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Democratic / Free Schools
Students govern their own education.
Origin
A.S. Neill's Summerhill (1921), evolved globally
Core Logic
Student self-governance + freedom to learn.
Radical Autonomy
Democratic schools operate on a simple, radical premise: students have the right to govern their own lives and learning.
How It Works
- School Meetings: Collective decision-making where students and staff have equal votes.
- Self-Directed Time: No fixed curriculum; students decide what to study and when.
- Civic Capacity: Develops deep responsibility and empathy through real governance.
Tensions
Requires extraordinary trust and is difficult to scale within systems that demand standardized outcomes.