Critical pedagogues advocate a constructivist approach to learning emphasising the self-directed construction of knowledge from the learners' experiences while also expecting students to develop an explicit critique of the social order. However, the use of a constructivist approach for the pursuit of explicit ideological goals leaves educators…

Alternative schools are discussed and an annotated bibliography of literature for and about the topic is provided. (SJ)

Based on the author's book, Free Schools," this article is an analysis of free schools, its teachers and curriculum. (DR)

The author describes and gives his reaction to a free school in Corrales, New Mexico. The school here described is totally free", there are no restrictions or organized classes. The head of the school believes that children will never learn unless they want to learn. (MS)

The factors are, according to the author, financial ineptitude by the administration and the refusal of the teachers to accept responsibility. (SP)

Directories of free universities and publications produced by such organizations are provided in this brief bibliography. (SJ)

An updated directory of new and innovative schools in the U.S. and Canada lists over 700 schools at all educational levels. The schools are listed by states; information is given about the address, phone number, ages of students, date founded, tuition, ratio of students to teachers, and a phrase or two describes any special quality of the school.…

Two radical teachers set up a "free school" in Washington, D. C. to offer an alternative education to disaffected, rebellious, bored, middle-class high school students. Some of their ideas work, some of them didn't. Their story is told in this book from the separate perspectives of the two teachers. In their first-hand account of the school and…

In this guide to alternative education, the theory and practice of the "free school" movement is discussed from a pedagogical and political viewpoint. The current state of free schools is described and four major types of free schools are identified: Summerhillian, parent-teacher cooperative, free high schools, community elementary. The political…

This study reveals that John Dewey and his theory of education had an influence on the beginning of progressive education in Eretz Israel in the first and second decades of this century, even before it had influenced the kibbutz educational system--the communal way of life, and other schools in the Jewish labor movement in Israel. This influence…

Four teachers who founded a free school summarize their experience for the benefit of other groups who might want to do so. Topics covered include the economics of running a school, finding a building, deciding what grades to begin with, assembling a staff, administrative structure, working with a local public school, and establishing a…

Providing a directory of "new" ("free" or "alternative") schools in the United States, this publication begins with a discussion of the present educational system and what the alternative schools are trying to do about it. The criteria for inclusion in the listing, providing a glimpse of the shared philosophy of the schools, includes absence of…

This book surveys the philosophy, methodology, and mechanics of free schools, along with presenting detailed suggestions on how a free school might be organized and administered. The book primarily discusses lower schools but does provide a chapter of information about free schools at the high school level. The book has an artistic format with…

More than 150 schools that offer alternatives to traditional education in San Francisco and the Bay Area are listed in this 60-page catalog. Each entry lists the name, address, phone number and name of the director of each school. Many entries include a 20-200 word description of the school's philosophy, cost, student teacher ratio, total…