Neill, Alexander Sutherland

Neill, Alexander Sutherland, 1883–1973, English educator. After teaching at state schools in Scotland, Neill became dissatisfied with traditional education. In 1924, he set up the progressive coeducational Summerhill School at Leiston, England. Among the school's experiments were optional attendance, a school parliament, and no religious instruction. Neill's works include The Problem Child (1927), The Problem Family (1949), and Summerhill (1960). He ideas, although controversial, continue to be debated.