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Though some Montessori schools are publicly funded, they differ greatly from The United States’ typical public school. This type of school emphasizes a hands-on, student-centered approach to education. Children work at their own pace and explore concepts that spark their interest as the school focuses on independent learning. Additionally, the schools are not broken up into the typical grade structures of a public school. There are four main sections of the school: infant or toddler(birth to three), primary or children’s house(three to six), elementary(six to twelve), and adolescence or farm schools(twelve to fifteen). Children are put into groups based on a range of ages rather than the typical one age per grade system.

Dr. Maria Montessori was an Italian physician who focused on psychiatry, specifically in children’s education. Though unusual in her time, Dr. Montessori’s family valued education, allowing her the opportunity to travel the world researching and observing educational patterns as well as development in children. She discovered that hands-on learning was the best approach to help children fully understand and take interest in their education. Dr. Montessori founded her first school called The Casa Dei Bambini, or Children’s House in Rome in 1907. Her schools gained popularity in Europe and the United States and began being founded internationally as soon as four years after the original in Rome.

In practice, Montessori schools are student-centered with less focus placed directly on teachers. Instead, teachers roam the classroom where students work individually or in small groups on their own interests. Montessori classrooms are interactive with activities placed at eye-level of the children. They tend to be organized with muted colors to create a calm, creative space for children to learn in.

There are many potential benefits that may work for a variety of children. Children are treated and taught as individuals instead of with a one-size-fits-all approach to teaching. The schools are made to nurture concentration, independence, and individual interest in order to allow children to find their own passions. Montessori classrooms emphasize educational freedom in their students, rather than enforcing a strict curriculum.

Despite its many advantages, there are drawbacks to the Montessori method of education. The schools typically need high-quality, durable supplies for their students making the cost of tuition to be quite expensive in some cases. In connection to this, high tuition can drive away low-income families from investing in these schools. The schools are typically private with a stricter admissions and application process making it inaccessible to many, as well as giving it the image of a wealthy, white school. Many also find that Montessori schools are too loose with their curriculum, and some past students reported that they were “very under-prepared for math and science classes and over-prepared for language and arts classes”. As well as feeling under-prepared in certain areas, students also had difficulty with teamwork. Because independence is encouraged in Montessori schools, some students have challenges in the workplace or other environments that call for collaboration. Additionally, Dr. Montessori was unable to trademark the Montessori School name which allows any school to adopt the title as well as its reputation without actually implementing the founder’s vision.

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Homeschooling in Massachusetts - Ilana Weill

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Homeschooling in Massachusetts - Ilana Weill

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1. What is the deal with your school? What makes it different from a regular school? (General overview)

Typically a parent or guardian would take responsibility to homeschool their own child if homeschooling is the path of education they choose. There are online sources that make it so that the parent can work with a professional educator or teacher in providing a thorough curriculum for their child.

Parents must notify superintendent or school committee of their child’s school district

According to Home School Legal Defence Association (HSLDA), parents should include intent and may include the following:

Curriculum

Hours of instruction

Competency of parents/people instructing the homeschooling (college and advanced degrees are not necessary)

Instructional aids being used (ex: textbooks)

Method of assessment being used (superintendent may require standardized testing)

2. Where did this type of schooling come from? (origin story)

Modern Homeschooling: John Holt (educational theorist/supporter of school reform) argued and convinced many followers that typical classrooms create oppressive environments which focus solely on preparing students for the workforce.

Invented “unschooling” as a method, and he started “Growing Without Schooling” in 1977

The arguments that he made in his newsletter, “Growing Without Schooling,” inspired parents to start homeschooling their children all over the country, including in Massachusetts (it became legal in every state).

3. How does it work in practice? What does your school look like?

Massachusetts Law requires the student to be taught the following subjects:

Spelling

Reading

Writing

English language and grammar

Geography

Arithmetic (mathematics branch involving properties/manipulation of numbers)

Drawing

Music

US History/Constitution

Citizenship duties/good behavior

Health (CPR)

Physical education

However, there is no requirement as to how often each subject should be taught.

The recommendation is that the homeschooler tries to teach each subject by grade level (at least through elementary and middle school).

4. What are some potential benefits to your model as opposed to traditional schooling? What might be some drawbacks?

Benefits: The parent and child can get through the curriculum more loosely and have more flexibility in what they cover/learn, and in what they do outside of homeschooling.

This could give the student more choice in what they want to learn, especially as they get into highschool-level curriculum.

