Premier School Models

What is a lab school? It is a K-12 school or school with some variation of those grades which typically is operated by a university or college. Sometimes it is called a demonstration school. A few lab schools are not affiliated with any institution of higher learning.

The school is a lab or laboratory school because teachers in training and the faculty of the college's education department usually have a hand in teaching and running the school. Like scientists experimenting in their labs, these educators use the lab school as their place to try out theories and methods. They also provide student teachers a controlled situation where they can learn the art of teaching.

Most lab schools are progressive schools as well. What are the differences between traditional and progressive schools? This chart from the Wingras School in Madison, Wisconsin illustrates the main differences. Lab schools adopt the progressive philosophy as part of their child-centric approach to education. The flexibility inherent in the progressive approach works well with student teachers who are just coming to grips with how children learn.

The list of schools which follows includes only private lab schools. Many state and public universities operate their lab schools in conjunction with the local school district. As such they do not charge tuition or charge very little tuition. The private lab schools do charge tuition.

A.E. Phillips Laboratory School, Ruston, LA
Grades: K-8
Program: "The school's purpose is to educate students in a wholesome, challenging

Progressive schools have been around since the early 1900s. Some educators think that progressives are rebels against traditional rote learning. Progressive educators like to think of themselves as reformers. The truth is somewhere in between the two points of view.

This video offers an overview of the Progressive movement.

The movement has an interesting history. Read about John Dewey (1859-1952), the modern founder of the movement in the U.S. You can only wonder what might have happened to public education had some of his ideas taken root. As it is, progressive educators and schools that employ their philosophies are confined to the private sector. A list of private schools that embrace progressive ideals, teachings, and curricula is below.

• Bank Street College of Education
• Buxton School
• The Calhoun School
• The Children's Community School
• The Children's School of Oak Park
• The City and Country School
• Dalton School
• Foundations School Community
• Friends Community School
• Greenwood Friends School
• The Little Red Schoolhouse and Elisabeth Irwin High School
• The Little School
• The Manhattan Country School
• The Miquon School
• Oak Lane Day School
• Oakwood School
• Our Community School
• The Park School of Baltimore
• The Park School of Buffalo
• The Philadelphia School
• Presidio Hill School
• The Putney School
• San Roque School
• The School in Rose Valley
• Sequoyah School
• St. Francis School
• Westland School
• Windrush School
• Wingra School

The Origins of the Progressive Movement

In

Roman Catholic Boarding Schools

Educating the young has been a mission of the Roman Catholic Church for as long as anybody can remember.

• While curricula and teaching methods have changed dramatically over the years, one thing is immutable: these schools do a great job educating their students.
• The proof is the very high percentage of their graduates who go on to colleges and universities nationwide and abroad.
• Most Roman Catholic schools are day schools, typically affiliated with a parish or diocese.

With many other boarding schools charging $65,000-85,000 a year for their services, these boarding schools offer good value as such things go.

• A couple of schools are single sex schools. The rest are co-educational institutions.
• Roman Catholic orders, such as the Jesuits or Salesians, who specialize in teaching, run many of these schools.

The standards are high.

• Most schools have uniform or dress codes.
• Core values are also taught, along with plenty of instruction in the Catholic faith.
• These Catholic schools produce graduates whose solid spiritual and academic foundations anchor them for advancement in later life.

Canva generated this picture of coats of arms.

The Schools

Check out the profiles of these schools. Many of them also take day students, so if you live in the area, you can have the best of both worlds.

Canterbury School, New Milford, CT
Grades 9-12
350 students
Coed

"The Canterbury experience is a rich one for both boarding and

Free Schools

There are only a handful of free private schools in the United States.

• Most of them were founded many years ago by visionary, community-minded individuals.
• These public-minded men and women believed that children from working-class and poor families should have the same educational advantages as children from families with money.
• Several schools have a religious connection, such as Regis High in New York and the Cristo Rey Schools.
• While the details vary from school to school, they all provide a tuition-free education.
• The Cristo Rey schools have a work-study component.

Parental involvement is another feature of these schools.

• These schools have had an enormous impact on society.
• They benefit thousands of students, and their families are priceless.

As you read about these schools and watch the videos, remember that all these schools believe emphatically that an education does not consist solely of academics.

• Each school understands that a child needs nurturing and counseling to maximize the opportunities before him.
• These schools expect the child's family to be involved.
• His education is a partnership of three: home, school, and student. T
• hat's what it takes to provide the solid foundation a child needs to succeed in adulthood.

Canva generated this picture of a parent.

Free Private Schools

De Marillac Academy, San Francisco

De Marillac Academy, San Francisco, is an example of the best educational initiative the Roman Catholic Church sponsored.

• Established by the Daughters

Do you know....? If you know the answers to all these questions, you probably teach or work in a private school. Be that as it may, these questions contain links with the answers. Test your knowledge. Dispel some urban legends about private schools. Do you know....?

• the five things critics love to hate about private schools?
• that private schools have become quite diverse?
• that not every Montessori school is the real thing?
• that there are free private schools?
• that private school may be free if you make less than $75,000?
• that 8th graders in 1895 had to take a final exam like this?
• how to evaluate a private school?
• how to avoid common mistakes during your admissions interview?
• how to pay for private school?
• how to find a private school job?
• what the research says about single-sex education?
• what private school teachers make?
• what is being taught in private schools?
• what the difference is between an independent and a private school?
• when to apply to private school?
• where to find scholarships?
• when you should consider a special needs school?
• where you can use cellphones and iPods in school?
• which school is best for your child?
• which school is the most expensive?
• which school Malia and Sasha Obama are attending in Washington?
• why there is no ranking of private schools?
• why you should send your child to a private school versus a public school?
• why small classes are better than large ones?
• why AP courses are worth