Brooklyn Free School
Brooklyn Free School | |
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democratic free school | |
Motto | “Where children are free to be themselves” |
Established | 2004 |
Founder | Alan Berger |
NCES School ID | A0701595[1] |
Director | Noleca Radway |
Faculty | 8 (2014) |
Grades | Ungraded (ages 4 to 18) |
Enrollment | 80 (2015) |
Campus type | Urban |
Affiliation | Nonsectarian |
Website | brooklynfreeschool |
The Brooklyn Free School is a private,
The school was the first free school in New York City since 1975. It started in a rented portion of a
History
The Brooklyn Free School was founded in 2004 in
Program
We're trying to nurture kids to stay themselves ... That's what they need to bring to the world, to live a successful, individually happy life.
Alan Berger, Brooklyn Free School founder and principal, 2012[2]
The school operates under a "noncoercive" philosophy where students are encouraged to develop their own interests and where all learning is self-directed.[2] As such, Brooklyn Free School has no grades, no tests, and no compulsory classes or homework. Students are free to pursue the activities of their interest, such as reading alone or taking a class.[2] Students are free to leave classes as they please.[2] Classes have included philosophy seminars, cheese-tasting, book discussions, business, astrology, psychology, videography, and Tibet.[4] Some classes are taught by volunteers.[2] By law, students are required to attend for 5.5 hours a day.[3] Principal Alan Berger contends that the school provides an education better adapted for the Internet era, as one more original, enterprising, and adaptive in the face of a changing economy.[4]
The Brooklyn Free School holds a weekly, mandatory Democratic Meeting on Wednesday mornings.[4] The meeting runs the school, and students and teachers alike have equal votes. Students are not required to pay attention. Meeting topics range from disciplinary grievances to admissions[4] to computer use. A meeting chair is chosen at the beginning of the meeting and the floor is opened for propositions. Anyone wishing to discuss a school issue can call schoolwide meetings.[2]
As of 2015, the school enrolls about 80 students, about half of whom are African-American or Latino.[6] The school is divided into upper and lower schools, the former ages 11 to 18 and the latter ages 4 to 11,[2] though they are not physically separated by age.[5] Children apply for admission and visit for a five-day orientation. Students are admitted by unanimous vote of a teacher-parent-student admissions committee. The group first determines whether applicants' parents support their decision to attend and whether the school can provide for the students' needs.[4] The school keeps a waiting list.[2]
The school is funded through tuition, grants, and donations.[4] The majority of students come from middle-class families from Brooklyn. The private school has sliding-scale tuition, and less than half pay full tuition.[4] Founding director Alan Berger said that 20 percent paid full tuition in 2012.[2] In 2015, about a third paid less than $500 in tuition, and another third paid half tuition. The sliding scale's full tuition is set at $22,000.[6]
The school graduated 21 students as of 2012,
Reception
Lucas Kavner of
An article in The New York Times in 2006 wrote that parents hired outside tutors in concern for the school's academic preparation. A third of the original students left within the 2004 academic year, as did the original teachers.[4]
References
- ^ "Search for Private Schools – School Detail for Brooklyn Free School". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
- ^ The Huffington Post. Archivedfrom the original on December 13, 2013. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
- ^ a b c Conroy, Scott (November 19, 2006). "No Grades, No Tests At 'Free School'". CBS News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on December 27, 2013. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Gell, Aaron (May 7, 2006). "Land of the Free". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 26, 2015. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
- ^ a b Bahrampour, Tara (February 15, 2004). "One Man's Solution To the Educational Rat Race". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 15, 2014. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f "At Brooklyn Free School, Students Control Their Education". Voice of America. April 16, 2015. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
External links
External videos | |
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Video of the school's operations by Voice of America |