Welcome to The ASDE Compendium,
The ASDE Compendium is NOW available in TWO FORMS: Self-Guided Model and Guided Cohort Model!
The Alliance for Self-Directed Education has been working hard to develop a resource for the community that will support folks on their SDE journeys — after more than a year of work with over 60 creators and the support of The VELA Education Fund, we introduce to you...
a rich collection of four sections featuring knowledge, wisdom, and lived experiences from practitioners of Self-Directed Education (SDE) around the world.
This is not just a resource — it’s a vibrant community of learners, educators, and changemakers who believe in the power of Self-Directed Education for social change and upending oppressive systems.
Whether you’re new to SDE or a seasoned practitioner, this experience will deepen your understanding, inspire new ideas, and connect you with folks dedicated to reimagining education.
More information on our pricing tiers is here.
We have heard from folks involved in the Compendium process how much of an impact this has already had on them... Some things people have to say....
Here’s a Little Preview!
What will this course cover?
We designed this course to be supportive for folks who are new in their SDE journey, and folks who have been doing this for many years and engaged in a lot of deep learning. This course has so much content, you can simply move faster through content that you already know. However, even “101” content can be helpful to revisit. Our team has a breadth of experience, and we all enjoyed going through the content and bringing new and diverse perspectives to our SDE deep dives.
The ASDE Compendium includes articles, videos, and audio from over 60 diverse creators, spanning the topics of Most Common Topics in SDE, Parents for Collective Liberation, Intersectional Unschooling, Neurodivergence and Disability in SDE, Building Resilient Communities, and MORE!
This Compendium, hosted online with lifetime access, is a collection of four courses in one, including:
-
Intro to Self-Directed Education
- What is SDE?
- A Day in the Life
- Most Common Topics in SDE
- Intersectional SDE
-
Liberatory Practices for Parents, Caregivers, and Facilitators
- Practices and Tools
- The Deep Work: intersectional considerations
-
Building Resilient SDE Community:
- Grounding Values and Getting Started
- Being in Community: Decision Making, Conflict, and More
- Creative Solutions and Communities
-
Neurodivergence and Disability (ND&D) in SDE
- Deschooling ND&D
- Supporting our Brains and Bodies
- Supportive Community for ND&D
- Supportive Community Within SDE: ND&D
And a resource section designed to go even deeper into individual topics!
Deciding Which Tier to Buy (Self-Guided)
The Compendium is a major source of income for the year and we worked to come up with pricing tiers that keep our fundraising equitable and content accessible with a sliding scale, while financially supporting ASDE as we continue to offer expansive support and resources. We also looked across course prices and landed on a cost that was much lower than typical rates for the amount of content (4x the amount of many courses), in order to increase accessibility to much needed information and continued support in this growing movement.
ASDE is committed to accessibility and folks can always email info@self-directed.org if they are in need of further support.
Accessible Tier
This price point is the minimum viable price for this amount of content, work, knowledge, and energy that went into this course, unless otherwise needed for accessibility purposes.
Supportive Tier
Full course price. This is the price that more accurately reflects the amount of content, work, knowledge, and energy that went into this course. We encourage folks to choose this amount if paying this would not stress their finances. For more on sliding scale examples see this diagram.
Giving More/Community/Org Tier
This price point is for businesses and SDE orgs who will be using the information learned through The ASDE Compendium to enhance their businesses, consulting, and education practices. This price point can also be used for SDE Centers looking to purchase a course to share with their staff/facilitators. However, if you have the funds, we ask that you please purchase individual spots for folks at the center at the $279 or $379 price point
This tier is also for any folks who have extra access to funds and can pay this price without it stressing their finances. Your extra support allows ASDE to stay true to our accessibility vision.
There are also 3-month payment plans available for each tier. You can access those here.
The ASDE Compendium 2026 Guided Cohorts
The ASDE Compendium Guided Cohort model offers a collaborative group experience of diving deeper into the material through discussions, reflections, and deschooling considerations. Members of the ASDE organizing team will be stewarding these cohorts so that participants will be supported in large and small group conversations as well as with ongoing email support and a library of podcast interviews with the Compendium contributors.
