HIGH SCHOOL

Young Women's Leadership Charter School
Grades 7-12, 325 students
YWLCS is the only all-girls public school in the city. YWLCS seeks to provide a safe space to encourage women to succeed in math, science, and technology.
2641 S. Calumet Ave.
312-949-9400
(www.ywlcs.org)

Chicago Charter Schools
The city of Chicago has about 20 public charter schools serving a diverse range of interests.
(www.cps.k12.il.us/schools/charter/charter.html)

Alternative Schools Network
The Alternative Schools Network keeps an up-to-date list of alternative schools and programs in the Chicagoland area. This site is a great resource, so be sure to check it out.
(www.asnchicago.org)

The Chicago Sudbury School
The Chicago Sudbury School is a private school that takes a very unique approach to education. They follow the Sudbury model of education, which believes that children should make their own choices in regards to what to learn, when to learn, and how to learn. There is no set curriculum, no grades, no teachers, and no tests. This type of education isn't for everyone, but it might be for you. Check out their website to learn more about the Sudbury model of education.
2746 N. Magnolia Ave.
Chicago, IL. 60614
773-348-4575
(www.chicagosudburyschool.org)

The Chicago Waldorf School
The Chicago Waldorf School is a private school serving grades pre-K through 12 that follows the Waldorf model of education. It believes that the whole child should be educated: body, mind, and spirit. This is achieved by integrating the arts into almost every aspect of education. You can learn more about the school and the Waldorf model of education at the school's website.
1300 W. Loyola
Chicago, IL. 60626
773-465-2662
(www.chicagowaldorf.org)


HOME SCHOOLING/UNSCHOOLING

Unschooling
Unschooling is a way to become educated without having to "do school." Emphasis is placed on the choices and interests of the individual, and learning through doing. Unschooling.org is a great resource to those new to the concept of unschooling. It contains lot of information for kids and parents.
(www.unschooling.com)

The Teenage Liberation Handbook by Grace Llewellyn
This book is the unschooler's bible. It contains reasons why you should quit school, how to reclaim your ability to learn and teach yourself, how to gain your parents' and friends' support, how to design your own education, how to go to college without going to high school, how to find apprenticeships and internships, and how other unschoolers live and learn. The book is $20 at the publisher's website above. Or, you can see if your local library has a copy, or if there's a dusty copy in a used book store.
(www.lowryhousepublishers.com/TeenageLiberationHandbook.htm)

Pura Vida
This is the personal site of an unschooling teenager. This site is an impressive link library of different resources all across the web. From learning, to travel, to gap years, this site has tons of information. Don't let the cluttered web design scare you off; this site is a gold mine of information.
(www.geocities.com/moonwindstarsky/unschooling)

MIT OpenCourseware
MIT OpenCourseware is a "free and open resource" that publishes MIT course materials. Included on the site are even some video lectures. This is a great self-educational resource.
(www.ocw.mit.edu/index.html)


COLLEGE/POST-HIGH SCHOOL

The Princeton Review
The Princeton Review is a great place to start the college selection process. If you register on the site (for free), you can access the Counselor-O-Matic, which asks very specific questions about you as a student and what you're looking for in a college and then chooses the best schools based on that information. Worth a look.
(www.princetonreview.com)

Colleges That Change Lives
Colleges That Change Lives, edited by Loren Pope, is a group of 40 liberal arts colleges that are distinctive and different. Often, these schools are less well-known than the Ivies, but offer comparable and sometimes even better educations. The college you've been looking for might just be on the list, so check it out.
(www.ctcl.comwww.ctcl.com)

Making a Difference College and Graduate Guide
Making a Difference is the college resource guide for "tree-hugging, peace-loving do-gooders." The book can be ordered from the website for $18. However, older editions can be found on websites like www.half.com for a lot less. You don't need to buy the book, though, to get some good information. The website features sample profiles of Making a Difference colleges. Also on the site is the Making a Difference Scholarship guide, with sample profiles of different scholarships. This is a great guide for anyone who wants to make a difference with their four years of college.
(www.sageworks.net)

Gap Year
Taking a year off after high school before entering college (often called a gap year) is a common practice in Europe. However, gap years have only recently began to gain popularity and acceptance here in the United States. At gapyear.com you can read the journals of kids who are doing gap years right now, and you can find information and resources for what to do if you decide to do a gap year. Gapyear.com shows that you can do meaningful and exciting things during your time off... and not just waste a year sitting on the couch!
(www.gapyear.com)

Fastweb
Fastweb is the number one resource on the internet for finding scholarships to help you pay for college. Register on the site, fill out an extensive survey about your achievements and interests, and automatically find hundreds of scholarships. Plus, it's all free. Fastweb will also show you jobs available in your area. Fastweb is virtually the only site you'll need in your scholarship search.
(www.fastweb.com)