Directory of Sudbury Valley Model Resources

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Sudbury Valley Model schools are radical in today's education landscape -- these schools are true democratic institutions where students and teachers are equal. Many of these schools are managed by a School Meeting where each student and staff member has one vote. School Meeting is responsible for the budget and staffing, and for creating rules for running the school. The Judicial Committee at each of these schools is responsible for enforcing the rules created by School Meeting. Judicial Committee typically have several students and one staff member. Students at these schools are free to do what they wish -- study, play, relax. There is a story about a boy at the Sudbury Valley School who fished every day of school for three years. The Sudbury Valley School is the oldest of these schools in the United States, and was inspired in great part by Summerhill -- the school in England founded by A.S. Neill.

Resources in This Category

• Alpine Valley School

  http://www.alpinevalleyschool.com/
  Colorado private school following the Sudbury model of education.

• Brooklyn Free School

  http://www.brooklynfreeschool.org/
  An independent, democratic free school based on the Summerhill, Sudbury philosophies of self-directed learning and democratic process providing equal power to students and staff in making all the decisions in running the school.

• Clearwater School

  http://www.clearwaterschool.com/
  A democratic school in Seattle, WA.

• Fairhaven School

  http://www.fairhavenschool.com/
  Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Modeled after the Sudbury Valley School. Providing a safe, stimulating environment where students ages 5 through high school can explore the world in all its complexity.

• Mountain Laurel Sudbury School

  http://www.mountainlaurelsudbury.org/
  New Britain, Connecticut. Offers students 5-19 the freedom to explore their own interests on their own schedule. No required classes or curricula. Low tuition. Contains information on the school's philosophy, structure and current events.

• The Circle School

  http://www.circleschool.org/
  Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Self-directed learning in a democratic environment for ages 4-18. Includes tuition and admission requirements, resources, and contact information.

• The New School

  http://www.thenewschool.com/
  Newark, Delaware. The educational program of each student is exactly what they make of it, neither more nor less. It is essential that students have the time and opportunity to discover their interests, talents, and personal approach to learning.

• The Red Cedar School

  http://www.redcedarschool.org/
  Bristol, Vermont. The Red Cedar School is an independent private school based in Vermont, and is founded on the Sudbury-Model philosophy. Ages 5-19.

• The Sudbury Valley School

  http://www.sudval.org/
  Framingham, Massachusetts. The original, founded in 1968. SVS has pioneered the "one person, one vote" model of democracy in education that promotes both freedom and responsibility. Has an overview of the school, descriptions of books, videos and tapes available from the SVS Press, plus on-line book excerpts, audio and video clips, and mailing list archives.

 

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