The Sudbury Valley School is legendary in alternative education and unschooling circles. Founded in Framingham, Massachusetts in 1968, Sudbury Valley has become a beacon for parents and educators interested in non-coercive, self-directed education, and has inspired the creation of dozens of Sudbury-style schools around the world.

Our guest today is Mimsy Sadofsky, one of the original founders of the Sudbury Valley School who continues to work at the school as a full-time staff member.

This episode is also personally very special because I wanted to share with you our family's journey toward enrolling at Sudbury Valley School.

Episode-related links:

Sudbury Valley School open house

Planning kit for starting a Sudbury model school

Award-winning filmmaker and Sudbury Valley School alumna, Laura Poitras

American Journal of Education research paper on SVS graduate outcomes

Free At Last, by SVS cofounder Daniel Greenberg

Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life, by Peter Gray

Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom, by Kerry McDonald