Examples

This folder holds case studies and documentation from groups that have used the People’s Free School model. The examples serve two purposes: they help new groups understand what running a school can look like in practice, and they let groups using the model learn from each other.

What goes in this folder

Examples can take many forms:

• Documentation of a study circle. What theme was studied, what materials were used, how the arc was structured, what worked, what did not.
• Notes from a single session. Particularly useful when a session produced something noteworthy: an unexpected direction, a difficult moment handled well, a connection to local organizing that made the material come alive.
• A school’s founding story. How a group started a People’s Free School in their community. Who was involved, what they did, what they learned.
• A theme adapted for local context. When a group has developed a theme around their specific community (a study of the meatpacking industry in western Kansas, or the history of public housing in a particular city), the documentation belongs here.
• Reflections on what did not work. Failed experiments teach as much as successful ones. Groups whose schools dissolved, or whose sessions did not land, can document what they learned.

How to contribute an example

Create a new folder within examples/ with a descriptive name (e.g., flint-hills-first-circle/ or seattle-tenant-organizing-study/). Include any of the following that fit:

• A README describing the example
• Session notes
• Materials used
• Reflections from participants and facilitators
• Photos or other documentation (if appropriate and with consent)

See the contributing guide for the contribution process.

A note on consent and privacy

When documenting sessions and the people in them, respect the privacy of participants. Use first names or pseudonyms unless explicit consent has been given. Do not document things participants said in confidence. The point of examples is to teach future groups, not to expose the people in current groups.

Status

This folder is currently empty. As schools begin using the model and contribute back, the examples will grow.