Freedom to Learn (FTL) is a statewide education program in
Michigan
Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...
helping schools create high performing, student-centered learning environments by providing each student and teacher with direct, consistent access to 21st century learning tools.
The program was started in 2002 when the
Michigan Legislature and governor dedicated state and federal (Title II, D) funds to a Demonstration Phase. Seeing the positive early results, the state expanded the program in 2004. Michigan has allocated over $30 million in federal and state funds to include over 23,000 students in 100 school districts and 191 buildings - primarily middle schools.
* Freedom to learn is also ''"the freedom of the learning generation."'' There was a great thinker,
Leo Tolstoy
Count Lev Nikolayevich TolstoyTolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; russian: link=no, Лев Николаевич Толстой,In Tolstoy's day, his name was written as in pre-refor ...
, and he wrote:
Primary goals of FTL
#Enhance student learning and achievement in core academic subjects with an emphasis on developing the knowledge and skills requisite to the establishment of a 21st-century workforce in Michigan.
#Provide greater access to equal educational opportunities statewide through ubiquitous access to technology.
#Foster effective use of the wireless technology through systematic professional development for teachers, administrators and staff.
#Empower parents and caregivers with the tools to become more involved in their child's education.
#Support innovative structural changes in participating schools and sharing of best practices among Program participants.
FTL offers the training and resources necessary to transform schools—and it is doing just that. A rigorous and comprehensive evaluation is gauging the impact of the program to assemble lessons learned and best practices – early results are available on the Freedom to Learn website.
The goals of education in a free society
* The ability to function in a free, democratic society as full participants in community affairs; a society where every citizen, regardless of age, color, religion, or belief, shows full respect for everyone else, treating all people as equals in all matters.
* The ability to think creatively and meet new challenges as they come up.
* Child's development into a responsible adult in the community.
* To be flexible in their
he children'sthinking, to be confident in their ability to make decisions and above all to feel responsible for their own lives as well as for their own communities.
[Greenberg, H (1992)]
''To Thyself be True''
The Sudbury Valley School
The Sudbury Valley School was founded in 1968 by a community of people in Framingham, Massachusetts, United States. As of 2019, there are several schools that state that they are based on the Sudbury Model in the United States, Australia, Belgi ...
Experience. Retrieved February 8, 2010.
See also
*
Sudbury Model of democratic schools
References
External links
Freedom to Learn homepageHale to the Program
Students Taking Charge{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071227232715/http://www.thejournal.com/the/newsletters/thefocus/archives/?aid=18139 , date=2007-12-27
The Missing LinkSudbury Valley School homepage
Education in Michigan