Dana Bennis

Location: Tarrytown, New York

Dana Bennis, co-founder and Research and Policy Director of IDEA, has been deeply involved in democratic education since 2001. Dana has taught in democratic, progressive, and conventional school settings and earned a Masters Degree in Education from Vermont College of Union Institute and University. He has published essays in various education journals, and collaborates with others locally, nationally, and internationally to advance democratic education. Dana lives in Tarrytown, New York with his partner and fellow educator, Julie Hill.

Alison Bagg Brink

Location: Portland, Oregon

Alison Bagg Brink is a wife, mother of two, dog owner, an urban chicken raiser, and a teacher for 14 years. She teaches Spanish at a public comprehensive high school in the Portland Metro Area, while both of her children attend a free school. She graduated from the University of Oregon with a Bachelor's in Spanish, and later went to graduate school there for Spanish Literature and Education.

Jonah Canner

Location: Brooklyn, New York

Website: www.fertilegrounds.or

Jonah Canner is a co-founder of IDEA. He is the Founder/Educational Director of the Fertile Grounds Project, a non-profit organization that provides New York City youth with educational programming that reaches beyond the classroom. Jonah was a founding teacher at the Community School for Social Justice in the Bronx and received his Masters in Education from the New School University in New York.

Susan Chen

Location: Durham, North Carolina

Susan Chen was born in rural China, grew up in inner-city Boston, studied at suburban Stanford University, and now calls small-town Durham her home. She is currently a Master of Public Policy candidate at Duke University, studying social policy with an education focus. Susan is passionate about learning for learning’s sake-- unfettered and individualized. She is interested in innovative learning programs that nourish self-identity. Susan brings to IDEA research acumen and academic breadth of experiential learning.

Melia Dicker

Location: Jackson, Mississippi

Website: www.reschoolyourself.com

Melia Dicker, a writer and educator who has worked with students of all ages, is the Communications Director of IDEA. She has a degree in Psychology from Santa Clara University and is an alumna and board member of AmeriCorps' Public Allies. Melia co-founded Spark, a nonprofit organization empowering youth through leadership development and apprenticeships in their dream jobs.

Isaac Graves

Location: Portland, Oregon

Website: www.democraticeducation.com

Isaac Graves grew up in The Free School (Albany, NY) and since graduation has worked extensively within the field of democratic education. He has spoken nationally and internationally, co-founded and taught at Harriet Tubman Democratic High School for three years, serves on the board of The Patchwork School in Louisville, CO, and manages DemocraticEducation.com. Currently, Isaac is the outreach coordinator and conference director for the Alternative Education Resource Organization.

You can find Isaac on Twitter at www.twitter.com/democraticED

Zuleika Irvin

Location: Vermont

Website: introvertedwisdom.wordpress.com

Zuleka Irvin is currently studying Visual Arts and Education. One of her goals is to advise in a democratic school. She is a supporter of progressive reform as well as an advocate for autonomous education, de-standardization, and learning through community involvement. Among her influences are Alfie Kohn, Paul Goodman, and the unschooling community.

Luis Moreno

Location: New York

Luis Aguilar-Moreno was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador and was raised, and lives, in Brooklyn, New York. Adding to an M.A. in Spanish, Luis has recently earned an M.S. in Childhood Education with a Bilingual Extension. He has worked for public and independent schools in Oakland, Miami, and New York City. His widening focus is to help create a more cohesive multilingual, multicultural Americas project.

Kristan Morrison

Location: Radford, Virginia

Dr. Kristan Accles Morrison taught for seven years at conventional middle schools in North Carolina, which drove her to research alternative forms of education based on critical pedagogy and social justice. She earned her Ph.D. in the Cultural Foundations of Education from the University of North Carolina Greensboro and is now a professor in a teacher education program at Radford University, where she makes a point of introducing her students to educational alternatives.

Scott Nine

Location: Portland, Oregon

Scott Nine is the current Executive Director of IDEA. A dynamic public speaker, he enjoys teaching and learning about leadership, social justice, community organizing, educational reform, personal growth, and getting along with one another. He is co-founder of The Village Free School in Portland, Oregon. He has a Masters Degree in Social Work from Arizona State University and served briefly on the faculty of the School of Social Work at Portland State University. Raised by two public school educators, Scott fell in love with his unschooled wife Hollie while growing up in Apache Junction, Arizona. Scott is a founding board member of the Institute for Democratic Education in America and provides leadership for their national organizing efforts.