This could also allow for more time for the child to do extra-curricular activities, particularly if they’re really passionate about one activity and are looking to pursue it later in life.

Drawbacks: If the parent isn’t getting through enough material and helping their child advance in knowledge, then it’s possible that the student wouldn’t have transcripts or standardized testing scores that are good enough for getting them into college. Also, a lot of children make the majority of their friends in school. So if the student isn’t actually attending school with any other children, they might not have any friends.

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1. What is the deal with your school? What makes it different from a regular school? (General overview)

Not actually missing walls

Focuses on creating safe haven for children (and their families) along with a good learning environment

school doesn’t try to separate itself from the rest of the communities

Schools try to change up classrooms to make them more open

2. Where did this type of schooling come from? (origin story)

Idea popped around in the 70’s but has died down since then

There are a push to make schools focus more on the wellbeing of children rather then preparing them for tests

3. How does it work in practice? What does your school look like?

Students are encouraged to stand up and do fun projects

Teachers are supportive of student ideas

Parents can have an active role in how the school/classrooms run

4. What are some potential benefits to your model as opposed to traditional schooling? What might be some drawbacks?

Children do better in this happier environment

They get to know each other more easily

They’re more relaxed and feel less pressure to do well

Parents know more about how their children are being educated and can voice their opinions

Drawbacks:

Children may do worse on tests if they aren’t pushed to remember important information

Children may leave that school and not be prepared for other school types

Children may get to used to this method and the teacher could lose time to teach lessons in other ways

Parents could disagree and slow down school decision making

Sources:

https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2017/03/27/520953343/open-schools-made-noise-in-the-70s-now-theyre-just-noisy

https://www.thersa.org/globalassets/pdfs/the-rsa-schools-without-walls.pdf

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=how+did+the+idea+of+a+%27school+without+walls%27+start&docid=608015915753808701&mid=C15FD9348581655F0325C15FD9348581655F0325&view=detail&FORM=VIRE

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1. What is the deal with your school? What makes it different from a regular school? (General overview)

2. Where did this type of schooling come from? (origin story)

3. How does it work in practice? What does your school look like?

4. What are some potential benefits to your model as opposed to traditional schooling? What might be some drawbacks?

1. In general, Waldorf schooling places an emphasis on the development of the child themselves, instead of other things. Waldorf schooling has a focus on thinking, feeling and doing.

2. The idea of Waldorf schooling came from Rudolf Steiner, philosopher and social reformer, who outlined his ideas for principles of education.

3. They also emphasize music, theatr, dance, and literature. “Through these experiences, Waldorf students cultivate their intellectual, emotional, physical and spiritual capacities to be individuals certain of their paths and to be of service to the world.”

4. Waldorf education has some very desirable qualities, such as less pressure, kids learning at their own pace, and kids being able to learn about themselves. However, there are some pretty bug cons, such as a lack of Job opportunities as a result of where the emphasis lies. Children may also learn slower, and there is a lack of a scientific approach.

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Unschooling is a form of homeschool education that promotes teaching children at home or other places rather than a traditional school. The curriculum is purely based on what interests the students are interested in pursuing rather than a predetermined curriculum. The learning and teaching of unschooling allow kids to have as much freedom to explore the world around them in their own ways. The unschooling philosophy originated from a teacher named John Holt who coined the term in 1977. Holt was a teacher who rose to prominence by writing books about the shortcomings of the traditional education system and he eventually created his own. In practice, unschooling teaching is typically set at home utilizing places like playgrounds and museums to supplement the learning and exploring being down at home. The main benefit from schooling is that students are immersed in topics that truly spark interest in them, and aren't defined by grades or tests because there is minimal emphasis on grading in the unschooling model. A drawback is that if a student is not appropriately supported with a structure for unschooling they can easily miss out on vital developmental and educational skills at a young age, not equipping them for proper future success.

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1. What is the deal with your school? What makes it different from a regular school? (General overview)
1: The difference between your average public/private schools and parochial schools is that parochial schools are affiliated with a religious organization.

2. Where did this type of schooling come from? (origin story)
2: parochial schools have been around for centuries dating back to the beginning of the roman catholic church. Parochial schools started out as places for churches to teach people about religion. Parochial schools have existed in America since before the American revolution.

3.How does it work in practice? What does your school look like?
3: In practice a parochial school is very similar to a traditional public or private school, with the only difference being that parochial schools are allowed to offer religious instruction to students.

