Make a one-time contribution to the Harmony-Meier Initiative
HMI - is a partnership of these three entities
Harmony School and Education Center
A thriving Bloomington, IN community school committed to the practices of democratic education for over 40 years.
Deborah Meier Archive at Lilly Library
Home for her legendary work incorporating social justice, equity, and democracy into American education.
IU School of Education INSPIRE Living-Learing Center
Residence community for undergraduate Indiana University students interested in democratic education.
Harmony-Meier Initiative for Democracy & Equity in Education at Indiana University
co-directed by Steve "Roc" Bonchek and James Damico
We live in perilous times for many pre-K-12th grade teachers in Indiana and throughout the US. It is especially hazardous for public school teachers who have been the target of market-driven reforms – such as voucher plans, expansion of charter schools, abolition of job security, teacher evaluation tied tightly to student test scores, etc. The endgame is nothing short of the privatization of public education.
The Harmony-Meier Initiative for Democracy and Equity in Education (HMI) was created to challenge these forces and to give voice to the ideals and ideas of progressive education where the values of democratic teaching and equitable learning opportunities are championed.
Annual Symposium
HMI hosts an annual symposium and related events (e.g., interactive presentations, workshops, etc.) about a core educational challenge.
- In 2015, it was LGBTQ issues for teachers and students in Indiana classrooms.
- In 2016, centered on: What does democracy look like in our schools,classrooms, and community?: Where have we been? Where are we?Where do we want/need to go?
- In 2017, it will center on Public Conversations on Public Education. This year's symposium is combined with an IU event on "What is public education?" and a celebration of the late Dr. Ellen Brantliger's work on equity.
HMI Teacher Program
Our goal is to fund and launch HMI Teacher Program to create and sustain a coalition of educatorscommitted to enacting democracy and equity in education in the classroom and beyond.
The HMI Teacher Program would recruit a small group of teachers (in Indiana to start)committed to the principles and practices of democracy and equity in education. Programto be modeled after the highly successful IU School of Education Armstrong Teacher Program.
Teachers would participate in summer workshops and key events and experiences in Harmony School and the School of Education across two school years.