“Democratic education is an educational approach grounded in respect for human rights and a broad interpretation 
of learning, in which students have the freedom to organize their daily activities, and in which there is equality and democratic decision-making among students and staff.” This definition is from the Directory of Democratic Education just published for $20 by Alternative Educational Resource Organization as an inaugural edition. It lists contact and descriptive information for 175 democratic schools in 28 countries. It includes 15 colleges and universities with programs and 15 organizations supportive of democratic education plus a bibliography and 10 articles by leading practitioners. This is a valuable resource about a little-known choice in education. Most of the schools are private but some are public.
Gene Carter, Executive Director of ASCD says, “…they {schools} should be laboratories of democracy…” Patrick McQuillan of Boston College say, “…most American youth are socialized for adult civic life by an institution that defines them as passive and subordinate and treats them in ways that are anything but democratic.” Perhaps, we should take an interest in the operation of democratic schools to observe their results.