It’s time to let the wholeness of the child engage with the wholeness of the world.
WHAT IS
AND HOW DOES IT WORK?
To the extent that we narrow the purpose of schooling to what can be measured, we fail to
engage those sides of children that must be developed in order for them to pull learning
from life. We also increase the likelihood that
they will be bored, question the value of school,
and in some cases even drop out.
Instead of starting with the questions “How do we prepare kids to compete in the 21st century
global marketplace?” or “What will insure that graduates all have command of basic skills?”,
suppose we start by asking what qualities we want to encourage in children as they grow toward
adulthood.
The James and Grace Lee Boggs School
Detroit, MI
Boggs is more than a school. It is the nucleus of a community and a process of change. Using Place-Based Education, the school immerses students creatively in local heritage, cultures, landscapes, opportunities, experiences, and service projects for the school and local community.
Davis Bilingual Elementary Magnet School
Tucson, AZ
La Escuela de Atracción Bilingüe Davis: Inspirando y fortaleciendo a nuestros alumnos ha convertirse en ciudadanos responsables y productivos de sus comunidades y del mundo.
OUR
RESOURCES
Educate the Whole Child now offers a graduate level 12-credit certificate – Teaching the Whole Child. In partnership with Vermont’s Castleton University, a suite of four online courses may be taken as a series or independently. See details here.
Teaching Children to Care
Many practical suggestions for social and emotional development can be found in Teaching Children to Care, revised edition. Author Ruth Sidney Charney was co-founder of the Center for Responsive Schools.
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Catching Up or Leading the Way
For a broad look at why whole child education is important and how it fits into global developments and America’s ability to compete, see Yong Zhao, Catching Up or Leading the Way, particularly Chapter 7, “What Knowledge Is of Most Worth?”
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