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The ideas behind self-directed education and the evidence that it works have been with us for decades, but only recently has there been notable acceleration in the number of families choosing self-directed education for their young people. There are good reasons to believe that this acceleration will continue at an even faster pace. Here are four reasons:
1. Increased toxicity of “standard” (imposed) schooling
Evidence has long been mounting that our standard schools are failing. Instead of seeing this as reason for radical change, the schooling bureaucracy has responded by doing ever more of what hasn’t worked. Drill and homework have increased dramatically and begin at ever younger ages—in kindergarten and even pre-kindergarten. The school year and school day have expanded. Recesses have been reduced or eliminated. Young people have ever less time for play and other self-chosen activities.
The results are record levels of burnout, anxiety, depression, and even suicide among school-aged young people. Increasingly, parents are seeing these harmful effects and removing their children from standard schooling for something else. Often that something else is homeschooling, which can evolve into unschooling, or enrollment in a school designed for self-directed education. The choice of self-directed education has also become increasingly frequent among Black families, whose young people have often been discriminated against in standard schools, as part of a broader liberation and self-assertion movement.
2. Increased evidence that self-directed education works
As more families choose self-directed education, other families have more opportunities to see that it works. It no longer seems like such an unusual thing to do. People can see examples of young people at all stages of self-directed education, happy and doing well, and see examples of adults who grew up with self-directed education doing very well in higher education or careers. An increasing number of systematic, published research studies have documented the life success of adults who grew up with self-directed education. All this evidence makes the self-directed education option more attractive than it was when less was known about its success
3. Increased ease of pursuing self-directed education
Modern technology makes self-directed education easier than ever before. Through the Internet, self-directed learners can find articles, videos, discussion groups, and even online courses pertaining to almost any subject that might interest them. They can converse with and learn from experts and novices alike, from around the world.
The rise in the number of families pursuing self-directed education also makes it easier. As more families follow this route, the ability of self-directed education families to join with others for shared activities or even to create learning centers, where children can pursue their interests in the company of many other children, increases.
Also, as more people choose self-directed education and the route becomes less unusual, the fear of stigma for opting out of traditional schooling declines.”
4. Fit of self-directed education with the modern economy
Robots and search engines have replaced the need for people to do routine, tedious tasks or to memorize and regurgitate lots of information. The economy needs people who think critically and creatively, innovate, learn on the job (in self-directed ways), bounce back from failure, and bring a passionate sense of purpose to the workplace. These are skills continuously honed by self-directed education but sorely lacking in traditional schools. Research shows that a high percentage of adults who grew up with self-directed education are successful entrepreneurs and are generally passionate about the careers they have pursued.
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Peter Gray, Ph.D
Peter Gray, research professor at Boston College, is author of an internationally acclaimed introductory psychology textbook and research articles in neuroscience, psychology, anthropology, and education. Much of his research focuses on the role of play in children’s development. His book "Free to Learn," about children’s natural capacities for self-directed education, has appeared in 18 languages.
