Guide to the Exploring Family School Records
Finding Aid Authors: Scott W. Woods.
© Copyright 2007 Special Collections & University Archives. All rights reserved.
2007-12-06
5500 Campanile Dr. MC 8050
San Diego, CA, 92182-8050
URL: http://library.sdsu.edu/scua
Email: scref@rohan.sdsu.edu
Phone: 619-594-6791
Guide to the Exploring Family School Records
1969/1983
Special Collections & University Archives
Overview of the Collection
Collection Title: Exploring Family School Records
Dates: 1969-1983
Identification: MS-0107
Creator:
Exploring Family School
Physical Description: 5.00 linear ft
Language of Materials:
English
Repository:
Special Collections & University Archives
5500 Campanile Dr. MC 8050
San Diego, CA, 92182-8050
URL: http://library.sdsu.edu/scua
Email: scref@rohan.sdsu.edu
Phone: 619-594-6791
Historical Note:
Founded by parents dissatisfied with the public school system, the Exploring Family School (EFS) was San Diego's first institution
for alternative education. EFS ran from 1969-1983 and provided a K-12 education. The school was founded under the assumption
that structure is detrimental to the learning experience. Students were not graded, and were not exposed to competition within
the classroom. Instead, teachers developed a more interactive approach with both parents and students, flexible enough to
foster the child's emotional, academic and social needs.
Courses were structured around each student's individual interests, ranging from creative writing, biology, statistics, poetry,
painting, politics, architectural design, music, photography, and Chicano studies. The diverse ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic
backgrounds of the students allowed for a flexible curriculum centered around personal experience.
Upon Exploring Family School's founding, there were thirty students ranging from age five to sixteen. The faculty consisted
of three teachers, an administrative coordinator, a curriculum coordinator, and regular educational volunteers. As the staff
grew, EFS adopted a full time coordinator, basic skills teacher, and program advisor. The school was financially supported
by tuition ($65/month), donations, and scholarship assistance. Students were not turned away if they were unable to pay the
tuition. Instead, they would develop a payment plan that would fit his or her family's financial situation.
While EFC was considered to be a "free" school, there was a great amount of careful consideration about the student population.
The school wanted a diverse ethnic and socioeconomic population; one third of the students were the children of professors
and lawyers, one third were children of people on welfare, and one third were the children of blue collar workers.
Exploring Family School ceased operation in 1983.
Access Terms
This collection is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.
Genre/Form of Material:
Organizational Records
Publications
Geographic Name:
San Diego (Calif.) -- Intellectual life -- Sources
Topical Term:
Exploring Family School (San Diego, Calif.) -- Archives
Exploring Family School (San Diego, Calif.) -- History -- Sources
Free schools -- California -- San Diego -- History -- 20th century -- Sources
San Diego (Calif.) -- Social life and customs -- Sources
Administrative Information
Conditions Governing Use:
The copyright interests in some of these materials have been transferred to or belong to San Diego State University. The nature
of historical archival and manuscript collections means that copyright status may be difficult or even impossible to determine.
Copyright resides with the creators of materials contained in the collection or their heirs. Requests for permission to publish
must be submitted to the Head of Special Collections, San Diego State University, Library and Information Access. When granted,
permission is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical item and is not intended to include or imply
permission of the copyright holder(s), which must also be obtained in order to publish. Materials from our collections are
made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the
materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials.
Conditions Governing Access:
This collection is open for research.
Preferred Citation:
Identification of item, folder title, box number, Exploring Family School Records, Special Collections and University Archives,
Library and Information Access, San Diego State University.
Related Materials:
Campus Lab School Records
Arrangement of Materials:
I. Board and Committee Minutes
II. Staff Notes and Yearbooks
III. Publications and Information
IV. Underground and Radical Ephemera
Scope and Contents
The Exploring Family School collection documents the founding, curriculum, and thirteen year operation of Exploring Family
School (EFS). It consists of board minutes, executive files, newsletters, budget reports, staff notes, and curricula pertaining
to the operation of the school. The collection also includes correspondence with other free schools and some countercultural
ephemera. The collection is organized into four series: Board and Committee Minutes, Staff Notes and Yearbooks, Publications
and Information, and Underground Radical Ephemera.
The Board and Committee Minutes series (1969-1979) documents the school's curriculum and budget. This includes correspondence
from both students and parents concerning the maintenance, faculty, and personnel in the institution. It includes an incomplete
series of EFS newsletters, ranging from volume one to five, and a file titled "one of a kind archive materials," which provides
a detailed description of school curriculum and the Summer Awareness Program. The majority of material ranges from the mid
to late 1970's. It is arranged alphabetically.
