"While Sudbury Valley gives children plenty of freedom to play and develop as individuals, it also requires them to participate in the community through school meetings, in which everyone votes on all decisions made at the school. The weekly meeting, says graduate Anna Rossetti, shows that, “democracy can be painful. You’ve got to listen to a lot of different crap before you get to a consensus.” Students and staff sometimes spend hours hashing out every single issue.

Yet Rossetti acknowledges that the experience has often come in handy. “Participating in democracy at Sudbury Valley instills in you an incredible sense of empowerment,” says Rossetti, who now works at a Whole Foods Market in San Diego, California, while finishing her bachelor’s degree in social sciences. “That’s something I take with me all the time.”

Democratic Schools - What happens when kids have a say in their education