top of page
Breakout Sessions
June 12th Breakout Sessions
Session 1 -
Roy Karp ~ Roy Karp is an experienced educator, writer, and advocate for small “d” democracy. As Director of the Alternative Diploma Program, he built a community based high school that successfully engaged students facing significant barriers to their education. Roy has trained hundreds of students and educators in Restorative Practices (RP) and has used them to create inclusive, democratic classrooms. Currently leads Tidal Water Consulting.
Session: Using Circles for Collaborative Learning ~ During this hands-on session, participants will learn about Restorative Practices in Education by experiencing a process known as Circle. Structural elements of Circle – such as the talking piece, personal check-in round, and decision making by consensus – are designed to give everyone an equal voice and agency over the process.
Lilly Schade ~(16) ~ is the Founder of Project Haven, a youth-led nonprofit redefining holistic mental health care for teens through mindfulness, community, and education. She is also the Founder of DualPath, an organization connecting youth to leadership and professional development opportunities. Beyond her ventures, Lilly serves as Head of Events at Backpocket VC, curating high-end founder and investor gatherings. She contributes nationally as a youth advisor with Cambridge Health Alliance Youth advisory board, Stanford’s Neuroscience Youth Advisory Board, NAMI NYC, and Simply Neuroscience.
Session: Rethinking Teen Mental Health from the Ground Up ~Most mental health support for teens is reactive, it waits until something breaks. Project Haven takes a different approach. In this session, Lilly walks through a holistic framework for teen mental health that goes beyond therapy referrals and crisis hotlines to address the full picture: identity, environment, purpose, and community. She'll share what she's learned building alongside teens (as one herself).
Roger Dennis ~
When I was 18 and 19 years old I began to realize that a lot of what I had been taught (directly or indirectly) while growing up was not true. Ever since then I have been an activist for integrity and decency. for treating people (and cats and dogs and other life forms) correctly, respectfully. I consider all other people to be fellow imperfect human beings - and fellow learners and teachers.
I'm a retired NYC public school teacher/counselor who always tried to bring as much democracy as possible into whatever I was doing.
I'm pretty close to obsessed with trying to make a better United States and a better world.
Session: Transforming public schools and making a better world~ This is an interactive workshop where participants will share their thoughts and ideas.
Gina Riley ~ Gina Riley, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Special Education, Educational Psychologist, Program Director of the Adolescent and All Grades Special Education M.S.Ed. program, and Faculty Director of ACERT, Hunter College’s Academic Center for Excellence in Research and Teaching. She has conducted significant research on homeschooling and unschooling, an educational philosophy that emphasizes intrinsic motivation as a primary means for learning. In addition to her research on self-directed learning environments, Dr. Riley has specific expertise in adolescent special education and Supported Decision Making, promoting autonomy and self-determination for individuals with disabilities.
Session: 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.
%20(1)%20(2)%20(1)%20(1)%20-%20Gina%20Riley.jpg)
June 12th Breakout Sessions
Session 2 -
Kim Swaffield M.Ed. ~ Director of Coaching at Light Way. A lifetime of experience working with children, parents, and educators across home, school, and community settings. Served as a Godly Play Leader, early childhood teacher, preschool director, early childhood coach, and accreditation coach, and holds a master’s degree in School Counseling along with advanced training in teaching adults. Deeply influenced by Montessori, Reggio Emilia, International Baccalaureate, and Godly Play approaches, Kim’s work is grounded in respect, listening, and relationship
Session: Structure and Freedom: Partners in Learning ~ Families creating learner-designed education often wrestle with the same question: how can the freedom children crave coexist with the structure and support they need to thrive? This session introduces Light Way Home Educator Academy, a certification program designed to help parents support self-directed learning at home. Participants will explore how families can create environments where freedom and thoughtful structure work together to support children’s growing capacity for self-direction. The session includes an experiential introduction to the Famli™ system for consent-based decision-making
Heather DiNino ~ Heather is a passionate educator, mental health advocate, and microschool founder dedicated to joyful, child-led learning. With over 20 years of teaching experience, she offers a nuanced understanding of developmentally appropriate practices, personalized learning, and identity exploration. Holding degrees in psychology and education, Heather blends her educational expertise, hands-on experience, and entrepreneurial spirit to reimagine what school can be. She lives just south of Boston with her best teachers—her husband, two spirited children, and two adorable pugs.
Who Is Your Program Really For? Defining Your Niche for Sustainability ~Many founders start schools with a heartfelt but broad vision: support children, transform education, serve families. But sustainable schools rarely succeed by trying to serve everyone. In this session, we’ll explore how alternative schools and learning programs can identify the specific children and families they are best designed to serve. When a school clearly defines its niche, it becomes easier to attract aligned families, communicate its value, build stable enrollment, and create a thriving learning community. Just as importantly, clarity about who you serve can bring greater fulfillment to founders and help prevent burnout.
TBD
TBD
June 13th Sessions
Session 1 -
Rene Neuner & Betsy Farrell-Messenger~Rene Neuner is a Facilitator of Solutionary Teaching and Learning for The Institute for Humane Education. She earned her M.Ed. through the Boston Teacher Residency and taught English and ESL in Boston Public Schools for 10 years. She developed outdoor education and restorative justice programs and has led interdisciplinary, student-driven projects. Rene also co-founded Girls Rock Chicago and led nature-based education programs in Maine.
