Posted 2016-01-15 in Alt. Education

2016 Eastern US Tour for Self-Directed Education

by Scott Noelle
• Boston • Framingham/Dedham • NYC (Peter Gray) • NYC (Scott) • Philadelphia • Asheville • Charlotte • St. Petersburg

From January 26th through February 5th, I’ll be traveling to five eastern states and visiting at least seven private schools, learning centers, and homeschooling groups that support self-directed education (SDE).

The original purpose of this tour was for me to get a direct experience of the activities and facilities of several different learning communities where young people are in charge of their own education, including some based on a new model called Agile Learning Centers. I’ve since added several public events to meet up with parents who are interested or involved with SDE already and talk with them about strategies for parenting self-directed learners.

This trip is connected to my volunteer work with a group of SDE advocates led by Peter Gray, author of Free to Learn, who will be traveling with me for part of the tour. In addition to meeting the staff and observing the activities of self-directed learners at these places, I’m going to meet with as many of their parents as I can, to gain a better understanding of the needs and challenges of the parents.

Tour Itinerary

This is a work in progress (likely to be updated several times). If you live near one of these cities and are involved or interested in SDE (which includes self-directed homeschooling, or “unschooling”), check the itinerary to see if there is a public event that you can attend. And send an email to This Email Address if you want to be notified when public event details are added. (Be sure to say which city you are closest to.)

Note: All of my public events are free of charge, but some may require registration or RSVP.

  • Tue, Jan 26: Boston. Public Event From 7:00–8:45pm, in West Roxbury, I will lead a workshop/discussion/Q&A called How To Empower Your Whole Family (Not Just the Kids) with Self-Directed Education. For the Q&A portion I’ll be joined by Pat Farenga who is also a member of the aforementioned SDE advocacy group. Complete details available on Facebook or Eventbrite.
  • Wed, Jan 27: Framingham & Dedham. During the day I’ll be visiting the Macomber Center (not open to public).
    Public Event From 7:00–9:00pm I’ll be facilitating a discussion with parents at the Bay State Learning Center in Dedham. This will be similar to the previous day’s event but focused on serving parents of students enrolled at BSLC, as well as parents who are considering enrolling their kids at BSLC. (But if you miss Tuesday’s event, feel free to attend this one.) Complete details here.
  • Thu, Jan 28: New York. Public Event At 6:30pm, Peter Gray will give a public presentation called Education Evolved at the headquarters of Spotify, in Manhattan, sponsored by Agile Learning Center. This is a limited capacity event, so get tickets ASAP. I’ll be there and would love to meet any Daily Groove subscribers in attendance.
  • Fri, Jan 29: New York. During the day, Peter and I will be visiting the Agile Learning Center in NYC (not open to public). At the end of the day, Peter will fly to Charlotte, NC, and on Saturday he will present “Education Evolved” at ALC Mosaic.
  • Fri, Jan 29: New York. Public Event The Art of Parenting Self-Directed Learners — a gathering of NYC-area Daily Groovers and parents interested in self-directed education. The gathering will begin informally at 5:30pm, followed by a group discussion from 6:00–7:30pm. Location: Agile Learning Center, 115 East 106th Street, 2nd Floor. Event Page on Facebook
  • Sat, Jan 30: Philadelphia. I’ll be visiting three learning centers: Open Connections, Natural Creativity Center, and the Philly Free School.
    Public Event Parents of self-directed learners are invited to a 1:30pm gathering at Natural Creativity Center (6001 Germantown Avenue) where I will lead a discussion and answer questions about the art of parenting self-directed learners. See official announcement.
  • I’ll be passing through Washington DC briefly before hopping on a plane to North Carolina, but I won’t have much time for anything but sleeping and visiting some relatives.
  • Sun, Jan 31: Asheville. Public Event From 5:00–7:00pm, at Westwood Cohousing (43 Vermont Court), I’ll facilitate a workshop and discussion called Turn Your Home Into an Educational Empowerment Zone. Details and RSVP here.
  • Mon, Feb 1: I’ll still be in Asheville but won’t have any public events.
  • Tue, Feb 2: Charlotte. I’ll be spending the day at ALC Mosaic and offering a workshop at 4pm, at Mosaic’s “Roots” campus. The workshop is for members of the school, but contact me if you want to get an invite.
  • Wed/Thu, Feb 3-4: St. Petersburg (Florida). TWO Public Events Phillipe Park (Wed) and a “Family Night” gathering (Thu).
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