Daring to Give Our Children a Voice

In 1997, fifteen council meetings were observed and recorded at the Albany Free School and subsequently analyzed. Unbeknownst to the school, the council meetings were found to be very similar to what Lawrence Kohlberg had in mind when he developed his Just Community Model. This article discusses how this council meeting forum compares to Kohlberg's model. The most significant finding concerns how teachers interact with the students throughout the meetings can have a large impact on the students' understandings as to how to participate in such forums. Thus, it is recommended that teachers be present at the meetings but not officiate. It is also suggested that teachers take an emotionally neutral position so as not to influence the solutions outcome. (Contains 1 table.)