The managing director of the Personal Education Foundation, Shih Ying, was originally deputy professor of Taiwan University's mathematics department. Concerned about the cram-oriented nature of the education system, with a few friends from teaching circles he set out to realize his educational ideals by setting up the foundation and an alternative junior school.
人本教育文教基金會董事長史英原本是台灣大學數學系副教授，有感於「當年念書時就為參考書躲督學，如今孩子還在躲督學」，而與幾位學術界朋友成立「人本基金會」，並創辦了教育體制之外的森林小學，實現他理想的教育方式。