Summerhill: Fully Engaging Youth in their Education | Lefty Parent

Summerhill: Fully Engaging Youth in their Education | Lefty Parent

Summerhill: Fully Engaging Youth in their Education

by Cooper Zale

The Summerhill school in England was one of the world’s first, and along with the Sudbury Valley School in Massachusetts, one of the world’s most successful and enduring “democratic-free” schools. “Free” in that the students are completely in charge of what, when, where, how and from whom they learn. “Democratic” in that the students and the staff jointly participate in school governance through use of the democratic process, with youth and adults having an equal voice and vote in most