This January 2026, we are offering four consecutive cohorts looking at each of the four units that together make up the Compendium: Introduction to Self-Directed Education; Liberatory Practices for Parents, Caregivers, and Facilitators; Building Resilient SDE Community; Neurodivergence and Disability within SDE. Each cohort will be six weeks long with three live large group video call sessions and additional asynchronous support throughout. You can join any individual cohort, mix and match the ones that speak to you, or commit to the full six-month experience and receive a discounted “Full Compendium” package.
Each cohort includes three live 90-minute sessions, held on Sundays (dates listed below) from
9–10:30am PT / 11am–12:30pm CT / 12–1:30pm ET.
Whether you’re a parent, facilitator, educator, elder, community-builder, or anyone involved in (or interested in) SDE, these cohorts ground us in moving through challenging and stretching ideas and questions together. We will explore the values that define SDE, the liberatory practices that sustain it, the community work that nourishes it, and the deep disability-affirming frameworks that make it truly inclusive.
Join us for one, a few, or all four — each cohort stands powerfully on its own and becomes even richer in sequence.
TL;DR: 1 ASDE Compendium; 4 cohorts; 6 weeks each; 6 months for full compendium
SIGN-UP Here! IMPORTANT Note: This purchase page includes both guided cohort and self-guided course options. If you are signing up for a cohort, make sure to choose one of the pricing options that include GUIDED COHORT in the title.
The Cohorts:
Cohort One: Intro to Self-Directed Education
Dates: Jan 18 • Feb 1 • Feb 15
Meeting Times: 12-1:30pm Eastern Time
In this cohort, we lay the foundation — what Self-Directed Education really is, how it shows up in varied ways in direct practice, the most common topics and questions in SDE, and the intersectional framework that are key for a liberatory practice of SDE. Whether you are new to SDE, or want to ground yourself in key values, this is a great place to start.
Purchase the Intro to Self-Directed Education Cohort here!
Cohort Two: Liberatory Practices for Parents, Caregivers, and Facilitators
Meeting Dates: Mar 1 • Mar 15 • Mar 29
Together, we will examine the thoughts, actions, and behaviors that inform and affect our relationships with young people, and partner in liberatory ways with youth. Our practice is ongoing and imperfect. We delve in with raw honesty together so we can untangle systems, assumptions, and beliefs that have been deeply ingrained and hold us back in this work. This cohort is perfect for anyone working directly with youth or wanting to align their parenting or facilitation with SDE values.
Purchase the Liberatory Practices for Parents, Caregivers, and Facilitators Cohort here!
Cohort Three: Building Resilient SDE Community
Meeting Dates: Apr 12 • Apr 26 • May 17
Meeting Times: 12-1:30pm Eastern Time
SDE thrives in community — and building that community takes intention. In this cohort, we explore the structures, cultures, and practices that are central to SDE communities (centers and schools). Topics include conflict engagement, decision-making, iteration, and building strong and sustainable culture. Founders and staff get honest about the real struggles, challenges, and deep transformations that have happened for them and others in SDE communities. This cohort is perfect for folks who want to start, transform, or strengthen SDE communities.
Purchase the Building Resilient Community Cohort here!
Cohort Four: Neurodivergence and Disability (ND&D) in SDE
Meeting Dates: May 31 • Jun 14 • Jun 28
Meeting Times: 12-1:30pm Eastern Time
In this cohort we will explore the experiences, tools, practices, and considerations for supporting neurodivergent or disabled people in SDE. Non-coercive learning relationships and environments cannot be discussed in isolation from our human experience in our brains, bodies, and the contexts we exist in. This topic is so varied, intersectional, and important in our work as SDE practitioners and advocates. It is necessary to give it deep space and time to work through and continue to learn more. Together we will unravel our assumptions about ND&D.
Purchase the Neurodivergence and Disability in SDE Cohort here!
Choose the cohort that speaks to where you are right now — or say yes to the full six-month journey and experience a truly deep, winding, sometimes tricky, but nourishing path into the heart of Self-Directed Education.
SIGN-UP for the full experience of ALL FOUR cohorts Here! IMPORTANT Note: This purchase page includes both guided cohort and self-guided course options. If you are signing up for a cohort, make sure to choose one of the pricing options that include GUIDED COHORT in the title.