Something More Than a Grade Book: The Eau Claire Community Learning Center 1971-1974—A Free School

Abstract

From roughly 1967-1973 there was a Free School Movement in the United States. From coast to coast hundreds of small, alternative schools sprung up in individual communities in a direct opposition to public schooling. Disenchanted with the public school system—its hierarchal structure, its strict rigid atmosphere, and the quality of education they provided—young parents and teachers created their own schools. Each school emerged at the grass-roots level. Despite this, they all possessed similar characteristics.