Pre-conference Preparation Materials and the AERO Connection

We are encouraging people to help with the task of generating the broad, robust community conversation required to bring about the public change in thinking that leads to lasting change. The links below provide ideas for starting, through phone calls or Zoom meet-ups, the needed conversations.

The Child Friendly Home

The Child Friendly School

Visit the Unschooling School website for a good selection of resources. Following are some highlights.

The AERO Think Tank
With COVID causing schools to be closed, members of AERO, the Alternative Education Resource Organizing, who support public education began meeting regularly to consider what they could contribute to help relieve the stress and take advantage of the opportunities in families suddenly having to homeschool their children. Over the months, the group has also been studying how virtual learning can be handled by school boards, and how we might emerge from the pandemic on track to creating educational environments that serve students better than the ones before COVID. AERO members who have contributed their views are authors of recent publications that expand our imagination of the possible. Following is a listing of their books, not only to provide people with references they could find meaningful, but also to convey the strength of the think tank. Much of the content for the Child Friendly Community Conference derives from this group. Many other AERO members have published books that help to create a vision of the kinds of learning environments in which children and youth most flourish.

Please note that none of the authors listed below are opposed to public education. Their interest is in serving the needs of children and youth. Hearing what they have to say could result in public educators creating systems that align better with students’ needs and our democratic principles.