1. What is Democratic Education?
By Sarah DeWeese UCD Fall 2010
“Meaningful participation, personal initiative, with equality and
justice for all.” – IDEA (Institute for Democratic Education in America”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_LbZ3XcfK4

2. Why do we NEED
Democratic Education?
For a vision of students TODAY watch this video here --
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGCJ46vyR9o&feature=related
“Every student that fails, costs the nation
approximately $260,000 over his or her lifetime. More
than 12 million students are expected to drop out over
the next decade, costing the nation $3 trillion.”
- Alliance for Excellent Education 2007.

3. Time for a WebQuest!
Pick two of the following to learn more about:
 A.S. Neill’s Summerhill School
 Sudbury Valley School
 Fertile Grounds: The Hallway Project
 Waldorf Education in Charter Schools
The next slides will have more directions/
information…

4. Ask the following questions of each
model as you read and do research:

5. A.S. Neill’s Summerhill School
Activities Students can choose from:
Gardening, Bug Study, The Game of
Diplomacy, Magic Lessons, Psychology for
Kids, Thinking Skills and Games,
Photography and Photoshop, Afternoon
Walks, Computer Strategy Games, Writing,
Making a Radio, Play Chess, Macramé…
Open these links to find the answers:
http://summerhill-photographers.co.uk
www.summerhillschool.co.uk
Even though this is a Private School, what lessons
could this model offer Public Education?

6. Sudbury Valley School
How could this private school’s values be adapted to affect the way public
education educates students? Is the model too extreme? Watch & decide.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awOAmTaZ4XI&feature=related

7. Fertile Grounds: The Hallway Project
Read about and see the video
about this program incorporated in
a high school in New York:
http://www.fertilegrounds.org/hallw
ay_project

8. A philosophy of education first practiced in private
schools, now making it’s way into the public sector.
Watch and form an opinion for yourself.
http://www.edutopia.org/waldorf-public-school-morse-video
Waldorf Education in Charter Schools
Waldorf education, in general, values the following:
family and community life
a healthy unfolding of childhood
joy in the learning process
viable alternatives to high-stakes testing
age-appropriate use of electronic media and computers
education focused on wholeness in body, mind, and spirit
intellectual excellence, imagination, strong memory, and problem-solving skills
training of ethical and moral judgment
beauty of the environment as a formative force in the child's world.
-- Windows into Waldorf, An Introduction to Waldorf Education

9. Share out what you’ve learned…
Time to go back to the online discussion board.
Comment on the following threads –
1) What two schools of Democratic Education did you
research? What do you think about their philosophies
of education? What are some benefits and concerns?
2) Have you seen examples in public schools where
students are given democratic freedoms in regards to
their education? What are some ways you think
students could be given more freedom?