The paper presents a study about the non-formal education and its role in the wide educative process. It considers the non-formal education as an area of knowledge still in construction. It studies the possibility of this educational process in the councils of schools and the learning that results from the civil society participation in these councils. The paper has two parts: the first has a theoretical character and discusses the non-formal category, distinguishing it from the formal and informal education categories. The second one investigates the non-formal category in the councils of the schools and in the social movements acting in the educational area.
Non-formal education; Formal education; Informal education; Participative councils; Civil society participation; Council school