

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.
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In - Person Schedule
**All Times - Eastern Daylight Time**
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Friday 6/23
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9:00 am - 1:00 pm - Check In, Registration, Virtual Sessions, Networking,
Lunch, Vendors
1:00 pm - 1:30 pm - Opening & Welcome - All are welcome
1:35 pm - 2:50 pm - Workshops
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Leo J. Fahey - Toward an Intentional Mental Health Therapeutic Democratic Education
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Elmarie Hyman - Homeschool & Hybrid School Co-ops and Resource Centers as Part of the Education Revolution
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Jackie Scully - Dignity in Education for ALL!-Teachers and Students are the Leaders in Education Reform
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Maysaa Banza - Toward A Heart-Centered Education: Lessons from History
3:00 pm - 4:30 pm - Keynote - Kerry McDonald - How Everyday Entrepreneurs Are Transforming Education With Bottom-Up Solutions
4:30 pm - 7:00 pm - Virtual Sessions, Break, Dinner, Networking,
Popup Sessions, Vendors
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7:00 pm - 8:30 pm - Keynote - Katerina Botvinnik & Dasha Gorobets - How the Urkaine Democratic Education Community Survived During the War.
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8:30 pm - 10:00 pm - Networking
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Saturday 6/24
9:00 am - 10:25 am - Check In, Registration, Virtual Sessions, Networking,
Breakfast, Pop - Up Sessions, Vendors.
10:30 am - 11:45 am - Workshops
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Don Berg - Salvaging Standardization: How to Mass Produce the Right Stuff
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Gina Riley, Ph.D. - Unschooling Students with Disabilities
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Claire Evans - Reimagining Global Education for the Good of Humanity
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Alysha Hearn - Personalized Learning: How Online Learning Can Support Individualized Education
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11:45 am - 12:30 pm - Check In, Registration, Virtual Sessions, Networking,
Lunch, Pop - Up Sessions, Vendors.
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12:30 pm - 1:30 pm - Panel - VELA EDUCATION FUND
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1:45 pm - 3:00 pm - Workshops
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Kaity Broadbent - Creating Neuro-supportive Learning Environments and Relationships
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Carl Rust - Unschooling School - How to take control of your education
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Wendy Raver - Homeschooling High School NYC Style: One Example
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Zoë Deshmukh, Sulaf Hatab, Towa Mikami, Willa Sullivan - Pono From the Learners’ Perspectives
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3:15 pm - 4:30 pm - Keynote - Ken Danford - Education Savings Account: Revolutionary Funding for the Revolution!
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4:30 pm - 7:00 pm - Check In, Registration, Virtual Sessions, Networking,
Lunch, Pop-Up Sessions, Vendors.
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7:00 pm - 8:30 pm - Keynote - Peter Gray - The Education Revolution is Occurring Now and Here Are Ways to Speed It Up
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8:30 pm - 10:00 pm - Networking
Sunday 6/25
9:00 am - 10:15 am - Virtual Sessions, Networking,
Breakfast, Pop-Up Sessions, Vendors.
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10:30 am - 11:45 am - Workshops
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Steve Hornstein - Lessons from 50 years work in Democratizing Schools
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Monica Brase and Students -Students Educating the Educators: Student-Led Teacher Professional Development
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Jerry Mintz - How To Start an Educational Alternative
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Peter Gray - Practical Ways to Speed Up the Education Revolution
11:45 am - 1:00 pm - Break, Lunch, Networking, Virtual Sessions
Pop-Up Sessions, Vendors
1:00 pm - 2:15 pm - Workshops
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Julian Vitaglione - An Improvised Life - How i taught myself Everything
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Teen Presenters - Having a Voice in Our Community: A Youth Participatory Action Research Approach to Engage Teens in Community
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Kellie Rolstand - "That's Not Fair!" A Child's Guide to Self-Directed Social Justice Education
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Peter Berg - The Education Revolution & Youth Mental Health:
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2:30 pm - 3:30 pm - Closing & Evaluation - all are welcome
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Thank You For Being a Part of the Conference
& The Education Revolution
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