Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Yaacov Hecht born 1958 in Hadera is an Israeli educator and worldwide pioneer of democratic education. As a dyslectic youth, Hecht encountered many challenges in the public education system which led him to develop his strengths through sports and youth leadership. During his university studies, and following several years of experience in youth movements and a visit to Summerhill School, Hecht created the core group which in 1987 founded the Democratic School of Hadera. This was the first alternative school in the world named a Democratic School . Hecht served as its principal for the first ten years. While managing the school in Hadera, Hecht helped create 25 additional democratic schools. To meet growing demand for support, training and consultation in the field he established the Institute for Democratic Education in 1995. Following the assassinationof Prime Minister Rabin that year, the Institute''s program Schools Experiencing Democracy was adopted for use in over 200 public schools in Israel.