More choice, more freedom, right? If we’re talking options down the supermarket aisle, choices in peanut butter or spaghetti sauce, yes. I’m creamy for the former, chunky for the latter, and you? Malcolm Gladwell argues there is no perfect sauce, only perfect sauces because it’s a matter of […]

Very little has changed about how traditional schools* work in the United States since they began almost 200 years ago. Sure, some new technologies and various teaching fads have come and gone, but the main feature common throughout has been that young people must attend and do as they are […]

I know it sounds radical, but I believe grades do more harm than good. This is not the first time this thought has crossed my mind but recently my kid, who attends our local public high school, had a writing assignment due. The assignment was met with annoyance and eye rolls. It was something to […]

What should we do when a child doesn’t want to go to school…ever? The standard approach is to assume something is wrong with the child and to use a combination of incentives and disincentives to get them to go. It feels like there is no other choice–go even if it’s distressing and even at […]

The Learning Cooperatives specialize in helping teens discover what intrinsically motivates them and what their natural talents are. The priority is building strengths rather than repairing weaknesses.  However, we’re realistic and know that external motivation can be a practical and necessary […]

True story: A NJ public library cleared off one of their walls and invited the local elementary school and a homeschool learning co-op to display student artwork for the community.  On one side of the wall were the school students’ paintings, which were all slight variations of the exact same […]

When people first hear about self-directed learning it sounds like a crazy idea–everything is optional; young people have the freedom to follow their interests and decide how to spend their time; no grades, credits, or diplomas, just learning for learning’s sake. It sounds crazy, but it’s […]

On a typical morning drive to work, I pulled into the local gas station, still holding a conversation on my bluetooth. I turned off the car, transferred the call to speakerphone, and rolled down the window.  “Fill ‘er up, please.”   Next, purse.  But, no…no, no, no, noooo. “I can’t […]

Close your eyes. Imagine a high school, a real high school, one, perhaps, you’ve driven by many times. Picture the building and the grounds. What would you change? Pull up the editing tools in your mind. Cut. Crop. Sketch. What’s different now? Is the parking lot freshly paved? Are there more […]

“It Depends.” I say this alot.  I’m the staff member at Princeton Learning Cooperative who initially meets with interested families. They come with lots of questions about PLC and I almost always respond with some variation of, “it depends.” The reactions families have to hearing this […]