"Homeschooling," "deschooling," and "unschooling" are commonly used terms in the alternative-education world, but each lacks specificity. In this article, the author describes what he discovered during several visits to North Star. Known officially as North Star: Self-Directed Learning for Teens, it is not as…

A comparison of Kozol's Free Schools with Arnold's Culture and Anarchy. (SP)

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 social and political forces giving rise to the nontraditional education movement are identified, and inherent tensions in three types (credit-bearing, free form, and personal empowerment) are outlined. Conflicts between theory and practice in these three forms are discussed. (SK)

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.…

After a 4-month chaotic period, the development of a crude curriculum, which became the focal point of this school and the activity of its members, is noted as the beginning of the social order of the school. (HMD)

Reports on a study of the graduates of the Sudbury Valley School, a primary and secondary school that has no learning requirements but supports students' self-directed activities. The majority of graduates went on to good colleges and good jobs. Although this could reflect their middle-class backgrounds, their futures were clearly not harmed by…

Considers the liabilities imposed by the acceptance of a political orientation toward the concept of the free school or the open classroom. This orientation results when a notion of freedom taken from political theory is applied to education without careful consideration of the relevant differences between political and educational activity.…

This bibliography is divided into eight subsections. The first section lists articles on community schools and schools without walls. The second encompasses the effects of alternative education. Student attitudes, academic achievement, and parental reaction are some of the variables assessed in the articles in this section. The third section is on…

This study investigated the extent to which an environment based on interpersonal sensitivity, individual freedom, and abolition of sex roles influenced patterns of interaction in a small group. Two hypotheses were developed: (1) free schools maintain a definite normative and value system that influences group process among small groups of its…

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…

An alternative schools "explosion" is currently producing a large number of diverse educational choices for parents and students. Alternative schools, or those schools that offer all students a distinctive choice of educational programs, can be classified by philosophy, curriculum, or governance. This report defines, explains, and…

The school described here operates on the principle that play for the sake of play, without unsolicited adult intervention, entails the acquisition of skills and knowledge. Sudbury Valley School promotes cultural acquisition in a manner harmonious with the child's biological self-education system, without age segregation, grading, or academic…

Mary Leue started the Free School, an independent, alternative elementary school in inner-city Albany (New York), based on open democratic education dedicated to the authentic lives of children. Other accomplishments include a community-investment organization, a magazine of alternative education, a magazine for empowering families, and a…