The relevance of rhizomatic learning as a research problem is associated with the increasing role of the postmodernism philosophy. The philosophy of postmodernism, responding to the spirit of the modern era, leaves its imprint on many processes taking place in modern society, including the transformation in the sphere of education. To vividly present the impact of post-modernistic ideas on the formation and development of the rhizomatic model of education, the authors discuss the goals and content of education in alternative schools in the American and Russian schools.The purpose of the paper is to identify the role and prospects for the development of rhizomatic education in schools in the United States and Russia. The leading approach in this work is a comparative analysis of education systems of the two countries. Rhizomatic learning, in our understanding, is the creation of a polymorphic educational environment based on the principle of network learning, which includes a constant construction, a plurality of interaction subjects, which is characterized by a non-structural and non-linear way of organizing the educational space. The rhizomatic model of learning set a certain coordinate system which began to trace the following characteristics of postmodern education: a multivariate style of learning; multiplicity of choice, connectivity and heterogeneity of parts as a whole; cartography; environment becoming cultural; decentralization of learning; anti-binarism or rejection of binary. The authors’ analysis of rhizomatic education in alternative schools in the United States allows us to consider rhizomatic education in Russian schools, its current state and prospects.

rhizomatic learning, postmodernism, education, alternative schools