National Public Radio Report featuring
The Maslow-Toffler School of Futuristic Education
(Recorded on April 10, 1979)
"I have been wanting to send this to you and the site for a while. I graduated from Sonderling, had friends at Maslow and worked at WXBA in the Ross building. When I got to college in Michigan I started working on the school station there and was exposed to NPR for the first time. At the time, they had a great show called Options in Education. I heard they were doing a series on alternative schools and I thought they just had to cover Maslow.
So I went back to Brentwood and interviewed teachers and students for this piece. I edited it as best I could at the time and submitted it. Well, they loved Maslow, the people, and the concept. They built their lead story around the school and my interviews.
I hope everyone enjoys listening to it. Wish I could have posted it sooner. If anyone has any questions they can look me up on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/peterjohnmarquez). Best to all!"
Peter Marquez
The introductory portion of this report includes segments of interviews given by Janet Stumpf (1979) referencing her brother John Stumpf, who was a first-year student (74-75). Next, her younger sister Mary Ellen (1980) is interviewed, and Debbie (Khosla) Frabasilio from the Class of 1976. The listener will notice the care with which students are trying to explain themselves by avoiding generalization or stereotyping critics of the school. Their awakened consciousness regarding the importance of language and the power of words to communicate is apparent in this excerpt. The segment also has an interview with co-founder John Sherin explaining the elements of the school. The program then proceeds to the Garfield School in Spokane, Washington and an elementary school called the Apple featuring an interview with its principal, a few teachers, a parent and several students. Options in Education concludes with the opinions of a high school principal from Illinois. Overall, it provides an interesting perspective on issues confronting public education in the United States in 1979 insofar as innovations, alternatives and reform agendas were concerned.