“High Meadows strives to be a beacon for progressive education by advocating for children and setting them on the path to a joyful life filled with curiosity, connection, and purpose,” says Jay Underwood, head of school. “Our goal for the center is similar in that we endeavor to present the inner workings and benefits of a progressive education to both parents and professionals while activating the community to act with knowledge and purpose.”
In keeping with the progressive education tenet that learning is a social endeavor, the center brings teachers and parents together to share perspectives, enriching the experience for everyone. Recently, renowned psychologist Madeline Levine spoke about authentic success at a free, open-to-the-public event. Before the presentation, parents and educators held a book study of her book, Teach Your Children Well. Such conversations build strong relationships and understanding between two of the most important groups of people in a children’s life, one of the core aims of the center.
The center also offers innovative professional development programming for teachers that delivers content in a progressive manner, demonstrating the interconnectedness of our actions, words, and ideals.
“The workshop [on Growing Social Intelligence] went through all the interconnected parts of social intelligence, linking back to brain research and giving teachers practical applications,” says workshop participant and teacher Carla Kapadia.
“We were able to collaborate and share different styles, experiences, and strategies,” adds participant Danielle Wright. “We were given the chance to explore the what if questions and our own real-life scenarios, which allowed us to share our past trials. We were given tried-and-true, researched techniques but also encouraged to adapt the strategies to meet our own situations and needs.”
The center is making teacher and parent visits to High Meadows School a more immersive experience and is looking to partner with local university teacher training programs to create a residency. The immersion model encourages teachers to reach deeper into the philosophy of progressive education before spending time in High Meadows classrooms observing the philosophy in action. Immersion also helps families recognize the value of progressive learning for their own children, despite having had a more traditional education themselves.
The High Meadows Center for Progressive Learning helps the school build community understanding and awareness of the most important ideas and models in education today. “The early feedback from our programming has confirmed that we are on the right course,” Underwood says.