Can we create our own schools like the Freedom Schools of the Civil Rights era?

Answer 1

What would the curriculum of such schools look like?  What resources woudl we need to set them up?

Comments

That's not an answer, but a question! But here's one thought. Freedom schools were based off of these questions (in our case, replace 'Freedom' with 'Occupy'?)

Why are we (teachers and students) in Freedom Schools?
What is the Freedom Movement?
What alternatives does the Freedom Movement offer us?
What does the majority culture have that we want?
What does the majority culture have that we don't want?
What do we have that we want to keep?

Answer 2

Yes, I don't see why not.  There's a network of Free Schools - around the . . . country? - I met the school leader of the Albany Free School a while back, and recently read an article about the Brooklyn Free School.  I don't think these are pedagogically or even possibly philosophically aligned with the Freedom Schools of the sixties, but they're very cool.  In these schools, students and teachers collectively develop the curriculum and run the school.  They are very democratic and very student centered.

There are plenty of resources available online without the need to resort to options like the Kahn Academy.  A small group of teachers can facilitate a great deal of learning with very little in the way of stuff.

The school would need a number of things - space, resources like computers and $$ for books, probably insurance and $$ for salaries & benefits, $$ for membership in a credentially organization (so you could give diplomas easily) - and if you want it to be actually free (no tuition) - then we are really talking serious cash.

One of the major questions is where does one get the resources to make such a school?

This is a project I would love to work on - I am very interested even if we are just mulling the idea over.

Answer 3

Yes, we need our own schools that operate on a different model than the current school system. I think the Freedom Schools are a good model to start with.

There are many ways to begin, but we might partner with an existing school with an occupy-friendly staff, and run an afterschool/weekend Freedom School. But, this might be too easily corrupted by the current schooling system.

Answer 4

Not only can we, lots of groups are already moving in this direction.

The question to me is: what's the next step in facilitating this on a widespread basis at many or all Occupations that are interested?

Answer 5

No. No schools or anything else. I am not interested in living in an occu-cult. Let's get the money out of politics so our elected officials become responsive to their constituents. Once that happens we can go from there.

Comments

Don't you think it makes sense for Occupy to facilitate better understanding of the current laws and practices that allow our political system and laws to be bought and sold? IMHO, you can't fix or redesign what you don't understand.

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For those who don't understand it?  Perhaps.  I am not sure that those who don't already realize that our elected officials are beholden to the wealth that has put them into office will go though.