Academics
/ Educators
Michael Apple -
http://www.soemadison.wisc.edu/eps/faculty/apple.asp
Michael is John Bascom Professor of Curriculum and Instruction
and Educational Policy Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
A former elementary and secondary school teacher and past
president of a teachers union, he has worked with educators,
unions, dissident groups, and governments throughout the
world in democratizing educational policy and practice.
He has written extensively on the relationship between education
and inequality. Among his many books are Ideology and
Curriculum, Education and Power, Teachers
and Texts, Official Knowledge, Democratic
Schools, Cultural Politics and Education, and
Power, Meaning, and Identity. He has been awarded
a Lifetime Achievement Award by the American Educational
Research Association and the UCLA Medal for Distinguished
Academic Achievement.
John
Balkcom -
John is a consultant to management and boards of for-profit
and not-for-profit organizations. Prior to his consulting,
John was the President at St. John's College in Santa Fe,
New Mexico. He also served as a member of the College's
Management Committee and on the board of trustees of Santa
Fe Pro Musica and Advisory Board of Santa Fe Chamber Music
Festival. John has a MBA from the Graduate School of Business,
University of Chicago, in finance and economics.
Scott Forbes, D.Phil -
http://www.holistic-education.net
Scott Forbes guides the development of the Holistic Elementary
Education Center, directs the Teacher Development Program
and heads Holistic Education Research Unit in Portland,
Oregon. Scott received his Doctorate from Oxford University.
His dissertation, entitled Holistic Education - An Analysis
of its Intellectual Precedents and Nature, is presently
being published. Previous to his doctoral work, Scott taught
for 20 years (10 as Principal) at the Brockwood Park Krishnamurti
Educational Center in England.
Alfie
Kohn -
http://www.alfiekohn.org
Kohn
was recently described by Time magazine as "perhaps
the country's most outspoken critic of education's fixation
on grades [and] test scores." His criticisms of competition
and rewards have helped to shape the thinking of educators
-- as well as parents and managers -- across the country
and abroad. Kohn has been featured on hundreds of TV and
radio programs, including The Today Show and Oprah. He has
recently been profiled in the Washington Post and the Los
Angeles Times, while his work has been described and debated
in many other leading publications. Alfie Kohn writes and
speaks widely on human behavior, education, and social theory.
His most recent of eight books is The Case Against Standardized
Testing: Raising the Scores, Ruining the Schools (2000).
Jerry Mintz -
http://www.educationrevolution.org
Jerry has been a leading voice in the alternative school
movement for over 30 years. In 1989 he founded the Alternative
Education Resource Organization which he continues to direct,
and is Editor of its networking magazine, The Education
Revolution. He has BA from Goddard College, and a Masters
in Teaching in the Social Sciences from Antioch New England
Graduate School.
Filmmakers
Dorothy Fadiman -
http://www.concentric.org
Dorothy is an accomplished documentary filmmaker, with seven
major films under her belt, an Academy Award nomination,
an Emmy, and multiple first prize awards at prestigious
international film festivals. Her documentaries and those
from her production company, Concentric Media, regularly
air on public television. Prior to her award-winning trilogy,
From the Back-Alley's to the Supreme Court & Beyond,
Dorothy made a name for herself in the education arena with
Why Do These Kids Love School? which featured nine
innovative schools.
Amy
Sommer -
http://www.pissantprod.com
Amy's most recent production credits include two Sundance
2002 premieres--Blue
Car (Miramax) and Teknolust
(Skouras Films) starring Tilda Swinton. She is currently
developing several projects, including the documentaries
Freedom's
Fury and Unprecedented:
the 2000 Presidential Election, in addition to several
feature projects. Her first feature documentary, Waco:The
Rules of Engagement, received an Oscar nomination in
1997. Ms. Sommer holds a B.A. in Psychology from Wellesly
College and an M.A. from Columbia University. She is a board
member of the ACLU of Southern California and The Pacific
High School.
