Maybeck High School

2362 Bancroft Way
Berkeley, California 94704-1604
Phone: 510-841-8489
Website: http://www.maybeckhs.org/

Grades 9-12. Maybeck is a co-educational, teacher-run, independent college preparatory high school. About 100 students are enrolled in grades 9-12. Of the 13 staff, seven hold advanced degrees; the average tenure is 16 years. Teachers formed a workers’ cooperative to run the school, and have elected to use democratic decisionmaking that involves students in aspects of the school’s program.

Established in 1972, Maybeck is a small community dedicated to learning, where all forms of diversity can flourish amid mutual support, respect, and responsibility. Through small classes, high expectations, academic excellence, and programs outside the school, students prepare for college and acquire the tools to engage actively and creatively in the wider world. The school works to achieve a similar union between the traditional study of academic subject matter and the exploration and appreciation of nature.

Synergy School

1387 Valencia Street
San Francisco, California 94110
Phone: 415-567-6177
Website: http://www.synergyschool.org
Email: info@synergyschool.org

Grades K-7. Synergy School, founded in 1973, is a vibrant community of 185 students, their families, and over 20 teachers and staff. Synergy's founders were committed to creating a school that thoroughly empowered teachers in every way. Synergy is a true cooperative. All Synergy teachers are co-directors of the school.

All administrators teach part-time and are responsible for the day-to-day operation of the school. They support the growth and development of the teachers and provide important coordination and communication links within the Synergy community. All staff members are responsible for the implementation and development of curriculum, and for long-range planning and direction. The combining and sharing of staff-member energies, skills, and resources enhance the strengths and cooperative nature of Synergy.

The mission of Synergy School is to provide a quality education by empowering children to flourish academically, to blossom as individuals, and to become self-confident, creative learners. Evaluation of student progress occurs regularly through discussion, observation, portfolios, and testing. Standard grading becomes part of evaluation in the middle school program.

Walden Center and School

2446 McKinley Avenue
Berkeley, California 94703
Phone: 510-841-7248
Website: http://www.walden-school.net

Grades K-6. Walden School is a small school run by a teacher cooperative that was established in 1958 by parents and teachers interested in pacifism and social change. Teachers value students’ personal and social growth and artistic expression as much as their academic achievement, and do not use grades for evaluation. The school has an average enrollment of 90. The teacher-student ratio is 16:1. Teachers, who meet weekly, run the cooperative with help from a business manager. They work together with staff on four committees: Fundraising, Outreach, Community Events, and Earthquake Preparedness. Walden parents maintain the physical facility and staff the office through a 50-hour/year work commitment.