new orleans free school

New Orleans Free School Documentary

https://vimeo.com/16116168

A Film by Mika Buser-Ferris

posted by Isaac, narrated in part by Jerry.

Pieces from an article written before the school’s closure in 2005 (for full article go to vimeo site:

Finding freedom in school
By Lolis Eric Elie
Staff writer/The Times-Picayune

As the documentary “The Free School” opens, it is the late 1960s. The New Orleans Free School is emerging from this idealistic time as an alternative vision of how children can be educated in America. Founded largely by self-described hippies, the school sought to provide an educational experience that placed more emphasis on freedom than on structure. It placed more emphasis on individual needs than on the achievements of the class as a whole.

Decades of change
In the 30 years since its founding, much has changed at the Free School. The most obvious change has been the move from its initial location on the bottom floor of a commune, where it was housed briefly, to its current location in a more orthodox school building on Camp Street. It has gone from being totally independent to being a part of the Orleans Parish public school system. It has grown from 30 students to 300.

The school has had difficulty maintaining its independent ideals in the midst of these changes. But the school, like the film, stands out as a testament to the role creativity and innovation should play in developing alternative approaches to public education.