Free school movement

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This article is about the American education movement. For other uses, see Free School.
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The free school movement, also known as the new schools or alternative schools movement, was an American

independent community schools
.

Origins and influences

Herb Kohl, Jonathan Kozol, and James Herndon, with titles such as A. S. Neill's 1960 Summerhill, George Dennison's 1969 The Lives of Children, and Jonathan Kozol's 1972 Free Schools.[1] The movement's transference of ideas was tracked through the New Schools Exchange and American Summerhill Society.[1]

The definition and scope of schools self-classified as "free schools" and their associated movement were never clearly delineated, and as such, there was a wide variation between schools.

participatory democracies for self-governance.[1] The "free schools" movement was also known as the "new schools" or "alternative schools movement".[2] Author Ron Miller defined the free school movement's principles as letting families choose for their children, and letting children learn at their own pace.[4]

Growth

Allen Graubard charted the growth of the free schools from 25 in 1967 to around 600 in 1972, with estimates of 200 created between 1971 and 1972.[2] These schools had an average enrollment of 33 students.[2] Almost all of the first American free schools were based on Summerhill and its associated book.[5] Many of the schools were started in nontraditional locations, including parks, churches, and abandoned buildings.[4]

The movement peaked in 1972 with hundreds of schools opened and public interest in open education.[4]

Decline and legacy

The movement subsided with the rise of

Nixon administration's education policies.[4]

The Huffington Post wrote in 2012 that "the movement is revving up again", citing Education Revolution's listing of over 100 free schools in America.[4] The schools are mostly private in America, and generally serve middle and upper-middle-class families. Author Ron Miller credits the rise of standardization with grassroots interest in alternative schools. CBS News reported in 2006 that the remaining free schools, while unknown in number, are "democratic", as the students share in the school's governance.[6]

Education historian

E. D. Hirsch, Jr. echoed similar thoughts, with Hirsch adding that "it doesn't work for children who haven't had those advantages."[8] Ravitch believed that the free schools' values would conflict with predominant student testing trends.[7]

References

  1. ^
    OCLC 928480336
    .
  2. ^ a b c d Graubard 1972c, p. 1.
  3. JSTOR 20373543
    .
  4. ^
    The Huffington Post. Archived
    from the original on December 13, 2013. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
  5. ^ Graubard 1972c, p. 2.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^
    ISSN 0362-4331. Archived
    from the original on January 15, 2014. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  8. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived
    from the original on November 26, 2015. Retrieved December 7, 2013.

Bibliography

Further reading

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