| Little Red School House and Elisabeth Irwin High School | |
|---|---|
| (LREI) | |
| Established | 1921 |
| Type | Independent, Coeducational, and College Preparatory School |
| Affiliation | NAIS, NYSAIS, Interschool |
| Founder | Elisabeth Irwin |
| Head of School | Phillip Kassen |
| Faculty | 50 |
| Grades | PreK–12 |
| Location | lower school: 272 Sixth Avenue at Bleecker Street high school: 40 Charlton Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States |
| Accreditation | NAIS, NYSAIS |
| Campus | Urban |
| Colors | Red & White |
| Mascot | The Knight |
| Yearbook | LREI Expressions |
| Newspaper | The Charlton Label |
| Website | http://www.lrei.org |
The Little Red School House and Elisabeth Irwin High School, also referred to as LREI, was founded by Elisabeth Irwin in 1921 in Manhattan, New York City as the Little Red School House, and is regarded as the city's first progressive school. Created as a joint public-private educational experiment, the school tested principles of progressive education that had been advocated since the turn of the 20th century by John Dewey. The founders postulated that the lessons of progressive education could be applied successfully in the crowded, ethnically diverse public schools of the nation's largest city.
In 1932, after the onset of the Great Depression caused the Public Education Association to withdraw the funding that had allowed the school to exist within the New York City public school system, William O'Shea, the superintendent of schools – who had previously tried to close down the program because of its progressive ideas – announced that the school would be eliminated because of a budgetary crisis. Parents raised sufficient funds to pay for salaries, but O'Shea refused to accept the money, and the school was forced to turn to private funding. It moved to a building on Bleecker Street provided at no cost by the First Presbyterian Church and began a new life as an independent school.[1]
The Little Red School House consists of a lower school, a middle school, and a high school. In the 1940s the Little Red School House's high-school students decided they wanted their school to be named after its founder, Elisabeth Irwin, making the full title of the institution The Little Red School House and Elisabeth Irwin High School.
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LREI believes in progressive education. Much of the students' learning is done through experimentation, projects and field trips, as opposed to the more traditional direct instruction.
"LREI enrolls students who are bright, curious, motivated and show strong academic and personal promise. The successful student embraces our progressive curriculum and thrives on the connections made between experiential learning and the world. LREI prepares children to be independent thinkers and productive citizens. Our students gain a strong sense of self and citizenship, and our graduates continue on to become leaders in society."[2]
"Since the founding of Little Red School House and Elisabeth Irwin High School in 1921, a guiding principle of the school has been profound respect for the worth and dignity of each individual, along with sensitivity to the individual and group differences which make our school so diverse a community. From the beginning of the school's existence we have worked to reflect this dual focus on each individual and on our diversity as a community in our student body, our faculty and our curriculum."[3]
"Our goal is to educate students to become independent thinkers and lifelong learners and to pursue academic excellence and individual achievement, in a context of respect for others and service to the community.
We believe that learning should be active and experiential, with the school providing abundant opportunities for students to excel. We accept students with a range of abilities and talents who can take full advantage of a rich and demanding academic program in which each student is both challenged and supported.
We seek to create within the school a community built on understanding and respecting others. Thus, our student body traditionally reflects the racial and cultural diversity of our city, and our curriculum is built on inter-disciplinary studies to promote understanding of many cultures. While individual achievement is encouraged and rewarded, our program underscores the value of shared goals, friendship and cooperation in mastering difficult tasks.
The progressive ideals that in 1921 gave life and inspiration to the school — academic excellence and creativity, active learning and innovative teaching, respect for the individual and responsibility to the community-continue to guide the school today."[4]
The five most frequently attended colleges and universities for Elisabeth Irwin graduates from 2000 through 2009 were:
The Little Red School House and Elisabeth Irwin High School occupy two separate buildings, with a third space housing athletic facilities.
The middle-and-lower-school building is located at 272 Avenue of the Americas (Sixth Avenue) at Bleecker Street, while Elisabeth Irwin High School is at 40 Charlton Street between Sixth Avenue and Varick Street. In June 2008, LREI announced the acquisition of additional space with the purchase of 42 Charlton Street, directly next door. The new townhouse was to be renovated and connected to the existing building. A separate building, the Thompson Street Gym, houses facilities for physical education and athletics.
LREI's sports teams include soccer (boys and girls), volleyball (HS girls, MS co-ed), cross-country track (co-ed), basketball (junior varsity and varsity, boys and girls), spring track (co-ed), tennis (co-ed), softball (girls), baseball (boys), golf (co-ed). The school and team colors are red and white.
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The Little Red School House's companion school from 1944 to 1971 was the Downtown Community School (DCS) on the Lower East Side, whose alumni include the writers Peter Manso, Ann Lauterbach, Peter Knobler and Richard Kostelanetz. Its director from 1951 to 1970 was educator and folklorist Norman Studer.