#28 Autumn 1999 $4.95 The EDUCATION REVOLUTION MAGAZINE Formerly AERO-gramme With special CHANGING SCHOOLS section The Magazine of the Alternative Education Resource Organization 417 Roslyn Rd., Roslyn Heights, NY 11577 ISSN # 10679219 phone: 516-621-2195 or 800-769-4171 fax: 516-625-3257 e-mail:
[email protected] Web site: http://www.edrev.org THE IDEC AT SUMMERHILL The 7th Annual International Democratic Education Conference was held at Summerhill School in Leiston, England from July 23-26. I arrived a week early, before the term was over, so I could visit the school while the students were still there. On the last leg of the journey Mrs. Gull, the taxi driver, drove us from the Saxmundham train station to the school. She said that she and her husband would be glad to testify any time about the wonderful changes they had seen in the students as they drove them periodically to the train and airport. She was quite aware that the school was under attack by the education authorities. I was accompanied by Alex Morganov, a student who missed last year's conference because the Immigration and Naturalization Service sent his papers too late for him to go to Ukraine. He was born in Russia and is not yet an American citizen. I was greeted by several of the students I had met on previous visits. I had taught many of them how to play table tennis. Oli, whom I had met when he first came three years ago was now ready to leave the school and go on to college.