Sudbury Valley School
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The Sudbury Valley School was founded in 1968 in Framingham, Massachusetts. There are now over 40 schools based on the Sudbury Model in the United States, Canada, Denmark, Israel, Netherlands, and Australia. The model has two basic tenets: educational freedom and democratic governance.
Central to the school is the weekly School Meeting, based on the traditional New England town meeting. Students and staff are invited to participate in the running of the school, with equal votes. This applies to all aspects of the school, including finances, new rules, and the election of staff. The school is attended by children from 4 to 19 years old.
The school's philosophy asserts that by giving children trust and responsibility at an early age, it is much easier for them to learn what they want, how they want it, and how to achieve this. Students at the school are free to choose how to spend their time.
Of the many books and videos available on Sudbury Valley, 'Free at Last', by Daniel Greenberg, is a good book to get acquainted with the school's philosophy.
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Faculty
There is no tenure at Sudbury Valley School -- an election for staff is held each year. Several of the founding members are still present at the school, and some of them have written extensively about the school and its unique model of education.
Curriculum
The school is non-compulsory, so there are no required classes of students. Students are free to request classes of their choice, or even to teach classes of their own.
Alumni
Sudbury Valley School has published two studies of their alumni over the past thirty-five years. They have learned, among other things, that about 80% of the students continue to study at other schools after graduating from Sudbury Valley. Most of them have been accepted at the university of their first choice.
See also
External links
- Official website (http://www.sudval.org)de:Sudbury Valley School