Schools

Sudbury School of Atlanta Starting; Information Meetings May 6 and 20

The Sudbury model allows students to direct their own education.

A Decatur-area couple is recruiting families and volunteers for the Sudbury School of Atlanta, a new school based on a child-directed learning model.

Lydia and David Soleil will hold an information meetings from 2 to 4 p.m. May 20 at the Common House at East Lake Commons, at 105 Dancing Fox Road, Decatur.

Lydia Soleil said the location of the school has not been determined and will be based on where most of the students come from. They envision starting with a homeschool co-op program and moving into a private school model in 2013.

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The Sudbury model does not have traditional classrooms or grades. Instead of a teacher, there's an adult to help students obtain resources. The school website says,

The entire framework of the Sudbury School of Atlanta gives children the freedom to learn the way people naturally learn. Β We trust them, we respect them and we provide the unencumbered environment where their natural learning abilities can thrive.Β 

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The first Sudbury school started in 1968 in Sudbury, Mass. There are now about 40 around the world.

Lydia Soleil said she and her husband wanted a something other than a traditional school for their 5-year-old daughter. "We were looking for a different paradigm that is much more student directed," she said.

Tuition for the 2012-13 academic year would be $8,666 or less, according to the website.

Lydia Soleil is an assistant director at the Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning at the Georgia Institute of Technology. David Soleil is an independent leadership education consultant.

For more information, go to the Sudbury School of Atlanta website at http://www.sudburyschoolofatlanta.org or facebook.com/sudburyschoolofatlanta. A press release from the school is attached to this article.


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