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293:, and was "grabbed ... to the core". Berger published his idea for the school in the October 2003 issue of the Park Slope Food Co-op newsletter. About 170 people showed interest, and a group held biweekly planning sessions until the school opened in the 16th Street Brooklyn First Free Methodist Church's bottom two floors in 2004. The original class was thirty students with three teachers. It was the first free school in New York City since the Park Slope Fifteenth Street School closed in 1975. By November 2012, the school had moved to a four-floor
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interest, such as reading alone or taking a class. Students are free to leave classes as they please. Classes have included philosophy seminars, cheese-tasting, book discussions, business, astrology, psychology, videography, and Tibet. Some classes are taught by volunteers. By law, students are required to attend for 5.5 hours a day. Principal Alan Berger contends that the school provides an education better adapted for the
Internet era, as one more original, enterprising, and adaptive in the face of a changing economy.
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367:, and that students from families that cannot hire tutors will suffer disproportionately. The school inspired the Manhattan Free School (founded in 2008), and, in turn, was inspired by the Albany Free School (founded in 1969). Kavner called the Brooklyn Free School "arguably New York's most radical center of learning".
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As of 2015, the school enrolls about 80 students, about half of whom are
African-American or Latino. The school is divided into upper and lower schools, the former ages 11 to 18 and the latter ages 4 to 11, though they are not physically separated by age. Children apply for admission and visit for a
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The school operates under a "noncoercive" philosophy where students are encouraged to develop their own interests and where all learning is self-directed. As such, Brooklyn Free School has no grades, no tests, and no compulsory classes or homework. Students are free to pursue the activities of their
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The
Brooklyn Free School holds a weekly, mandatory Democratic Meeting on Wednesday mornings. The meeting runs the school, and students and teachers alike have equal votes. Students are not required to pay attention. Meeting topics range from disciplinary grievances to admissions to computer use. A
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The school is funded through tuition, grants, and donations. The majority of students come from middle-class families from
Brooklyn. The private school has sliding-scale tuition, and less than half pay full tuition. Founding director Alan Berger said that 20 percent paid full tuition in 2012. In
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five-day orientation. Students are admitted by unanimous vote of a teacher-parent-student admissions committee. The group first determines whether applicants' parents support their decision to attend and whether the school can provide for the students' needs. The school keeps a waiting list.
263:, on Fulton Street. Students participate in the design of classes and in the school's governance, which is done at a weekly Democratic Meeting. Staff and students all have equal votes. The school is funded through sliding-scale tuition, grants, and donations. In 2012, Lucas Kavner of
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schools, which encourages self-directed learning and protects child freedom of activity. There are no grades, no tests, no homework, and classes are non-compulsory. In 2015, the school enrolls 80 students and has about 24 graduates.
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in 2006 wrote that parents hired outside tutors in concern for the school's academic preparation. A third of the original students left within the 2004 academic year, as did the original teachers.
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meeting chair is chosen at the beginning of the meeting and the floor is opened for propositions. Anyone wishing to discuss a school issue can call schoolwide meetings.
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The school graduated 21 students as of 2012, and 24 as of 2015. Students compile their own transcript and nominate themselves for graduation. Some take
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in Fort Greene, and then was living in the
Brooklyn Public Library, And shortly after moved to a place called "Major Owens Center" and then moved to
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We're trying to nurture kids to stay themselves ... That's what they need to bring to the world, to live a successful, individually happy life.
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2015, about a third paid less than $ 500 in tuition, and another third paid half tuition. The sliding scale's full tuition is set at $ 22,000.
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in
Brooklyn, founded in 2004. Students range in age from 4 to 18 years old. The school follows the noncoercive philosophy of the 1960s/70s
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state and college entrance tests. The majority of
Brooklyn Free School graduates continue to college.
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The school was the first free school in New York City since 1975. It started in a rented portion of a
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called the
Brooklyn Free School "arguably New York's most radical center of learning".
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before he left to found the alternative school. He had read about a free school in
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456:"At Brooklyn Free School, A Movement Reborn With Liberty And No Testing For All"
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later that year. Its director, Alan Berger, had been an assistant principal at
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393:"Search for Private Schools – School Detail for Brooklyn Free School"
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wrote in 2012 that the school serves as a model for independent,
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Alan Berger, Brooklyn Free School founder and principal, 2012
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at the forefront of renewed interest in the 1960s/70s
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Private school in
Brooklyn, New York, United States
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592:"One Man's Solution To the Educational Rat Race"
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1115:Alternative schools in the United States
398:National Center for Education Statistics
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590:Bahrampour, Tara (February 15, 2004).
568:from the original on November 26, 2015
510:from the original on December 27, 2013
494:"No Grades, No Tests At 'Free School'"
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468:from the original on December 13, 2013
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255:Methodist church, and then moved to a
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604:from the original on January 15, 2014
1110:2004 establishments in New York City
1001:Upattinas School and Resource Center
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791:Lehman Alternative Community School
492:Conroy, Scott (November 19, 2006).
454:Kavner, Lucas (November 30, 2012).
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645:from the original on March 5, 2016
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679:Video of the school's operations
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403:Institute of Education Sciences
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936:Auckland Metropolitan College
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889:Democratic School of Hadera
868:Brisbane Independent School
554:Gell, Aaron (May 7, 2006).
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811:The Sphere College Project
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801:Philadelphia Free School
756:ALPHA Alternative School
744:United States and Canada
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956:Free School of Evanston
806:SEED Alternative School
737:Democratic free schools
287:a Manhattan high school
92:40.687083°N 73.968028°W
961:Houston Sudbury School
946:Dartington Hall School
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122:democratic free school
816:Sudbury Valley School
776:The Clearwater School
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97:40.687083; -73.968028
1041:Korczak's orphanages
1036:Free school movement
976:Malting House School
842:Deep Springs College
766:Brooklyn Free School
761:Arthur Morgan School
361:free school movement
279:Park Slope, Brooklyn
245:free school movement
233:Brooklyn Free School
24:Brooklyn Free School
920:Neue Schule Hamburg
821:Village Free School
796:Mission Hill School
786:The Highland School
461:The Huffington Post
352:The Huffington Post
291:Woodstock, New York
266:The Huffington Post
88: /
986:Rowen House School
966:Kilquhanity School
751:Albany Free School
641:. April 16, 2015.
597:The New York Times
561:The New York Times
556:"Land of the Free"
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357:democratic schools
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572:December 7,
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299:Fort Greene
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108:Information
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83:73°58′4.9″W
70:Coordinates
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1017:Homer Lane
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257:brownstone
253:Park Slope
192:Enrollment
1068:Education
365:real life
345:Reception
155:School ID
830:Colleges
643:Archived
602:Archived
566:Archived
508:Archived
499:CBS News
466:Archived
237:ungraded
185:Ungraded
176:8 (2014)
165:Director
159:A0701595
118:ungraded
116:Private
58:New York
52:Brooklyn
41:Location
1092:Schools
1054:Portals
1010:Related
305:Program
273:History
216:Website
173:Faculty
144:Founder
929:Closed
898:Europe
882:Israel
181:Grades
203:Urban
128:Motto
651:2015
610:2013
574:2013
516:2013
474:2013
410:2015
231:The
223:.org
153:NCES
139:2004
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297:in
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
