Open education is a theory of education based on the principle that education and its curriculum should be active, fluid, and individualized. The primary concern of open education is to facilitate meeting educational goals while fulfilling the unique, individual potential of each child. Open education is particularly relevant to curriculum studies because of this flexible format. Originating out of various grassroots communities, open education incorporates many differing theories of education. It is sometimes referred to as informal education.

Modern open education in the United States has been greatly influenced by the primary education system of England. During an educational revolution after World War II, many English educators began incorporating ideas that would later become open education. In 1967, the English minister of education commissioned a report ...