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About Democratic Schools
A brief explanation for those unfamiliar with the basic notion of democratic education
What is a Democratic School?
A Democratic School is a school which is, in some capacity, self-governing, with each community member having influence on decisions and outcomes. A contrast might be made with more 'autocratic' school structures, in which power and authority are concentrated in the teachers and adult administrators. In democratic educational philosophy, students, including and especially children, are seen as active participants in their own learning and their environment. Each student's voice is given weight in decision-making both personal -- for instance, the direction of his or her own education -- and communal -- the rules and adjudications by which the school functions as a whole.
Aside from this basic shared philosophical framework, democratic schools come in many different varieties. Some have a very traditionally academic focus, some offer no academic classes at all, and others fall variously at all points between. There are schools governed by majority vote, schools run by consensus, and schools that function on anarchistic principles. The Alternative Education Resource Organization lists (at the time of this writing) 208 schools that self-identify as Democratic Schools, in 29 countries over 6 continents.
Links to further information:
Wikipedia article on Democratic Schools
AERO's list of Democratic Schools
SANE Philosophy page
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