Democratic school
A democratic school is a school that centers on democratic principles and participatory democracy with "full and equal" participation from both students and staff. These learning environments position youth voice as the central actor in the educative process by engaging students in every facet of school operations, including learning, teaching, and leadership. Adult staff support students by offering passive and active facilitation according to students' interest.
Another tenet of democratic schools is giving students the power to choose what to do with their time. There are no required classes, and sometimes there is no requirement to take classes at all. Students are free to choose an activity that they desire, or feel the need to do. They are free to continue activities for as long or short a time as they see fit. In this way they learn both self-discipline and self initiation. They also gain the advantage of the increases in both learning speed and learning retention that accompany engagement in an activity that one is passionate about. The students at these schools are responsible for and empowered to direct their own education from a very young age.
History
The oldest surviving democratic school, Summerhill School in England, was founded in 1921 by A.S. Neill. Summerhill is a private school that receives no public funds. Kirkdale School was another A.S.Neill inspired "free" day school that existed between 1964 and the 1980s. Sands School, also in England and also a private school, was established in 1987. In the United States, well known successful examples include the The First Street School (described by George Dennison), Sudbury Valley School, The Circle School, Albany Free School and The Highland School.
At least 100 schools around the world identify themselves as "democratic schools" today, in countries such as Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, South Africa, The Netherlands, United Kingdom and United States. Since 1993 there has been an International Democratic Education Conference (IDEC) which is held in a different country each year. In 2008, the first EUDEC (European Democratic Education Conference) is going to be held in Leipzig, Germany.

Summerhill School
Summerhill School was founded in 1921 in Hellerau near Dresden, Germany by A.S. Neill. Today it is a boarding and day school currently located in Leiston, Suffolk, England, serving primary and secondary education in a democratic fashion. It is now run by Neill's daughter, Zoe Neill Readhead.
Summerhill is noted for its philosophy that children learn best with freedom from coercion. All lessons are optional, and pupils are free to choose what to do with their time. Neill founded Summerhill with the belief that "the function of a child is to live his own life — not the life that his anxious parents think he should live, not a life according to the purpose of an educator who thinks he knows best."
In addition to taking control of their own time, pupils can participate in the self-governing community of the school. School meetings are held four times a week, where pupils and staff alike have an equal voice in the decisions that affect their day-to-day lives, discussing issues and creating or changing school laws. The rules agreed at these meetings are wide ranging - from agreeing on acceptable bed times to making nudity allowed at the poolside and within the classroom. Meetings are also an opportunity for the community to vote on a course of action for unresolved conflicts, such as a punishment for bullying.
It is upon these major principles, namely, democracy, and equality, that Summerhill School operates.
Summerhill has had a less than perfect relationship with the British government, and is still the most inspected school in the country. During the 1990s, it was inspected nine times. In March of 1999, following a major inspection from OFSTED (The "OFfice for STandards in EDucation"), the then Secretary of State for Education and Employment, David Blunkett, issued the school with a notice of complaint, which took issue with the school's policy of non-compulsory lessons. Failure to comply with such a notice within six months usually leads to closure; however, Summerhill chose to contest the notice in court. The case went before a special educational tribunal in March 2000, when four days into the hearing, the government's case collapsed, and a settlement was agreed. The pupils who were attending the hearing that day took over the courtroom and held a school meeting to debate whether to accept the settlement, eventually voting unanimously to do so.
" I'd be very disappointed if a Summerhill child became Prime Minister. I'd feel I'd failed." A.S Neill
Sudbury Valley School
The Sudbury Valley School was founded in 1968 in Framingham, Massachusetts, United States. There are now over 40 schools based on the Sudbury Model in the United States, Canada, Denmark, Israel, Japan, Netherlands, Australia, Belgium and Germany. The model has two basic tenets: educational freedom and democratic governance. The school is attended by children from the ages of 4 to 19.
Educational philosophy
The school's educational philosophy asserts that giving children trust and responsibility at an early age enables them to learn what they want, why they want it, and how to achieve it. Students at the school are free to choose how to spend their time.
Democratic freedom is also a central tenet of the educational philosophy. The school is run by the weekly School Meeting, a meeting based on the traditional New England town meeting (see School institutions below). Students are guaranteed full protections within the school under the Bill of Rights.
School institutions
School meeting
Students and staff are invited to participate in the running of the school via the School Meeting, with each participant receiving one vote. The meetings are conducted using Robert's Rules of Order. The School Meetings determine rules and regulations for all aspects of the school, including finances, new rules, and the election of staff. To keep the school running smoothly, it also creates Clerks, Committees, and School Corporations.
Clerks, committees, and corporations
Clerks are essentially administrative officers that handle tasks within the school, such as grounds maintenance or attendance records. Committees handle larger tasks, such as school aesthetics or rules violations. For example, the Judicial Committee investigates allegations of school rules violations, holds a trial, determines a verdict, and imposes a sentence (much like the current judicial system in the United States).[1] If a verdict is appealed, the appeal is held in the weekly School Meeting. Students and staff alike may be called in front of the Judicial Committee. School Corporations are the equivalent of departments at traditional schools.
School assembly
There is also an annually-held School Assembly, which is the broad policy-making arm of the school.[2] It consists of staff, students, and parents of students. Its main purpose is to approve the school budget submitted by the School Meeting. It also elects a Board of Trustees, which only exist in an advisory capacity.[3] Its purpose is to study questions posed to it by the Assembly and report back to the Assembly when it is ready to do so.
Facilities
Following the educational philosophy, the school facilities are somewhat different than most schools. There are no traditional classrooms and no traditional classes, although children are free to request instruction on any subject or talk to any staff member about an interest.[4]
The main school building is a large Victorian-style mansion. There are many general purpose rooms, as well as specially designated rooms such as reading rooms, music rooms, etc. There are also several outbuildings, with facilities for woodworking and other activities. The ten-acre grounds house hills, woods, a traditional playground, and a large pond. Computers with internet access and video games are also accessible.
Staff
There is no tenure at Sudbury Valley School — an election for staff is held each year. The current staff have been involved professionally with the school for ten to thirty-seven years.
Daniel Greenberg
Hanna Greenberg
Mimsy Sadofsky
Joan Rubin
Scott David Gray
Mach Bell, singer with Mach 5, formerly with Thundertrain [5]
Mikel Matisoo
Morningstar Medaye
Denise Geddes
Paul Duddy
Curriculum
The school is non-compulsory, so there are no required activities. Students are free to spend their time as they wish, making use of any available resources, including equipment and staff.
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 alumni have been accepted at the university of their first choice. Students also generally report happiness with their lives, and many have a stated commitment to public service.[6]
Albany Free School
The Albany Free School is the oldest inner-city independent alternative school in the United States. It was founded in 1969 during the height of the United States free school movement and is located in Albany, New York.
It is located at 8 Elm st.
Harriet Tubman Free School
A Free School high school, called the Harriet Tubman Free School, was launched in the autumn of 2006. The brainchild of Albany Free School parent, Leah Penniman, the high school hopes to help meet the needs of teenagers and their families in search of alternatives to the public school system.

