Democratic Education

Democratic Education or Democratic Schooling is a method of education which stresses the needs of the student as an autonomous individual who should learn at their own pace without the guidance of forced lectures, attendance, classes, grading, tests and homework.

Overview

Democratic Education still provides a facility known as a school with facilities such as classrooms, a library, green space, a playground and sometimes other things like a swimming pool and cafeteria. But there are no tests, homework, grading, lecture-style classrooms or even compulsory attendance. Children may work by themselves or in groups to learn about what interests them, having access to teachers who act as gentle guides and students are given all the time they need to play, explore and learn at their own pace, leaving the school when they are ready.

Effectiveness

Research into democratic education is limited owing to a lack of popular knowledge of the practice and lack of government and corporate support. Despite this, several major studies have been done:

• A study of 12 schools in the United Kingdom by a former school inspector indicates that democratic schooling produces greater motivation to learn and self-esteem among students.
• A study done in Israel indicates that the decline in interest in science that occurs regularly in conventional (Prussian) schools did not occur in democratic schools.
• Three studies done on students of Sudbury Schools in the United States of America indicate that students "have been highly successful in their higher education (for those who chose that route) and careers. They have gone on to all walks of life that are valued in our society and report that they feel advantaged because of the sense of personal responsibility, self-control, continued interest in learning, and democratic values they acquired at Sudbury Valley."
• Sands School in the United Kingdom was inspected in 2013 by Ofsted was found to be ‘Good’ overall with a number of ‘Outstanding’ features. No area of the provision was found to be less than "good’ and all of the Statutory regulations (the school "Standards") were met in full. This is the same outcome as the previous inspection in 2010. Ofsted observed that taking part in decision-making process developed "exceptional qualities of thoughtfulness and the ability to offer balanced arguments". Good pupil achievements were found to be a "consequence of the democratic structures". Personal development was deemed to be "outstanding" because of the exceptional impact of the democratic principles. The inspector was particularly impressed with pupils’ behaviour, noting that "lessons took place in an atmosphere of mutual respect" and that "visitors were greeted with interest and impeccable manners".

• Alia College in Melbourne, Australia was in the top 5 for Australian schools in Reading, Writing, Grammar and Punctuation abilities.
• Albany Free School, in Albany, United States of America has treated students with ADHD far better than surrounding schools, giving them enough play time to render medication unnecessary.

Notable Theorists

• Alfie Kohn
• A.S. Neill
• Colin Ward
• Emma Goldman
• Everett Reimer
• Franciso Ferrer Guardia
• George Dennison
• Herbert Read
• Ivan Illich
• Janusz Korczak
• Jean-Jacques Rosseau
• John Dewey
• John Locke
• Josiah Warren
• Leo Tolstoy
• Louise Michel
• Max Stirner
• Mikhail Bakunin
• Paul Goodman
• Sebastien Faure
• William Godwin
• Yaacov Hecht

See Also

• List of Democratic Schools
• Democratic Assemblies
• Democratic Workplaces
• Democratic Militias
• Libertarian Parenting