands mainly in need of freedom: without this it goes lo wract£ and ruin without fail. It is a very grave mistake to think that the enjoyment of seeing and searching can be promoted by means of coercion and a sense of duty, lo tne contrary, I believe that it would be possible to rob even a healthy beast of prey of its voraciousness, if it were possible, with the aid of a whip, to force the beast to devour continuously, even when not hungry- especially if the food, handed out under such coercion, were to be selected accordingly.