The Highland School
The Highland School is a democratic boarding and day school located in rural West Virginia.
Overview
Founded in 1981, the school values democratic process and individual rights - principles also held by the Sudbury Valley School. The Highland School has hosted students from all over the world. International students interact with local students from Appalachia and other areas of the United States. Students are free to choose and pursue their interests every day. As a result, activities range widely from constructing an archaeological dig to learning the Japanese language. The Highland School's boarding component is a unique feature allowing students to be a part of a democratic learning environment 24 hours a day. Similar to Summerhill School in England, the Highland School emphasizes freedom and responsibility for school members.

The Circle School
The Circle School is an Integral school located in Harrisburg, PA and founded in 1984, and is aligned with the Sudbury model. The term Sudbury School means that it is modeled after the Sudbury Valley School in Framingham, Massachusetts. It enrolls pre-kindergarten through high school aged children. The Circle School currently has over 70 students enrolled (a record high) and 5 fulltime staff members. It is the only Sudbury School in Pennsylvania and one of the oldest in the world.
Educational Method
The Sudbury Valley model of schooling has two defining characteristics. First, the students are free to spend their time as they choose. During the hours they are in school students can spend their time engaging in any activity they wish (reading, playing video games, climbing trees, watching TV, conversing, studying, playing trumpet etc). The only requirements placed on them are that they must follow the rules and that they must do a chore each day (the school has no custodian). There are no grades or evaluations, the idea being that every activity students engage in, they engage in because they wish to do so. The second defining characteristic is that the school's administration is placed principally in the students' hands. All the "day to day" affairs of the school are governed by a democratic body called the School Meeting. There, decisions are made concerning such things as student admissions, creating, repealing or amending a rule, suspensions and expulsions etc. The School Meeting is composed of all students and staff members (teachers) and since the students greatly outnumber the staff members most of the administrative power lies with the students. This model of education receives a great deal of skepticism as it is very different than the other methods of teaching.
History
The Circle School was founded in 1984 by Beth Stone, Jim Rietmulder and Sue Narten. They were soon joined by dee Vogt. The school was not originally founded as a Sudbury Valley School but as a liberal elementary school intended partially as an alternative for the children of the founders. As the students attending got older The Circle School expanded to an elementary and middle school and finally to a full pre-kindergarten through high school enrollment.

Sands School
Sands School is a democratic school in Devon, UK.
It was set up by Sean Bellamy and Sybillia Higgs in 1987
Choice and freedom are very important, as is having fun.

Democratic School of Hadera
The Democratic School of Hadera is a democratic school in Hadera, Israel. It was founded in 1987 by Yaacov Hecht. With around 380 students aged four to eighteen, it is the largest of the twenty-five Israeli democratic schools.
The school is governed by a weekly school parliament in which all students, teachers, parents and alumni have an equal vote. However, few parents and alumni participate in parliament meetings.
Students are free to decide if they want to attend classes or spend their time on other activities such as music, sports, art, computers, reading, talking, socializing, or doing nothing at all.
In 1993 the first International Democratic Education Conference (IDEC) was held at the Democratic School of Hadera. In 1996 it was held again at that school.