“Of all the civil rights for which the world has struggled and fought for 5,000 years, the right to learn is undoubtedly the most fundamental." W. E. B. DuBois Building on the primary and intermediate division programs, which lay the foundations for inquiry and project-based integrated learning, the middle division of The School continues to foster multiple intelligences in our students. The focus of our small, nurturing community is to support students in becoming active, independent learners across ascending levels of integrated studies. A flexible block schedule of classes in eight subject areas provides students with both integrated and discipline-based content and skills. Through multiple lenses, students develop and practice the core competencies within the traditional disciplinary liberal arts framework. This balanced approach to integration recognizes that by eighth grade, middle division students face entry into public, parochial, and independent high schools in which they will need to demonstrate knowledge and capabilities across traditional academic disciplines. A personal advisory program and a life skills course of study in which teachers provide guidance in small group sessions both introduce students to a range of organizational, academic, and social-emotional skills, and support them as they take ownership of their responsibilities as senior members of our school. Holistic, flexible, nurturing, and intentional, we are a learning community that strives to provide developmentally appropriate experiences, programs, and services that meet the needs of every adolescent in the middle division. There are signature strengths that mark our middle division. We are a pluralistic society that truly represents New York City – and the world. Our educational program serves the multi-dimensional needs of urban adolescents, and it embraces the best practices of independent and public school models. Within the intimacy of a local community school, we teach and learn the ideas, ideals, and responsibilities of global citizenship and connection. A concept-based integrated global studies curriculum is delivered by a grade-level team.
Dynamic, engaging instruction is a hallmark of our middle school faculty, recognized for their talents in serving all kinds of minds and all kinds of learners at this critical stage of academic development. The team approach allows for decentralized curricular leadership and innovation that draws on a range of pedagogies, methodologies, skills, content, and the meaningful infusion of technology. Collaborations flourish and are evident in action research, curricular innovation, imaginative projects and assessments, and program evaluation. There are formal and informal peer groups for sharing articles and books, observations of one another's classes, discussions of new ways of teaching and assessment, curriculum design, and integrated projects. Ultimately, our teachers aim to provide our community of learners with the most robust and varied forms of learning for active global citizenship. At every step of the way, working in a collaborative alliance that includes the division principal, learning specialists, and Child Study Team members, we strive to support adolescents as they find their way in the world. In small classes and advisory groups, in town meetings and middle division activities, we are actively committed to instilling values of social justice, equity, responsibility, awareness, and activism in our diverse community. Students know that their voices count. We aim to build important social-emotional qualities of confidence, comfort, self-efficacy, and accountability in every learner. Together we embody an entrepreneurial spirit that values reflection, intellectual risk-taking, virtuosity, creative problem solving, solution seeking, continuous learning, and comfort with change for 21st-century life.
Bob Feinstein
Middle Division Principal
