Education has become synonymous with schooling, but it doesn't have to
be. As schooling becomes increasingly standardized and test driven,
occupying more of childhood than ever before, parents and educators are
questioning the role of schooling in society. Many are now exploring and
creating alternatives. In a compelling narrative that introduces
historical and contemporary research on self-directed education,
Unschooled also spotlights how a diverse group of individuals and
organizations are evolving an old schooling model of education. These
innovators challenge the myth that children need to be taught in order
to learn. They are parents who saw firsthand how schooling can dull
children's natural curiosity and exuberance and others who decided early
on to enable their children to learn without school. Educators who left
public school classrooms discuss launching self-directed learning
centers to allow young people's innate learning instincts to flourish,
and entrepreneurs explore their disillusionment with the teach-and-test
approach of traditional schooling.