Child-Centered and Reform Pedagogy Founders

Theodore Ryland Sizer (June 23, 1932, October 21, 2009) was a leader of educational reform in the United States, the founder (and eventually President Emeritus) of the Essential Schools Movement and was known for challenging longstanding practices and assumptions about the functioning of American secondary schools.

Maria Tecla Artemisia Montessori ( MON-tiss-OR-ee; Italian: [maˈriːa montesˈsɔːri]; 31 August 1870-6 May 1952) was an Italian physician and educator best known for her philosophy of education (the Montessori method) and her writing on scientific pedagogy.

Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi (; German: [ˈjoːhan ˈhaɪnrɪç pɛstaˈlɔtsiː] ; Italian: [pestaˈlɔttsi]; 12 January 1746-17 February 1827) was a Swiss pedagogue and educational reformer who exemplified Romanticism in his approach.

Friedrich Wilhelm August Fröbel or Froebel (German: [ˈfʁiːdʁɪç ˈvɪlhɛlm ˈʔaʊɡʊst ˈfʁøːbl̩] ; 21 April 1782-21 June 1852) was a German pedagogue, a student of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, who laid the foundation for modern education based on the recognition that children have unique needs and capabilities.

She proposed to base the education of children upon a wide and liberal curriculum.

Célestin Freinet ([seləsˈtɛ̃ fʀeˈnɛ], 15 October 1896 in Gars, Alpes-Maritimes, 8 October 1966 in Vence) was a French pedagogue and educational reformer.

In the third phase of his work, beginning after World War I, Steiner worked on various ostensibly applied projects, including Waldorf education, biodynamic agriculture, and anthroposophical medicine.

David Manson (1726-1792) was an Irish schoolmaster who in teaching children basic literacy sought to exclude "drudgery and fear" by pioneering forms of experiential learning including play and peer tutoring.

Alexander Sutherland Neill (October 17, 1883 - September 23, 1973) was a Scottish progressive educator , author, and founder of Summerhill School.

The school he founded combined Western and Eastern practices.