A short list of folks we can contact at Dewey-oriented schools in the US:
1: John Dewey Learning Academy in Leecompton, KS, was founded nine years ago as an alternative high school.
Based in Kansas, but we might want to reach out by phone and email to get a sense of how these folks got started and what they are accomplishing.
"The mission of the John Dewey Learning Academy is to provide an authentic, nurturing, and academically challenging learning environment for high school level students that is connected to the world outside of school, is meaningful for students, and promotes their positive sense of community and enthusiasm for learning."
2: John Dewey High School in Brooklyn, NY, opened in September 1969. They list some interesting core principles:
* Students should learn by doing
* Students should learn at their own pace
* A student's education should be validated by his/her experience
* Grades inhibit learning and promote unwanted competition
* A classroom should be conducted by many teachers and many learners, not by one teacher and many learners
* If you give students responsibility, they will be responsible
* Students must be active participants in their education
3: The John Dewey Academy in Great Barrington, MA, just down the highway from Rachel and Greg in the Berkshires.
This one is a boarding high school for students ages 15-21. Their mission:
"We provide an individualized and comprehensive education for bright, troubled adolescents with a history of self-defeating or self-destructive choices. Our peer-based approach leads our students to high levels of achievement and inspires them to develop in ways that promote self-respect, maturity, and respect for others."
I found their FAQs helpful as a reality check as we continue to consider student needs when dealing with students with less privileged or less stable histories. Clinicians on board.
After reading through these sites (thanks for posting them, Rachel!), here's my initial reaction to each:
ReplyDelete1. This website made my eyes bleed. Also, I could not find anything of any particular value worth reading there.
2. The FAQ page is just text and not a link (i.e. it appears not to exist). However, I did appreciate the section directed toward parents, which included this: "As the parents or guardians of John Dewey High School students’ you are a part of this learning community. You might say that your children are older now; you don’t have to be as involved. The truth of the matter is that you’re needed now more than ever."
3. The John Dewey Academy sounds a lot like what Phil described as his ideal. (I so want a house like that one!) I did note that even at this boarding school for students of unfortunate backgrounds, they emphasize the importance of keeping the family involved and getting counseling help. Though I think my jaw just hit the floor looking at the tuition. http://www.jda.org/tuition.html
Overall, it looks to be as though there is a wide variety in what can be called a John Dewey school.
Tess and I looked over what little information there was available on the schools, and while there is some very interesting material to be gleaned from these three, none of them capture the heart of what our group is pursuing. I found it fascinating that the JD Academy requires students determine whether new applicants be admitted (I wholeheartedly approve) but their classrooms appear relatively "classical" in design ... and as Tess said, oddly missing is philosophy from the cirriculum!
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