4. What are some potential benefits to your model as opposed to traditional schooling? What might be some drawbacks?
4:Potential benefits are that if you care about religion you can get a somewhat religious education.

Downsides might be that teachers don't have to be certified at parochial schools
and that schools may be less diverse.

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1. What is the deal with your school? What makes it different from a regular school? (General overview)

The idea behind language immersion schools is to teach students a non-native language through immersion in said language. While in traditional schools, foreign languages are often taught, in language immersion schools the idea is that instead of teaching a foreign language, students are taught normal subjects, like math, science, history, and English, but students learn these subjects in the foreign language.

2. Where did this type of schooling come from? (origin story)

Language Immersion originated in 1960s Canada when parents wanted their children to learn French because it was the main language in Quebec. The parents fought for their children to be taught through Language Immersion, as they thought it would be the most effective way for them to learn quickly and well.

3. How does it work in practice? What does your school look like?

Language Immersion works very well in practice, being forced to speak and understand others in a language one is learning is very effective. It also works well when classes that are not foreign language-related are still taught in the foreign language. For example, reaching math in Spanish will allow students to learn math and Spanish at the same time.

There are tons of different types of programs for Language immersion learning, Bilingual, Dual Language, and Two Way Immersion being the most common.

Bilingual Education is when teachers instruct their students in two different languages.

Dual Language Education is a more specific type of Bilingual Education. Dual Language is when all content in the class is presented in two languages.

Two Way Immersion is when about half the students have one native language, and the other half have different native languages, and they are learning the native language of the other half.

One Way Immersion is when

4. What are some potential benefits to your model as opposed to traditional schooling? What might be some drawbacks?

Benefits:

This is a much more effective way for students to learn a foreign language compared to the traditional one block of language class

Students who have gone through Language Immersion learning test higher on average compared to students who have not

Drawbacks:

Language Immersion learning can be a lot harder to execute as it requires students with different native languages

Language Immersion can be really hard on teachers. Educators using Language Immersion often have to teach students of widely varying levels of experience and skill level, which can be hard for something as intense as language immersion

Sources:

https://www.doe.mass.edu/ele/programs/dle.html

https://carla.umn.edu/immersion/documents/ImmersionResearch_TaraFortune.html

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1. What is the deal with your school? What makes it different from a regular school? (General overview)

1. The main differences are the classrooms with multiple grades and the focus on learning at your own pace

2. Teachers are there to gently guide the way instead of bossing students around and dictating their every move

2. Where did this type of schooling come from? (origin story)

1. The open classroom concept originated in British public schools after WWII. When American educators visited these schools, they saw them as the answer to “both the American education system’s critics and the problems of U.S. society” (Education Next).

2. Introduced to America in the late 1960s, largely disappeared by the mid 1970s.

3. How does it work in practice? What does your school look like?

1. Most open classroom schools had large open spaces in which students of multiple age groups would learn together.

2. There was a large focus on hands-on learning, or “learning by doing.”

3. There are no grade levels, no standardized tests, and no detailed curriculums.

4. What are some potential benefits to your model as opposed to traditional schooling? What might be some drawbacks?

1. I think the main benefit is that students can get more excited about learning if they don’t feel the pressure to perform a certain way or to keep up with everyone else. I also think hands on learning is the best way to learn and that, especially for younger kids, it is much more exciting and makes school more of a place they would want to be. I think one possible downside to open classrooms is that it is hard to gage how well you are doing and especially for older kids harder to self motivate if you are not super excited about what you are learning.

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1. What is the deal with your school? What makes it different from a regular school? (General overview)

Postsecondary education (after high school) and high school

“trains students for a specific line of work, often in healthcare or other hands-on fields”(1).

“The goal of a vocational school is to equip students with the skills they need to enter the workforce of their choosing”(1).

Less academic and more job focused

Special skills

Gives the training and experience one needs to enter a certain job field

Examples of specialized programs: medical assisting, dental assisting, nursing assistant, cosmetology, massage therapy, medical coding, pharmacy technician, welding, woodworking, automotive technology, early childhood education

2. Where did this type of schooling come from? (origin story)

“The Smith-Hughes Act of 1917, the law that first authorized federal funding for vocational education in American schools, explicitly described vocational ed as preparation for careers not requiring a bachelor’s degree.”(2)

Used as a way to track people into the workforce and train them for specific jobs

There was a shortage of skilled labor in the beginning of the 20th century as industrialization ramped up, and an increasing number of immigrant and farm children were enrolling in schools at the same time,

