ABSTRACT
From the first days in their settlements, the communes paid special attention to education. Most established their own independent institutions to take care of their young. More than places of learning, their schools served as a socializing agent. It was imperative to instill the values of their special way of life in the young generation. The small number of communes that lasted longer than one generation points, among other things, to the problems of instilling these values. In spite of the difficulties in realizing their communal way of life, there was not a single commune that avoided the effort involved in establishing an independent educational system simultaneously with the first economic and social institutions.