The Staff Notes and Yearbooks series (1973-1983) includes handwritten notes by faculty and EFS yearbooks from the late 70's
to early 80's. This series includes information about term planning, class schedules, strength and weakness reports, and budgetary
reports. The yearbooks contain student photos and a statement of purpose from the school administrators. Highlights of the
series show creative student work, poems, cartoons, and political commentary. Also included are fliers providing insight into
the political implications of EFS. This series is arranged chronologically.
The majority of the Publications and Information series (1970-1974) includes newsletters and articles from other alternative
schools. Most of these publications provide information about the current condition of the public school system, and alternative
approaches to education. Highlights include articles about developing an alternative curriculum, correspondence from the Free
University Movement, and alternative education ephemera.
The fourth and final series, Underground and Radical Ephemera (1974-1977), includes publications with similar ideologies to
those of EFS. This includes publications form San Diego State University, The San Francisco Express, and socialist, communist,
and antiwar organizations. Noteworthy documents include socialist fliers and literature, newsletters providing EFS's position
on the Vietnam War, implications about ending the war, and environmentalist literature.
Detailed List of Contents
Board and Committee Minutes
Box 1, Folder 1
Board minutes
November 30, 1970
Box 1, Folder 2
Board minutes
June 1972 - July 1973
Box 1, Folder 3
Board minutes
August 1973 - November 1974
Box 1, Folder 4
Board minutes
January 1975 - January 1976
Box 1, Folder 5
Board minutes
February 1976 - July 1976
Box 1, Folder 6
Board minutes
August 1976 - December 1976
Box 1, Folder 7
Board minutes
January 1977 - December 1977
Box 1, Folder 8
Board minutes
January 1978 - April 1978
Box 1, Folder 9
Board minutes
May 1978 - February 1979
Box 1, Folder 10
Executive Committee Meetings
1976, 1977, 1978
Box 1, Folder 11
Maintenance, Personnel, Finance, Fundraiser, Admissions Committee minutes
1976, 1977, 1978
Box 1, Folder 12
Curriculum Committee minutes
1976, 1977, 1978
Box 1, Folder 13
Board, Personnel, Finance, Executive Committee minutes
1978
Box 1, Folder 14
General Information Bylaws, curriculum, student/teacher contracts, Alternative education bibliography, evaluation forms
1974
Box 1, Folder 15
Miscellaneous, including volunteer program, graduation policy
Box 1, Folder 16
Operating/California Department of Education, Textbook distribution
Box 1, Folder 17
Private school affidavits/ Operation documents state department fo education
1973 - 79
Box 1, Folder 18
Finances/ school risk accident policy
Box 1, Folder 19
Agreement of use-Unitarian Church
September 15, 1969
Box 1, Folder 20
Communications from parents
1975, 1976, 1977
Box 1, Folder 21
Miscellaneous correspondence, including letters of resignation
Box 1, Folder 22
Letters from Valerie Marino Re: Open Roads New Jobs program
Box 1, Folder 23
"Communications with Dawn" Including criticism
1975 - 76
Box 1, Folder 24
"Communications with students" Including criticism
Box 1, Folder 25
Newsletter Volume 1, Issues 1 - Volume 5, Issue 4 (incomplete)
Box 1, Folder 26
File labeled "Misc."
Scope and Contents
Includes curriculum handbook 1973, articles on Alternative education, Alternative Education Bibliography, Budget documents,
description of school, history of school, student contract evaluations.
Box 1, Folder 27
Documents filed as "Misc."
Scope and Contents
Includes brochures, miscellaneous newsletters, poetry publication.
Box 1, Folder 28
Documents field as "one of a kind archive materials"
Scope and Contents
Includes 1980 - 81 fund raising handbook, various Exploring Family School publications, early reference to the free school.
