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.

The second tenet of many democratic schools, which is unrelated to their democratic nature, is giving students the power to choose what to do with their time. There are no required classes, and sometimes 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 public funds and is held accountable to government standards. Sands School, also in England, was established in 1987. It is a small private school which receives no public funding, and so is free from the UK government standards. In the United States, well known successful examples include the Sudbury Valley School, Play Mountain Place, The Circle School, The Highland School and the inner-city Albany Free School in Albany, NY. In Australia, Preshil in Melbourne has been running successfully since the 1930s, and in Sydney Currambena Primary School has been in operation since 1969.

At least 100 schools around the world identify themselves as "democratic schools" today, in countries such as Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, South Africa, The Netherlands, United Kingdom and United States. Since 1993 there is an International Democratic Education Conference (IDEC), held in a different country each year.

Trends

The early 1970s saw the creation of publicly-funded, publicly-operated democratic schools. The creation of NOVA Project Alternative High School in Seattle in 1973 is the best example. With the growing rigors of modern education reform, the 1990s saw a return to democratic schooling practices and their increased usage in public schools. Today, organizations including The Big Picture Company, the Coalition of Essential Schools, and SoundOut each incorporate the principles of democratic schools into public education reform efforts.

The development of free schools, popularized in the 1970s by Jonathan Kozol, usually apply the principles of democratic governance with Humanistic education.

See also

• Collaborative learning
• Free schools
• Michael Apple
• Jane Addams School for Democracy
• Hull House

Demokratische Schule | Demokraattinen koulu | חינוך דמוקרטי | Democratisch_onderwijs | Escolas democráticas | 民主學校

Alternative education | School types | Educational leadership