Recommended Reading
Books and articles to further your journeyRecommended Reading
Resources to view online or read in print. Dig deeper into democratic schooling theory and practice, and related ideas.
Books
When Kids Rule the School
by Circle School
co-founder & staff member
Jim Rietmulder
Free to Learn
by Peter Gray
Empowered Kids / Liberated Parents
by Cassi Clausen
& Aaron Browder
Online and download
FAQ: Basics and more
What’s a democratic school? How do students learn? Reading? College? Theory of education?
Self-Directed Education's Optimizing Conditions
The Alliance for Self-Directed Education lays out six “optimizing conditions” for self-directed education. Here’s how The Circle School meets them.
The Meadow Campaign Five Years Later
In 2016, The Circle School broke ground to build our forever home on the Meadow Campus. Five years later…
Alumni Stories
Why did they come to The Circle School? What did they learn? What are they doing now? A dozen or so tales.
How Does It Work In Concept?
Mix two PURPOSES of education with two IDEALS in schooling, and bake in a simple metaphor for what school can be. Then ice the cake with “secondary ideals” and “daily practices”. Enjoy.
Circle School Graduates in College
A 2015 look at Circle School graduates
What Are Teachers Good For?
Three things that teachers are good for, and three things they’re not. By Aaron Browder, staff member at The Open School in California.
Wanted: A Few Good Females
A discussion of why it’s important to consider self-directed democratic schooling for our daughters. By former Philly Free School staff member (and current Circle School parent) Michelle Loucas.
Is This School Really Self-Directed?
The term can be misleading. Consider drag-alongs, tag-alongs, stumble-ons, and happenings.
It's the process, not the content.
The content fades over the years, but the process is formative and enduring.
Mission and Methods
A 2-minute outline of the school’s mission, beliefs, values, and methods.
Ends We Seek
Thirteen ideals The Circle School strives for. Built into the school’s bylaws.
School Governance
The Circle School has three governing bodies. Each defers to the other two in certain ways. Three full-page diagrams illustrating how the school is governed — structures, functions, and ideals.
Movements in education
Illustrating the character and values of traditional, modern, and integral education