The Basic School

A micro-community approach to education with vision and values The U.S. education system has remained somewhat static as the world changes furiously around it. The Basic School: A Community for Learning offers a model for the future. The classroom — and by extension, the school — is positioned as a little community focused on learning. Teachers are empowered with real leadership, parents are partners, resources are rich, and the curriculum is coherent and centralized. This book describes how to bring this dream-school into reality through a series of small steps forward that, over time, become a journey through progress.

Acknowledgments vii Trustees of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching xiv Preface xv The Vision of the Basic School xxi Prologue: A New Beginning 3 I The School as Community. A Shared Vision 15 Teachers as Leaders 31 Parents as Partners 47 II A Curriculum with Coherence. The Centrality of Language 65 The Core Commonalities 81 Measuring Results 103 III A Climate for Learning. Patterns to Fit Purpose 119 Resources to Enrich 137 Services for Children 153 IV A Commitment to Character. The Core Virtues 173 Living with Purpose 187 Appendix A Further Acknowledgments 197 Appendix B Technical Notes 203 Notes 209 Index 247