The Crisis in American Education

An Analysis and a Proposal

By: The Sudbury Valley School Staff

Narrated by: Daniel Greenberg

This book quickly became a classic and is still enjoyable and relevant. It lays out the foundations of the Sudbury model in clear, easy terms.

No one would work to establish a new school if they weren’t driven to it by extreme dissatisfaction with the schools already available. You simply don’t set out into the jungles of education, administration, bureaucracy, and finance unless you are thoroughly convinced that the present alternatives are incapable of serving your needs.

The people who established the Sudbury Valley School have not been an exception to this rule. All have been actively seeking a new way in education, and all have made large investments of thought, time, and material to the fledgling school. Their commitment, too, is nothing new in the story of innovation and change.

But there are several features that distinguish the Sudbury Valley School from all other educational innovations in this country. These features have one overriding characteristic in common: They are firmly rooted in the traditional values, and institutions, that constitute our American heritage.

©1970, 1999 The Sudbury Valley School Press (P)2022 The Sudbury Valley School Press