Francis W. Parker Charter Essential School - Philosophy

Philosophy

See also: Coalition of Essential Schools, Educational progressivism, and School reform

Parker's nontraditional educational philosophy is based on the ideas espoused by Sizer and the CES laid out in the Common Principles. Sizer's objections to mainstream public schools include:

• Time wasted going from classroom to classroom.
• Elective courses which distract resources, time, and energy from the core curriculum.
• The inflated importance of sports.
• Unidirectional lecturing of teacher to student.

The Parker School addresses these problems with:

• Block scheduling: Three two-hour blocks a day with the integrated subjects "Arts and Humanities" and "Math, Science and Technology," as well as shorter "Wellness" and Spanish classes. Division III classes are one hour long and more focused on specific content areas.
• A common core curriculum: There are no electives until the student enters Division III (roughly equivalent to grades 11 and 12). Every student takes the same core curriculum through Divisions I and II (grades 7-10). Spanish is the only language offered at Parker. The core curriculum contributes to a sense of unity among the student population.
• A "teacher as coach" philosophy: Students address teachers by their first names, and every written assignment and oral presentation has an intensive draft and revision process so the student can interact with the teacher as much as possible. A result of this is that work is not graded in the traditional way at Parker. Work is commented on extensively and compared to a rubric of standards for a given "division". The bulk of teacher feedback is usually given with the aim of aiding further revision rather than as a final assessment of the student (see below)
• Depth over breadth: At Parker one does not find any survey courses like "US History." Rather, the teachers of Arts and Humanities will choose a few issues of American history to discuss in depth that year (19th century Immigration, Vietnam War, etc.), and then use the tools of a variety of disciplines (art, history, literature) to explore that same topic in greater depth than any one discipline alone would do.
• Advancement based on achievement: There is no social promotion from one grade to the next from year to year; nor are there traditional letter grades. Rather, student work is assessed based on whether it meets the standard and students move between divisions when they assemble a portfolio of work proving that they can produce work that meets the standards of that division (typically after 1½–2½ years). Work that does not yet meet standards is assessed as "incomplete", "just beginning" or "approaching" the standard and students are expected to revise their work continually to show improvement. When students have completed a portfolio of "meets" or "exceeds" work, they complete a "gateway" presentation highlighting their learning and showing they are ready to move forward.
• The advisory system: Advisories (equivalent to "homerooms" in traditional schools) are designed to create close relationships between students and teachers. Advisories have roughly twelve students. Each advisory has a faculty advisor at the head, and for fifteen minutes at the beginning and end of each day, advisories meet to connect and reflect together and discuss the events of their personal lives. An hour a week on Wednesdays is also dedicated to advisory time, usually spent in non-academic activities.