The Varieties of Alternative Education: Background Materials 1

What follows are a selection of resources on a range of schooling alternatives for your consideration.

Further posts, with more videos and links to written material, will follow.

Specific suggestions -- of videos, web resources or books -- are welcome and can be sent to Monique.



Windsor House School, Vancouver

"The Windsor House School learning community, founded in 1971, centres on the principles of profound respect for all voices, real engagement in what one is interested in, and collaboration as a way of moving forward as a community. Our goal is to create a learning environment where young people develop the skills to be self-motivated and self-directed in their learning and in their lives, and where they have the opportunity to deeply engage with what they are passionate about."



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Sudbury Valley School, Framingham, Massachusetts

"Trust and respect are the keys to the school’s success. Students enjoy total intellectual freedom, and unfettered interaction with other students and adults. Through being responsible for themselves and for the school’s operation, they gain the internal resources needed to lead effective lives."




Further videos about SVS are available on their YouTube channel.

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Alternative School of Barrio Pueblo Nuevo. Mérida, Venezuela

"The teachers (cooperative educational facilitators) created a tutoring space to work with the children who were at risk of dropping out of school. The project evolved into an alternative school that is managed collectively and embraces a pedagogy focused on empowerment and community transformation, as well as creating a more holistic learning environment for students."




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Learn Free (an unschooling documentary)

"A documentary created by Lillian Mauser-Carter interviewing several families of self-directed students and their experiences in alternative education and schooling. A first person look at how unschoolers succeed in self-directed learning."