Betsy Farrell-Messenger has 25 years of experience as a classroom teacher, advisor, STEM instructor, environmental educator, and humane educator. She holds an M.S. in Education from the College of Saint Rose and a graduate certificate in Humane Education from Valparaiso University. Betsy develops curriculum for The Institute for Humane Education and leads the Solutionary Micro-Credential Program.
Session: Student Voice Isn’t Enough: Moving from Voice to Power ~ Students often have choice—and sometimes voice—but rarely the opportunity to exercise real power. This interactive workshop explores the difference between traditional project-based learning and student-led civic action, where learners take ownership of the action itself to create real, meaningful change in their schools and communities. Participants will examine real examples of solutionary projects, engage with the 5 Types of Action Wheel, and explore tools that help students develop solutions that do the most good and least harm. Together, we’ll explore how shifting ownership builds agency, optimism, and real-world skills. Participants will leave with practical strategies and resources to implement immediately.
David Brown ~ David Brown is a founding principal, school designer, and former secondary school principal with over 15 years of experience across charter, public, and alternative education settings. He is currently leading the design of PROUD Academy, a belonging-centered, competency-based middle school model grounded in student agency, rigorous academics, and civic leadership. His work focuses on building coherent school systems where personalized learning, restorative practices, and academic excellence operate together—not in tension
Session: Rebuilding Coherence: Designing Schools Where Belonging, Agency, and Rigor Align ~ Many learner-centered models prioritize freedom but struggle with rigor, while traditional systems emphasize rigor at the expense of belonging and agency. This interactive session explores how to design coherent school systems where these elements work together. Participants will engage in a structured design exercise, analyze real examples from a new school model, and reflect on misalignments in their own settings. The session blends brief framing, peer discussion, and hands-on application. Participants will leave with a practical framework for aligning structures like advisory, personalized learning time, and academic blocks to support both student agency and strong outcomes.
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
Jerry Mintz ~Jerry Mintz has been a leading voice in the alternative school movement since establishing AERO in 1989. In addition to his seventeen years as a public and independent alternative school principal and teacher, he has also helped found more many public and private alternative schools and organizations. He has lectured and consulted in more than twenty-five countries around the world.
In 1989, he founded the Alternative Education Resource Organization and since then has served as it’s Director. Jerry was also a founding member of the International Democratic Education Conference (IDEC) in 2013. He has spoken at the International Democratic Education Conference in locations including Hadera, Israel, Vienna, Austria, Devon, England, Summerhill School, England, Vinnitsa, Ukraine, Tokyo, Japan, Christchurch, New Zealand, Sydney, Australia, Berlin, Germany, Bhubanashwar, India, Vancouver, Canada, Nuestra Escuela, Puerto Rico, Boulder, Colorado, Gwangmyeong, Korea, Mikkeli, Finland, and Kiev, Ukraine.
He has also been widely published in various magazines and publications, and has spoken at many other events around the world.
Session: So You Want to Start an Educational Alternative? Here's how ~ Learn tips to start and sustain your own educational alternative. Jerry will be sharing his knowledge from helping to start many educational alternatives across the globe and the latest ideas from the AERO schools starter course.
June 13th Sessions
Session 2 -
Julian Vitaglione ~ A musician, French-American male who was born in Philadelphia Pa in the year 1992. Julian Vitaglione is priviledged to be currently earning his teaching credentials at Penn State University with a focus on French and Francophone studies and a minor in both philosophy and Italian studies. His interests are : Music, hiking, traveling, working cool jobs, volunteering, socializing and reading. He is a board member of the school of living and has had the pleasure of attending the AERO conference twice thus far.
Session: College Success for an Adult Self-Directed Learner ~ Strategies that have worked well for me to retain my classes' curriculum and learn to play the game at school and with my teachers to earn As and scholarships. I have conquered many fears and obstacles to arrive at the junction where I am now seeking graduate school, and I have earned a degree from a 4-year institution without losing track of my self-directed learning skills along the way. The presentation will include a video and a written essay, with a Q&A on the learning strategies people think work best for them.
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
Peter Berg, Ed.D. ~ Peter helps with the running of AERO, where he wears many hats. He spent many years as a teacher and educational leader in public schools and various alternative settings, including democratic schools.
He has consulted on many school and organizational startups and advocates for youth to be the creators and drivers of their learning. He works with teens and young adults as a mental health counselor, and is an adjunct instructor at Southern New Hampshire University in the Doctor of Educational Leadership program.
The author of the The Tao of Teenagers: A Guide to Teen Health, Happiness & Empowerment, his work includes helping teenagers empower themselves so they can take charge of their health and happiness and be the masters of their own lives.
He holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership and has written extensively on alternative, holistic, democratic process, integrated educational theory and integrated health.
Session: How Democratic Process & Shared Power in Education is Crucial for Mental Health & Sustainability ~ Join this discussion on how democratic process and shared power in education impacts mental health and what we can do to practice and promote it.
bottom of page