A study of Britain's free schools 1970-1977.

This is a study of Britain's free schools. It covers the period
between 1970 and 1977, during which time most of the schools were started
and closed.
The Introduction to the study introduces the schools and describes,
very briefly, the "movement" that grew for a short period, in Britain.
The Review of the Literature summarizes the major publications
about free schools, referring primarily to both those books that were critical
of state education systems in the U.S.A. and included among their chapters
references to free schools in that country; and the few books that have been
written that deal exclusively with free schools.
Part I of the study provides a detailed history of each of Britain's
major free schools.
Part II provides an evaluation of free schools, under the following
chapter headings: What Do Free Schools Teach?; Evaluating the Free Schools,
included under which heading are brief assessments of each school, and summaries
of the roles played by the Department of Education and Science, local education
authorities, and the press.
Part III describes the various attempts that have been made to coordinate
free school activities.
In Volume II, Appendix I is a diary kept by the author while he visited
and worked in various free schools. Appendix II contains all the supporting
materials (letters, newspaper articles, unpublished essays, etc.) collected by
the author while compiling the study.