Progressive Education Network (PEN) supports a network of educators to advance the practice of progressive education and cultivate equity and justice in public and private schools. PEN envisions progressive education that engages students as active participants in their learning and in society, deepens learning for students from diverse identities and backgrounds, welcomes families and communities as partners, supports teachers’ voice and growth as lifelong learners, and builds solidarity between progressive educators across public and private sectors. Their educational principles hold that education must amplify students’ voice, choice, and participation as learners and citizens; promote inclusion, equity, and justice; nurture the cultural, cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development of the child; respond to students’ innate curiosity by fostering inquiry, internal motivation, and the discovery of passion and purpose; honor the identities, experiences, goals, and needs of diverse constituents; and cultivate empathetic, collaborative, and critical relationships between all members of a learning community.
Why It Matters: Progressive Education Network creates essential infrastructure connecting educators committed to student-centered learning across the public-private divide, recognizing that advancing equity and justice in schools requires solidarity and shared practice rather than isolated efforts. By embracing contributions of educators and researchers of color to progressive history and pedagogy while responding to contemporary issues from a progressive educational perspective, PEN ensures the movement evolves beyond its historical roots to serve all learners. The network’s focus on advancing critical dialogue on the roles of schools in a democratic society addresses the fundamental question of what education is for—preparing active participants in democracy rather than passive recipients of information.
