The Alliance for Self-Directed Education (ASDE) is dedicated to increasing accessibility and awareness of Self-Directed Education (SDE) as a way of living and learning, and connecting the communities and voices of the movement. ASDE envisions a world where young people’s human rights are respected and upheld, including the freedom to direct their lives and education, and where Self-Directed Education is widely embraced, accepted, and available to all families regardless of their status, race, or income. The organizing team works behind the scenes to manage the website, support Alliance members, coordinate advocacy projects, and help augment the voices and experiences of those in the Self-Directed Education movement everywhere. ASDE has several major initiatives, including Tipping Points, a Resource Directory, facilitation of local SDE groups, and more. ASDE values the agency of young people and joyful and fulfilling lives for all, steering towards this by destroying obstacles like ableism and white supremacy while holding space for young people’s embodiment of liberation through play and curiosity as much as possible in the here and now, recognizing that community is both a practice and a path in this work. ASDE’s core values include believing in the rights of young people, including the right to choose their own education, while recognizing adultism as a prevalent form of oppression that must be actively dismantled; believing in collective liberation through being actively against oppression, with rights, liberation, and freedom intertwined; and believing that learning, growth, and support happens in community.
Why it matters: ASDE champions young people’s fundamental human right to direct their own lives and education rather than treating children as passive recipients of adult-designed curricula, recognizing adultism as a prevalent form of oppression requiring active dismantling. By working to make Self-Directed Education widely embraced and available to all families regardless of status, race, or income, ASDE demonstrates that educational freedom cannot be a privilege for those who can afford alternatives but must be accessible to everyone. The organization’s commitment to destroying obstacles like ableism and white supremacy while holding space for young people’s embodiment of liberation through play and curiosity shows that collective liberation requires recognizing that we cannot be free while another is oppressed, making educational self-direction inseparable from broader movements for justice and young people’s agency.