Claire Russell

Location: Rural Maine

Claire Russelll was born in rural, coastal Maine and has lived there for all her fourteen years of life. She happily attended a "Waldorf Inspired" alternative school from kindergarten to 8th grade. She chose to attend a mainstream public high school, where she is now a freshman and making the often challenging transition from alternative schooling to mainstream public education.

Ammerah Saidi

Location: Metro Detroit, Michigan

Ammerah Saidi graduated from the University of Michigan-Dearborn with a B.A. in English and Psychology certified as a secondary teacher. For three years, Ammerah taught in Detroit, Michigan and for one year in Al Hada, Saudi Arabia at an international school. She recently graduated from the Harvard Graduate School of Education with a Masters in School Leadership. Ammerah recently finished graduate school full of theories and beliefs that YES, EVERY CHILD CAN LEARN! and writes about how teaching in Metro Detroit classrooms challenges these beliefs.

cian sawyer

Location: The Bahamas

Website: www.birthofaschool.blogspot.com

cian sawyer was born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica and now lives in The Bahamas. cian is a passionate unschooling mother of two and an unwavering advocate for every human being's birthright to organic learning / self-directed education.

cian is deeply passionate about self-directed learning being available to children whose parents cannot stay home with them. She has decided to follow her dream and start the first democratic school in The Bahamas, which she narrates on this blog. Welcome to the journey of cian and The Village School.

Sara J. Schmidt

Location: St. Louis, Missouri

Website: http://sarajschmidt.wordpress.com

Sara Schmidt is a writer, progressive activist, artist, and mother to a tenacious four-year-old. A graduate of Southeast Missouri State, she has taught students in the United States and Spain, and has homeschooled her younger sister. Recently Sara and her husband made the decision to homeschool their own daughter and are eagerly exploring their options. She lives near St. Louis, Missouri.

Shawn Strader

Location: Tempe, Arizona

Shawn Strader is a 24-year-old student/vegan/musician. He attends Arizona State University where he studies Philosophy and the fine art of people watching. Shawn became interested in democratic education and philosophy of education after stumbling upon Israeli educator Yaacov Hecht’s keynote speech at the International Democratic Education Conference (IDEC) in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 2008.

Tim Curley

Location: Sonoma, California

Tim Curley has been teaching at the elementary level for some 13 years. He came to teaching after having spent many years in and around the wine business in Sonoma County, CA. He lives with his wife, Judee, with whom he has four children; Molly, 24, and Aaron, Ben and Jack, 22. Yes, triplets. And yes, there is a story there.

Tim currently teaches fourth grade at El Verano School, the elementary school his children attended. He finds his role to be a wonderful combination of friendship, family, and mentorship and simply can’t imagine holding any other job.

Tanya Reza

Location: Southfield, Michigan

Tanya Reza graduated from Columbia University with a Bachelors degree in Neuroscience and Behavior, and worked several years at a Muslim non-profit youth organization. A firm believer in advocating for children and youth, she hopes to help reform the public education system to empower them. She currently resides in Southfield, Michigan with her husband, and plans to pursue a career in school social work.

Kris Sage

Location: Portland, Oregon

Seventeen-year-old Kris Sage attended the Village Free School for around four years, which were some of the best of his life. While there, he also began taking classes at Mount Hood Community College, where he is now a full-time student. He believes in education that develops critical thought, care for others, and prepares young people to face unseen challenges.

Laura Stine

Location: Salem, Oregon

Website: ide-nw.org

Laura has been involved in democratic education since the 1960s as a progressive educator, activist, and founder of publicly-funded progressive and democratic schools. Laura is co-founder and Executive Director of the Northwest Institute for Democratic Education, Inc., a tax-exempt non-profit, whose mission is to advance the progress of democratic education in the Northwest United States.

Khalif Williams

Location: Brooksville, Maine

Khalif Williams, Director of The Bay School in Maine, is passionate about building the social movement toward just and sustainable societies through education. He has been working in the arenas of youth work, social change and education for over 15 years. Khalif and his wife raise 2 young sons, both unschoolers, and try their best to protect their inherent freedom and joy.