Video: Why do these kids love school? (1990) Dorothy Fadiman

(Scroll down for video. Below are direct quotes from the video:)

Innovative curriculum: the staff has the freedom to create original lessons based on the needs of their students
Non-competitive environment: student progress is evaluated on an individual basis
Shared responsibility: everyone, including students and parents, has a voice in what happens at their school.
To get a teamlike organization, you have to have a school with control over its own destiny, with autonomy from too much outside control.
Autonomy does not come easily to America’s schools.
Students select projects and topics which intrigue them, and then study those. (43:50)
Students’ need to be needed.
(Students have) gone out and done something important, that was seen as important in the world outside of school.
The curriculum was developed by the teachers themselves.
Close your textbook and teach.
The real program development has to come at the school level. If we could move our school systems towards encouraging schools to really be unique or distinctive, you’re going to heighten the commitment because its something the people there are creating and love and want to nurture. (54:50)

(It takes a minute to load… The public school segment of the video begins around 34:00.)