What Happened to the Free Schools?: The Free Schools Movement in the United States 1967-1972

Abstract

What happened to the Free Schools movement in the United States, and why has it been so little examined by historians of education? What legacies were left by these bold experiments in education? The Free Schools movement was a grassroots educational movement involving hundreds of small schools throughout the United States and Canada during the late 1960s and early 1970s. The key inspirational educational figures of the movement were A.S. Neill, George Dennison, John Holt and Jonathan Kozol, all of whom promoted more freedom for students and more humane practices in education. The primary newsletter of the movement, The New Schools Exchange, provides a first-hand glimpse into what was happening on the ground. This thesis shows that the free schools encountered a wide variety of practical obstacles to success which the majority could not overcome. Philosophical differences also splintered the movement and prohibited them from developing a united front to promote their educational alternatives. Only a small handful of free schools were able to become sustainable over the long haul, including two schools that are still active—Albany Free School and Sudbury Valley School. The success of these schools and others like them, as well as the pertinent educational ideas and practices that the free schoolers promoted are still relevant today and warrant further study.