Public high schools “didn’t know what to do with them”(2), so they found vocational education to be the solution

Many low income kids were steered into vocational education

3. How does it work in practice? What does your school look like?

Each vocational school is unique

Typically shorter than other types of schooling

Last between a number of months to two years

Cost of tuition varies depending on length, supplies needed, and other factors

Typical 9 month program could range from $12k-$15k, and scholarships / grants are available

Teach the specific skills and experiences needed for a particular field

Hands on experience

Vocation teachers or “career teachers” lead the class

4. What are some potential benefits to your model as opposed to traditional schooling? What might be some drawbacks?

benefits:

Those planning on pursuing a specific job field will come into the workforce with the training they need

Could give them a leg up when applying for competitive jobs

Could increase potential income

Able to practice real life specialized skills

Flexible schedule, no extracurriculars or other obligations

Those who enroll are dedicated and interested in their field

After push to increase academic quality in schools, some voc ed programs provide advanced math classes and other subjects like foreign languages

Drawbacks:

Can be Very manual work “He started to think about the fact that his body would give out someday. Then what would he do?”(2).

Strengthened an already apparent class distinction, especially in its early days as noted by John Dewey (critic of vocational education)

sets up expectations for its students, as they are on a single direction track

“Once you become a ___ , you will always be a ___”

In the present day, many jobs require a college degree to be a competitive applicant

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1. What is the deal with your school? What makes it different from a regular school?
A school within a school differs from a regular school because rather than group all the students together in one big teaching facilities, the school is split up into multiple subunits. With each sector dealing with school in its own way with its own theme, it accommodates the everyday student that might not be able to learn the way regular schools teach. The smaller classes allow for more hands on student improvement making a happier, high achieving student. With less kids to focus on, faculty will be able to be more attentive to each kids learning style and career. A type of school that is similar to this are charter schools, as they both separate from the larger school system to focus on individual skills.
2.Where did this type of schooling come from?
Although the idea of the school within a school model has been around for a couple decades, it really became popular when Bill and Melinda Gates were funding the idea in the early 2000's. But the effects were reported as not big enough or non-beneficial in many ways for many schools. People bashed it for being a ridiculous idea that was never going to waste money and never reach its full potential. Yet, many schools like Kearny High in San Diego which benefited a lot from the innovative/new system.
3.How does it work in practice? What does your school look like?
-A school within a school differs from a regular school because rather than group all the students together in one big teaching facilities, the school is split up into multiple subunits. With each sector dealing with school in its own way with its own theme, it accommodates the everyday student that might not be able to learn the way regular schools teach.
4.What are some potential benefits to your model as opposed to traditional schooling? What might be some drawbacks?
-The smaller classes allow for more hands on student improvement making a happier, high achieving student. With less kids to focus on, faculty will be able to be more attentive to each kids learning style and career.
-It would be way more easy to keep students attention as you can cater way more to the kid. Traditional schools are required to teach from the curriculum while the smaller classes and separation from the broader school system will allow for more effective teaching.

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1. What is the deal with your school? What makes it different from a regular school? (General overview)

Continuation education is an alternative diploma program for students over 16 that are failing or falling behind in high school whether through grades, credits, or both. For more specific reasons, a continuation education is for students that are at risk of not completing their education and are falling far behind, some more than others.
What makes it different from a regular school is the fact that it's a smaller school system specialized for those who didn't do too well in a regular school. It could also be used just to have a more flexible school schedule as one may have a job outside of school that may overlap with regular school.

2. Where did this type of schooling come from? (origin story)

Denmark/California, could not find much info in this regard

3. How does it work in practice? What does your school look like?

It looks like a normal school, except for different limitations. The students only need to be at school 15 hours a week or 180 minutes daily. The curriculum is essentially the same except more basic, as the students who go here are considered behind and are at risk of not graduating a normal high school. There are also supplemental programs that may include independent study, regional occupational programs, career counseling, and job placement and apprenticeships.

4. What are some potential benefits to your model as opposed to traditional schooling? What might be some drawbacks?

The benefits clearly are making sure that the student gets the education they need to graduate and for them to be able to be successful. If there were not to do this, they might not be able to graduate, leading to them being behind for most if not all of their life, in terms of jobs, work, etc. Some drawbacks are that they will already be inherently behind as the school teaches more basic learning, instead being slower than a normal high school in terms of pacing. This can lead to them falling even more behind if they don’t understand the content of the lesson.