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Saint Anselm College
Manchester, New Hampshire
AERO Conference
June 27-29th, 2025
Why We Need Freedom & Democracy in Education Now!
The Longest Running
Alternative Education Conference
Making Learner-Directed, Learner-Centered Education Available to All
In a rapidly evolving world, the quest for freedom and democracy in education is not just a philosophical debate—it is an urgent necessity. This conference seeks to explore the pivotal role that democratic principles and individual freedoms play in shaping an educational landscape that prepares students to thrive in a complex society.
Breakout Sessions
June 28th Sessions
Session 1 -
Laurie Spigel
The Magic Formula for Engaged Learning
Learn how to engage groups of any age, using improvisational games that open inner doors to perception, intuition and creativity. We will play games that increase listening skills, build communication, and connect players to their environment and to each other.
Julieta Duvall
Navigating Education through Human Design: A Personalized Approach
Join us for a transformative workshop that explores how Human Design can empower self-directed education. Discover your unique design and learn how it influences your learning style, decision-making, and relationships. We will explore strategies to decondition from traditional educational systems and embrace a more personalized approach to learning. Whether you’re a parent, educator, or lifelong learner, this workshop will equip you with the tools to cultivate curiosity and autonomy in your educational journey. Unlock the potential within yourself and your children as you navigate the path of self-directed learning through the lens of Human Design..
Monica Cochran
Let's Redefine PDA
Redefine PDA! Move beyond the label of Pathological Demand Avoidance and understand the nervous system's role in the pervasive desire for autonomy. Explore PDA through a Polyvagal lens, unlocking new pathways for connection. Learn to create safe learning spaces that honor the intense need for agency. With 10+ years of experience with PDA, Monica Cochran shares practical strategies and a hands-on activity to reframe your approach for parents and educators. Empower yourself to better support learners with PDA profiles, fostering resilience and understanding..
Gina Riley
Unschooling, Ungrading, Unlearning: How the Unschooling Movement is Changing the Educational Landscape
The rise of homeschooling, unschooling, and other self-directed learning models has profoundly influenced education at all levels. Once considered fringe, these approaches have gained momentum post-pandemic, challenging traditional schooling structures and reshaping curriculum and assessment in P-12 schools, colleges, and universities.This session explores how unschooling philosophies - rooted in intrinsic motivation, autonomy, and experiential learning - are driving shifts toward ungrading, competency-based education, and student-centered pedagogy. Participants will examine the impact of these movements, discuss emerging trends, and consider how alternative learning models can foster innovation within and outside of institutional settings.
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June 28th Sessions
Session 2 -
Ben Draper, Kerry Kilroy, and Vanessa Niro
Building a Self-Directed Education Center from Scratch
We will discuss the process of creating to Macomber Center from scratch - from the practical, nuts and bolts to the philosophical fine points of our educational approach. We will look back over our thirteen years, from a makeshift community of former Sudbury Valley Schoolers to an established and successful Self-Directed Education Center. We will share lessons in community building, articulating our education philosophy to outsiders, and defusing conflict.
Catina Franklin Sweedy
Sociocracy: A Consent-Based Model for Democratic Governance in Education
In democratic schools, shared governance and youth rights are core values—but how we practice democracy matters too. Sociocracy offers a clear, inclusive framework for decision-making and structure where every voice is heard. This interactive session introduces sociocracy as a collaborative model for learner-centered environments. We’ll explore consent-based decision-making, circle structures, and role-based responsibilities, and how they support autonomy, accountability, and collaboration. Drawing on real-world experience from a democratic microschool, we’ll examine both the transformative potential and challenges of implementation. Participants will leave with concrete tools and ideas for creating schools where democracy is lived, not just taught
Amber Baud & Donna Johnson
Unlocking Potential Through Educational Freedom.