Staff Notes and Yearbooks
Box 1, Folder 29
Staff notes
1973 - 1974; 1974 - 1975
Box 1, Folder 30
Staff notes/Core staff minutes
1976
Box 1, Folder 31
Staff notes/Core staff minutes
1977 - January 1979
Box 1, Folder 32
Term Planning
1973 - 1974; 1974 - 1975
Box 1, Folder 33
Term Planning; class surveys
1974 - 1975; 1975 - 1976
Box 1, Folder 34
Term Planning; class signups
1974 - 1975; 1975 - 1976
Box 1, Folder 35
Term Planning Including class schedules; Staff schedules
1973-74; 1974-75; 1975-76; 1976-1977
Box 2, Folder 1
Coordinator reports
1975 - 78
Box 2, Folder 2
Strengths and weaknesses, suggestions for improvement
1977 - 79
Box 2, Folder 3
Fall Planning year planning
1973-74; 1974-75; 1975-76; 1976-77
Box 2, Folder 4
Staff notes
1975-76; 1976-77; 1977-78; 1978-79
Box 2, Folder 6
Notebook
January 1972 - August 1973
Box 2, Folder 7
Summer awareness session
1973
Box 2, Folder 8
Exploring Family School Youth Enrichment Summer
Box 2, Folder 9
Class schedules
1973 - 74
Box 2, Folder 13
Notebook
September 1973 - March 1974
Box 2, Folder 14
Notebook
April 1974 - August 1974
Box 2, Folder 16
Notebook
September 1974 - March 1975
Box 2, Folder 17
Year Notebook
1974-75; April 1975 - July 1975
Box 2, Folder 18
Year Notebook
1975 - 76 First half
Box 2, Folder 19
Year Notebook
1975 - 76 Second half
Box 2, Folder 23
Year Notebook
1977 - 78; September 1977 - December 1977
Box 2, Folder 24
Year Notebook
1977 - 78; January 1978 - July 1978
Box 2, Folder 25
Year Notebook
1978-79; 1979-80
Box 2, Folder 27
Year Notebook
1981-82 Fall, Spring, Summer
Publications and Information
Box 3, Folder 2
Chautauqua Learning Center Documents
1972
Box 3, Folder 3
Door article "Free School"
Box 3, Folder 4
"Alternatives to public schools"
Box 3, Folder 5
Southern California Conference on Alternative Education
November 7-9 1975
Box 3, Folder 6
Yellow Pages of Learning Resources
1972
Box 3, Folder 9
Edcentric Newsletters, incomplete
1970 - 71
Box 3, Folder 10
Various Alternative schools newsletters: Minnesota leader, Prisma, Holyoke Street School, Changing Schools, Notes from Nethers,
Fort Wayne Folk School, Centerpeace, No More Teachers' Dirty Looks, The Teacher Paper.
Box 3, Folder 11
New Schools Exchange documents
Box 3, Folder 12
Ford Foundation Report on Alternative Schools
Box 3, Folder 13
Articles on Alternative Education
Box 3, Folder 14
Education Exploration Centers Newsletters
Box 3, Folder 15
Tamarack Learning Cooperative
Box 3, Folder 16
Information on various Alternative Schools
Box 3, Folder 17
Alternative Education Movement
Box 3, Folder 18
Symbas-Project One, San Francisco, California
Box 3, Folder 22
New College of California at Sausalito
Box 3, Folder 23
Santa Barbara Community School
Box 3, Folder 25
A Student Centered College
Box 3, Folder 30
International Community College
Box 3, Folder 34
Draft report of Joint Committee on the Master Plan for Higher Education
February 1973
Box 3, Folder 36
Statements to Joint committee
Box 3, Folder 37
Comprehensive Plan for Higher Education
Box 3, Folder 38
Basic Legal issues in New York State on Teacher Certification
Box 3, Folder 39
Education Vouchers: a report on financing
Box 3, Folder 40
New College upper division seminar proposals
Box 3, Folder 41
The Journal of the Campus Free College
Box 3, Folder 43
Association for World Education (AWCU)
Box 3, Folder 44
The University in America (Clark Kerr, et.al.)
Box 3, Folder 45
Structure of governance, San Diego State University
Box 3, Folder 46
Workshop working papers, 22nd National Student Congress
Box 3, Folder 47
Radical Student Newsletters
Box 3, Folder 48
"The Free University Movement"
Box 3, Folder 49
Various Pamphlets and periodicals on Free College Movement
Box 3, Folder 50
Physiognomy: Volume 1, number xii
Box 3, Folder 51
Schools: Volume 4, number 4; Volume 5, number 1
Box 3, Folder 52
New Schools Exchange Newsletter Issues 29-54, incomplete
Box 3, Folder 53
New Schools Exchange Newsletter Excess copies.
Box 4, Folder 1
Summer West Coast Conference on Alternative Education
July 17-18 1975
Scope and Contents
Includes information on Bay Area Schools
Box 4, Folder 2
Newspaper Clippings on Education
Box 4, Folder 3
Newspaper Clippings on Education
Box 4, Folder 4
Newspaper Clippings on Education
Box 4, Folder 6
Disorientation: notes from the underground University of California Berkley radical education publication
Box 4, Folder 8
Alternative Education Newsletters, including Changes, Prisma, EEC Journal
Box 4, Folder 9
Alternative Education Ephemera
Underground and Radical Ephemera
Box 4, Folder 12
The Daily Aztec clippings
Box 4, Folder 13
Bay Area Institute; Concerned Asian Scholars
Box 4, Folder 14
Supplement to Sun Reporter
Box 4, Folder 15
National Strike Center Demands
Box 4, Folder 16
National Strike Information Center
Box 4, Folder 17
Re: Cambodia, San Diego State University
May 1970
Box 4, Folder 19
San Diego State University Radical Ephemera
Box 4, Folder 20
Radical/Socialist Ephemera
Box 4, Folder 22
San Diego Radical Ephemera
Box 4, Folder 30
San Francisco Express Times
