Sudbury School St. Louis

Freedom to Learn

2009-07-16T16:50:00.003-05:00

I recently found the blog of Peter Gray on Psychology Today, and I thought it would be interesting and relevant to this blog. It is called Freedom to Learn. There are a lot of good posts on there, so I recommend you check it out. He sent his son to Sudbury Valley School, and his son is now a staff member there, so he is a big advocate for Sudbury schools.

Explaining the Sudbury model

2009-06-16T23:48:00.001-05:00

First of all, feel free to ask your own questions, but I thought it might be good to start off with an explanation of the model.

These are just a few questions I thought people might have, which will hopefully explain a little more about the type of school I am trying to start.

What is a Sudbury School?

A school the follows the model of Sudbury Valley School in Framingham, MA (SVS). It is a democratic school run by a School Meeting where students and staff members all have one vote and decide on the rules and hiring/firing of staff. There are no grades, tests, or scores. Classes are offered by request only.

Why Sudbury?

It is a proven model with over 30 years at SVS, and with over 30 Sudbury model schools worldwide. It combines freedom, democracy, equality, and personal responsibility.

Will students learn the basics?

Kids are innately interested in the world around them. If they need a skill, they will realize that and learn it when they are ready.

What do Staff Members do?

They do the day to day work that needs to get done to keep the school going. They are resources for the students. They are not there to monitor the students. Students have to be responsible for themselves.

What happens when a student breaks the rules?

Anyone can bring up a complaint when someone breaks the rules. The complaint goes to the Judicial Committee (JC), which is made up of students and staff. They investigate the complaint, and if they press charges the defendant can plead either guilty or innocent. If guilty, then they decide a sentence. If the defendant pleads innocent, then there is a trial before a jury of students. All students have to serve on JC.

That should give you a little idea of the school is like. What other questions do you have about the model?

Researching private school law in Missouri

2009-06-09T16:50:00.000-05:00

I can already foresee some problems with trying to start a Sudbury school in St. Louis.

1. Regular courses of instruction in the Constitution of the United States and of the state of Missouri and in American history and institutions shall be given in all public and private schools in the state of Missouri, except privately operated trade schools, and shall begin not later than the seventh grade and continue in high school to an extent determined by the state commissioner of education... A local school district maintaining such a high school shall require that prior to the completion of the twelfth grade each pupil who receives a high school diploma or certificate of graduation on or after January 1, 1994, shall satisfactorily complete such a course of study

3. No pupil shall receive a certificate of graduation from any public or private school other than private trade schools unless he has satisfactorily passed an examination on the provisions and principles of the Constitution of the United States and of the state of Missouri, and in American history and American institutions.

Mo. Rev. Stat. § 170.011

So, one solution is to have one mandatory class on the Missouri and US Constitutions. The testing is also required for graduation, although I don't see a what constitutes "satisfactorily" passing. I don't see the point of having a school and having no graduation. Even other Sudbury schools have a graduation process.

Another possibility is looking at the requirements to be classified as a "private trade school."

What are your opinions on the matter? Is this too much of a compromise? There is a lot else in the statute that specifies what must be in the course.

And, related, do you know if there a place to find recent laws regarding private schools in Missouri? I have just begun my research at this point, so I am sure I will find more, but I won't mind the help. I think I'll mostly be using the Missouri Revised Statute Search, but if there are any other tools out there, I will check them out too.