Albany Free School
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The Free School (Albany) is a day school for 60 students aged two to fourteen founded in 1969 by Mary Leue. The student population is as diverse as the surrounding racially and socioeconomically mixed downtown neighborhood,[citation needed] with approximately half of the kids coming from the inner city, one-fourth from uptown,[specify] and the remainder from outlying areas. The school operates with a sliding scale tuition and no one is turned away for financial reasons.[citation needed]
Their educational philosophy is based on the belief that learning is an instinctive act in which children engage joyfully and of their own accord when they are allowed to follow their own rhythms and interests. They also believe that all children possess a unique set of gifts that must be allowed to develop according to each child’s own inner timetable. Therefore there are no compulsory classes, grades or standardized tests. Formal student assessment takes place at mid-year when teachers collaborate on a narrative report about each student’s growth and development followed by an in-depth parent conference. The school is governed democratically through a weekly all-school meeting. Conflicts and other urgent problems are addressed on an ad hoc basis in student-led council meetings that can be called at any time.[citation needed]
The Free School claims to be a community in which emotional, personal and social needs are given as much attention as academic ones, and the essential ingredients of a life well lived are the highest concern of all.
Professional Memberships & Affiliations:
Member School:
- Northeast Association of Independent Democratic Schools (NAIDS)
- Alternative Education Resource Organization (AERO)
- International Democratic Education Network (IDEN)
Participating School:
- International Democratic Education Conference (IDEC)
[edit] External links
Coordinates: 42°38′44″N 73°45′28″W / 42.64561°N 73.75779°W
