Since 1936, this Phoenixville (Pennsylvania) school, summer day camp, and day care center for children aged 2-7 has implemented the philosophy that children learn best through play, in a nurturing environment where loving people attend to their physical and emotional needs and their intellectual and artistic growth. Contains a resource list of…

Jiddu Krishnamurti created a worldwide network of schools with no method of education. He felt that a particular system hinders intelligent thinking. The attitudes and relationship of the teacher and child are more important. Education should cultivate the whole mind, not just the intellectual aspects, and help students develop a foundation for…

Public education focuses on the lowest common denominator; cannot meet individual student needs; teaches competition; teaches children to learn for praise, not for the sake of learning; and has a 40 percent failure rate. These factors lead many to choose home schooling, but approaches to home schooling are so varied that a common definition of…

Proposes the establishment of a Buddhist temple that would unite Zen practice and alternative education through the teaching of the six paramitas: giving, ethical discipline, patience, effort, meditation, and wisdom. Children and adults would work together on social action projects, responsible use of material resources, noncoercive teaching and…

Experiences with alternative community schools have led the authors to conclude that education should be experiential and involve service learning and outdoor education. In the programs described here, students, families, and community members are involved in planning and implementing courses that include internships and develop strong…