Join us for, "Unlocking Potential Through Educational Freedom," where we will delve into how educational freedom thrives at Return To Roots Learning Community. Discover the importance of utilizing your environment or home to spark wonder and thought in children, explore how to embrace the concept of what we call "nothingness" as a vital space for creativity and growth, and gain insights on nurturing a self-directed and play-based learning environment that empowers children to reach their full potential and unleashes limitless possibilities!
Amanda Maguire
Creating Democratic Classrooms with Youth Voice.
Mikva Challenge is non-partisan nonprofit civics education focused on youth voice and real youth participation in civic life. NH Civics is the only nonprofit in the state of NH focused on civics education. Together, we work with teachers across the state to bring real-world civic experiences to youth. This workshop will go over the programs we use to build authentic youth civic participation and will provide ways to create democratic classrooms and schools
June 29th Sessions
Session 1 -
Elizabeth Radday
Learning They'll Love: Personal Interest Projects to Empower Learner Freedom and Creativity
In a world where student agency is more important than ever, Personal Interest Projects (PIPs) offer a powerful framework for honoring choice, creativity, and authentic learning. Based on my upcoming book Learning They’ll Love, this workshop explores how to design flexible, standards-connected PIPs that put students in the driver’s seat of their education. Participants will leave with strategies, tools, and real-world examples to support learner-directed exploration across ages and subjects.
Will Gowen
Teaching Democracy by Living It: Collaborative Governance Tools for Schools
In an era of unprecedented educator burnout and systemic challenges, our schools need more than incremental changes—they need fundamental reimagination. While countless initiatives focus on reimagining student experiences, this workshop aims to address an overlooked frontier of educational transformation: the workplace itself. Inspired by various models including teacher-powered schools, sociocratic governance, and self-management principles, we will explore innovative organizational design approaches that distribute power, amplify collective intelligence, and create regenerative workplace cultures—reimagining educational workplaces as living, adaptive systems.
Jerry Mintz
So You Want to Start an Educational Alternative?-Here's How
This session will focus on strategies and techniques taken from AERO's experience helping people start alternatives over the last 30 years. This is a chance to get support and useful action steps whether you're just "thinking" about it or have been doing it for a long time.
June 29th Sessions
Session 2 -
Nelly Sepulveda & Elizabeth Gonzalez
Problem Solving With Students
Play Mountain Place teachers, Nelly Sepulveda and Elizabeth Gonzalez, will lead and facilitate a discussion on what problem solving looks like at their school.
Ben Draper, Vanessa Niro, and Kerry Kilroy
The Self-Directed Path to College
Join us to learn about how a group of our teenagers, most of whom had no formal academic experience, prepared for and successfully placed into classes at our local college. Macomber Center staff members and a panel of teenagers will be leading this discussion.
Zaynab Baalbaki & Skylar L. Primm
Empowering Educators: Teacher-Powered Schools as a Model for Democracy in Education
Teacher-Powered Schools (TPS) is a resource for building collective educator efficacy to create equitable, student-centered schools where power is shared among students, communities, and the full educator team. Schools following teacher-powered practices show increased teacher retention and joy in their work, as well as improved student achievement. In this workshop, we will review TPS’s models for developing team agreements and exploring team working styles, which set the groundwork for teacher ownership in decision making. With a clear vision and shared expectations, small teams are able to work more efficiently and effectively to solve school problems and serve students’ needs.
Peter Berg
Why Democratic Spaces are Good For Mental Health & How to Create Them
Democratic spaces are important for mental health. In this session we will explore the why's and how's of creating democratic spaces and their impact on mental health.
Mariola Strahlberg
Education and Democracy Through the Janusz Korczak's Lens - Well known all over the world but not in the USA, Janusz Korczak was ahead of his time and is needed in each and every classroom today! His clear and simple ideas on democratic republic for children with Children's Parliament, Children's Court, Weekly Children ‘s Newspaper, Wager and Postcard system for self-education and growth can be easily implemented in any learning setting. In his work we see the core principals needed for the healthy childhood: understand children’s spirit, support them in their struggles, provide them with clear limits for their behaviors and Always treated them with respect, love and encouragement.
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