Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom [Paperback]

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, Unschooledalso 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.

“Kerry McDonald is leagues ahead of the rest of the education reform community. This book demonstrates why. McDonald’s robust evidence of high-quality education without schooling forces us to consider something that makes everyone feel very uncomfortable: our system of compulsory schooling may do more harm than good.”—Corey DeAngelis, author ofDoing More with LessandThe School Choice Voucher

"This book is a reassuring read that not only delves into the history of unschooling, but also practical advice on how it can be implemented.” —Book Riot

“Kerry McDonald’s Unschooled is a remarkable overview of the growing grassroots movement away from institutionalized education and toward self-directed learning in our homes and commulC‹