This is not a school (from alternativestoschool.com)

[xcriteria]

"From the very beginning, we rejected the idea of school. We had no interest in having to enforce an attendance policy, which all schools — even democratic schools– have to do. We wanted kids to be able to come and go freely. We wanted the center to be used only as needed and not to hold kids back from pursuing other interests out in the larger community. We were not interested in handing out diplomas either. We didn’t feel that kids should need our stamp of approval to move on in the world. Instead, we felt that they should be the ones to determine when and how they were going to make the transition into adult life."

Read more: This is not a school

This program was started by a graduate of Sudbury Valley, who along with others explored options for going beyond even what democratic schools tend to provide. I think this is important, since unschooling by itself can often leave one without some of the benefits of a learning community, especially if one's parents are expecting someone else to handle their kid's education.

This program is one of a number of learning centers with the Liberated Learners (North Star, Open Road) kind of model. Typically, participants spend a lot of their time unschooling, but attend an in-person location a few days a week, and get support in pursuing their learning goals, and transition to adult life, with help from advisors. These programs typically cost money (several thousand dollars per year, or more, depending, usually less than $10k/year), though they may have sliding scales.

Here's a map of current and planned ones:
http://www.liberatedlearnersinc.org/consultee-map/

Some of us in the broader School Survival network are working on an online version of these programs, with lower costs and even no-cost options. This would provide a path out of school for the many unhappy students who aren't near of these centers, and whose parents don't want to pay, or pay much for alternatives.

Thoughts? Would you be interested in something like this? Might your parents go for it? Why or why not?