Harley Rothstein

April 14th, 2026

Author, historian and retired educator, Harley Rothstein has studied alternative education for half a century. His title, Alternative Schools in British Columbia 1960-1975: A Social and Cultural History (FriesenPress $30.99) tells of BC’s burgeoning alternative school movement by profiling ten schools—from downtown Vancouver to remote communities. Challenging then-dominant educational approaches, these schools went about it in different ways. A few flourished while others struggled, but collectively they helped reshape mainstream education. Rothstein examines the emergence of alternative schools with insights from more than 350 interviews he conducted with students, parents and teachers. Includes images from news articles of the day and traces the movement’s origins back to the late 18^th century. 9781039135574

Share on Facebook

Tweet