Why We Need Freedom and Democracy in Education Now!

The Alternative Education Resource Organization Conference

June 27–29, 2025, Saint Anselm’s College, Manchester, NH

For more information and to register go to www.aeroconference.org

Pat’s keynote is “Schooling as Social Ritual: Reclaiming Public Spaces for Learning and Friendship”

There is more openness among policy makers for school choice and charter schools, and school vouchers and education savings plans are getting more traction, but there is little to no discussion about changing the fundamental structure of education. Form follows function, and the form school was created with functions to control behavior and reward obedience, but the schooling ritual shrouds that function with promises of socialization, advancement, and status.