school serves the system, not the students.
Traditional school does learners a disservice when it only expects them to memorize certain information or demonstrate “basic skills.” There’s a common overemphasis on standardization, which only serves to limit learners’ curiosity and is inherently biased toward learners who can excel within Eurocentric Capitalist norms.
That bias then reinforces existing inequities by ensuring that the same groups of learners— predominantly Black and brown students— aren’t given the same opportunity to demonstrate their excellence, or to share their incredible wisdom, resourcefulness, and creativity merely because their ways of thinking don’t adhere to standardized metrics.
To explain it another way, check out this video:
This system definitely gives certain types of learners an unfair advantage toward “success” in school... but the truth is, this approach to learning doesn’t ultimately benefit any of us.
In order for education to help transform the conditions of learners’ lives and the future of our planet, it needs to engage far beyond memorization and rudimentary skills.
We believe Learners should be encouraged to explore and understand themselves.
We believe education should help Learners to critically reflect on how what they are learning connects or intersects with their own lives.
We believe education should nurture radical imagination and curiosity, empowering Learners to draw connections between disciplines and find meaningful application for the knowledge they gain, both in the learning environment and in their life outside it.
We believe in cultivating curiosity and creativity alongside critical thinking, so that Learners are able to discern between various points of view, decide for themselves which ones align with their values, and forge unique perspectives rooted in their experiences, which may not yet be reflected in society.
We believe in education that fosters imagination and innovation, encouraging Learners to engage creatively about what more is possible in their communities and in the larger world.
We believe in learning environments that preserve and transmit democratic values.
We believe each learner already carries within themselves an innate wisdom, which will emerge naturally when cared for and nurtured.
We believe that we learn best through joyful play.
Traditional schooling, which often doesn’t have these principles at heart, works in service of other forces that do not have any of our best interests in mind. School sucks. Learning doesn't have to.
During the COVID pandemic, while LAUSD lost over half their student population and other continuation schools fared worse, our MVG classroom sustained 100% attendance and engagement. In the face of crisis, MVG Learners came together and showed their resilience and resourcefulness.
Supported by numerous community partners, Learners and their families quickly created a food-distribution network that brought needed supplies to disabled and elderly residents when the school district and housing authority both closed their locations, and MVG residents were left without adequate access to food.
Learners also designed an outdoor classroom, started their own businesses, and organized their own virtual learning environments using secure platforms, long before the district even had a plan for resuming learning.
The curiosity, creativity and critical-thinking skills Learners honed in the MVG classroom translated to ingenious innovation in a time of ongoing and escalating crisis, when no meaningful solutions were being offered by those in power. This is just one example that demonstrates how an alternative and holistic approach to education can make a vital and lasting difference in the lives of Learners and the communities they inhabit.
Within the field of education right now, we are being called to confront the myriad ways in which our current schooling system has been designed to privilege certain groups of learners over others; to meet the fundamental needs of some learners and not others; and to respond to the demands of a market-based economy rather than the wellbeing of communities. We need a paradigm shift that centers learners and responds to their needs, rather than prioritizing institutional goals and standardized benchmarks that dehumanize learners and educators alike.
Our planet is in crisis. All human beings are struggling within catastrophic conditions that we have brought upon ourselves. Those among us who have endured the most extreme forms of marginalization are demanding that we change how we operate so that there might be any hope for our collective survival.
This moment demands that we awaken to the reality that inequity is baked into many of the systems we take as given. We must work collectively to transform these systems and abolish the inhumane conditions in every sphere of society, but especially within education and socialization, so that we can co-create a sustainable and equitable future for everyone.
For over 25 years, our founders' philosophy and practice has centered learner autonomy and agency, inviting Learners to direct their education in ways that are meaningful to them. Whether in traditional schools, youth diversion programs, prisons, or alternative models, we believe in learners having the opportunity to co-create their education in well-resourced, loving, caring community environments. This has been the most effective strategy we have found for maximizing learner engagement and facilitating criticality.
If we are serious about wanting to make a difference in the world, and if we truly believe that education has a role to play in fostering democracy, justice, and equity, then we must agree to the following:
We will take seriously the demand to create the types of educational spaces that are truly committed to the wellbeing of the most vulnerable members of our community.
We cannot and will not allow powerful corporations or existing legislative mandates to dictate how we view young learners and how we interact with them and their families.
We will participate in co-creating a vision for a world in which everyone’s needs are met, where learning communities are designed with learners’ needs and interests in mind.
We will work to ensure that everyone feels like they are seen for all their creativity, curiosity, and brilliance, and can pursue their interests with the supportive guidance of elders and mentors who are committed to their success and to the wellbeing of everyone they encounter.
Learn more about our history here.
Learn more about How We Make it Work here.
Learn more about Why We Need Alternative Education here.
