What I find fascinating is that so many private schools don't move very far
afield from the curriculum and methods of the publics. As we all know, they
succeed because they admit kids who will succeed. They educate about as
much as I bake when I make a cake from a box mix.
I think it is highly significant that powerful stories of successful
learning situations, some of the 5th Dimension projects, for example, are
found outside the formal K-12 schooling activity.
I may be digressing a bit here but, my favorite counter example (heck, my
only one) of local control in curriculum is Steven Levy's (see his new
book: Starting from Scratch, from Heineman). The kids(4th or 5th grade I
think) entered an empty classroom in the Fall and literally built their own
desks and, what a surprise, found themeslves accomplishing a sophisticated
curriculum. (It's sort of Waldorf-ian).
imho,
Linda