THE GROUP
SCHOOL

1971-1982

ARCHIVE AND

RESOURCE CENTER

1971 - 1982

A man with long dark hair and a mustache playing an acoustic guitar, sitting and smiling at two people in front of him, in a sepia tone image.

ARCHIVE AND RESOURCE CENTER

Black and white photo of a diverse group of women, including a woman with an afro, seated and standing in a room with a high ceiling and large windows, engaged in conversation.

A wooden sign with an illustration of two hands gripping a globe, containing the words 'The Group School' in red and orange letters.

Three women sitting at a table, reading a book titled 'Our Bodies, Our Selves,' with posters on the wall behind them.

By filmmaker Christina Barnes

In 1971 a group of young workers and working-class teenagers who felt pushed out, neglected, and labeled by their schools began an extraordinary experiment in Cambridge, MA.

Joined by young teachers who had similar critiques of public education, The Group ran a successful summer program and subsequently opened The Group School (TGS) — a high school degree-granting program.

These origins gave the school its distinguishing characteristics: democratic decision-making, experiential learning, and critical explorations of class, race, and gender.

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The Group School Graduated Over 600 Students Between 1971 and 1982.

Since 2021, alumni and faculty have been reconnecting via Zoom and sharing how the school impacted their lives. The idea for this website emerged from this 50-year perspective on what constitutes a powerful and lasting educational experience.

Four young men standing in front of an old television set, smiling and posing for the photo, with one man in the foreground and three behind him.

RADICAL,
THEN
AND NOW

Over half a century since TGS opened its doors, the social justice ideals at its core continue to animate educational activists: creation of democratic, liberating spaces where young people feel a sense of belonging and learn to use their minds and voices to overcome race, class and gender barriers as they build towards a better future for their communities.

Now, as then, these principles distinguish such efforts as radically different from traditional public schools.

Learn About TGS THEN →

What’s TGS Doing NOW →

Drawing of a brick school building with large windows, a main entrance with a rounded arch, and three children standing at the door. The sign above the door says 'THE GROUP SCHOOL'. The artist's signature is in the bottom right corner.

A group of people seated and standing around a room with a sign that reads 'School Governance' on the wall, in a setting that appears to be a community or school meeting.

Black and white photo of a busy city street during a protest or riot, with crowds of people, a burning object on the road.

A group of police wearing protective gear in a line, standing in front of a sign that reads 'Yoga Restaurant' and other signs with partially visible words.

Group of seven young people sitting on stairs, smiling and chatting, in casual clothing, with some leaning on the staircase railings.

Black and white collage of several group photos featuring women, men, and children in various social and outdoor settings, with handwritten notes and typed captions.

Group of people in a discussion or meeting, seated in chairs in a room with wooden wall paneling and large windows.

"To me, the Group School is not a place but a time, a very important time. A time to find myself and a time to find others . . . A time to learn about myself as a working class person and to learn history of the working class people. But most of all, time to be myself."

— Mark Simpson, Graduate
"...Just to say about how profoundly moved I am to be part of this conversation right now. I feel like I've learned more about the group school in the past hour and a half than I ever knew.. . And the emotional impact of it I was not expecting. I feel blown away.”

— Jon Kabat Zinn, Faculty
"When I look back all those years what I see is the utter joy in believing in something and that it actually worked!"

— Jeanne Sullivan Ebert, Graduate / Founding Student
"Having worked in schools for 51 years, I know deep in my bones that being part of starting The Group School was the most profound experience I ever had as an educator. We had to wrestle with every single element of what makes a school–assessment, governance, community values, graduation requirements, and on and on."

— Steve Seidel, Faculty
"First of all, having a safe place, and then learning how to open up about my feelings or my experiences. . . whether writing or you know, doing drama. . . all this was like trying to get the inside out. The things that we would normally hold inside. . . that's the part that I love the most about the Group School. . .the growing part of it."

— Sean Tevlin, Graduate
"One thing I remember is that we used to go into meetings and everybody would be yelling and having heated discussions. But the next day we would be in another meeting; we didn’t take off, we didn’t go away. We came back and we fought it out. It gave us strength. I got my voice at TGS and I never lost it since."

— Marilyn Cuiezo Arnott, Graduate
"The school gave me a different sense of not having to be afraid of a lot of stuff. Even though you’re not sure where you’re at in your life. But life has possibilities and they’re not as dire as you might have thought. That’s one of things I’ll always think about."

— Dave Bryan, Graduate
"For me it was actually like the place that started me on the way that I've lived the rest of my life. . . . it was really about the power of connection, and the idea that education and learning is like this lifelong pursuit, and it's part of, who you are and who you become."

— Katherine (Teeter) Thomas, Graduate
"Public school teaches you how to be the same as everyone else, believe the same way, talk the same, even feel the same, which destroys the students’ confidence. . . The Group School teaches students how to be aware of themselves, believe in themselves, and most of all care for others as well."

— Bill Igo, Graduate
"I came to this school feeling I couldn’t exist in the public schools and that sort of top down hierarchical thing. . . One of the things I took away was actually seeing how much listening to students’ voices, how important that was...that’s been the hallmark of my teaching - listening to students."

— Judy Tharinger, Faculty
“I learned a lot about myself, to respect myself more. I’m no longer ashamed of who I am and where I’m coming from. I know now I have to accept my history and make it better.”

— From a student evaluation, 1972
"Some day my children will be further educated. I will encourage them to experience an alternative school such as this one. It is important to feel secure and relaxed. The Group School has helped me to develop this technique."

— Pamela Scott, Graduate

Five engaged in a conversation in a room, one woman is speaking with her hand on her chest, two are standing with arms crossed, and one is standing with hand on stomach; there are chairs, a table, and a sign on the wall that says No smoking in the theatre.

A Living Resource Center

What and how can people engaging in educational innovations and experiments today learn from prior efforts? Check out the Resource Center to find curriculum, tools and approaches relevant to current school reinvention projects.

explore Resources →

REMEMBER,
RESEARCH,
REINVENT

Five women standing in front of a wall decorated with photos and posters, with large text reading 'Changing Learning Changing Lives' on the wall.

Black and white photo of a young man standing on a city street, holding a camera with a strap around his neck, wearing a long-sleeved shirt and jeans. Buildings and parked cars are visible in the background.

THE GROUP
SCHOOL

↓

The Group School Graduated Over 600 Students Between 1971 and 1982.