| Dalton School | |
|---|---|
| Motto | Go Forth Unafraid |
| Established | 1919 |
| Type | Independent, Coeducational, and College Preparatory School |
| Affiliation | NAIS, NYSAIS, Interschool |
| Founder | Helen Parkhurst |
| Head of School | Ellen C. Stein '65 |
| Faculty | approx. 250 |
| Students | 1285 |
| Grades | K–12 |
| Location | 108 East 89th Street, New York, NY 10128, New York City, New York, Manhattan, United States |
| Accreditation | NAIS, NYSAIS |
| Campus | Urban |
| Colors | Blue, White, Silver |
| Mascot | Tiger |
| Newspaper | The Daltonian |
| Website | http://www.dalton.org |
The Dalton School, originally called the Children's University School,[1] is a private university-preparatory school on New York City's Upper East Side and a member of both the New York Interschool and the Ivy Preparatory School League. The school is located in three buildings, all in Manhattan: the middle and high schools for grades 4–12 are located at 108 East 89th Street; this building is referred to as simply "The Dalton School" or "Big Dalton". Grades K–3 are taught at a group of townhouses located at 51-63 East 91st Street (53 being the mailing address); this area is known as "The First Program" or "Little Dalton". The primary center for physical education and sports facilities is the Physical Education Center at 200 East 87th Street.
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Inspired by the intellectual fervor at the turn of the century, educational thinkers, such as John Dewey, began to envision a new, progressive, American approach to education. Helen Parkhurst caught the spirit of change and created the Dalton Plan. Aiming to achieve a balance between each child's talents and the needs of the growing American community, Parkhurst created an educational model that captured the progressive spirit of the age. Specifically, she had these objectives: to tailor each student's program to his or her needs, interests, and abilities; to promote both independence and dependability; and to enhance the student's social skills and sense of responsibility toward others. Parkhurst developed a three-part plan that continues to be the structural foundation of a Dalton education: House, Assignment, and Lab.
The Dalton School, originally called the Children's University School, was founded by Helen Parkhurst in 1919. It was a time marked by educational reform. Philosophers, teachers, and child psychologists identified as "progressives" began to question the conventional wisdom of the day which held that education was a process of drill and memorization and that the only way to teach was to regiment children in classrooms. Their natural instincts to play, to move, to talk, and to inquire freely were suppressed.
Progressive educators believed that the development of the whole child is of primary importance; that children are social beings and that schools should be communities where they can learn to live with others; that these communities should devote themselves to the total enrichment of mind, body, and spirit.
After experimentation in her own one-room school with Maria Montessori, Helen Parkhurst visited other progressive schools in Europe including Bedales School and its founder and headmaster John Haden Badley in England. She developed what she termed the Dalton Plan which called for teachers and students to work together toward individualized goals. The Laboratory Plan was first put into effect as an experiment in the high school of Dalton, Massachusetts, in 1916. The estate of her benefactor Josephine Porter Boardman, was also near the town of Dalton and from this beginning the Laboratory Plan and school eventually took their names.[2]
In 1919, Helen Parkhurst relocated to New York City, where she opened her first school on West 74th Street. Larger facilities soon became necessary; the Lower School was moved to West 72nd Street, and the High School opened in the autumn of 1929 in the current building at 108 East 89th Street. Eleanor Roosevelt admired the work of Helen Parkhurst and played an important role in expanding the population and resources of the school by promoting a merger between the Todhunter School for girls (founded by Winifred Todhunter) and Dalton in 1939.
Enlarged and modified through the years, Dalton still celebrates many of the school-wide traditions begun by Helen Parkhurst, including the Candlelighting Ceremony (the last day before winter break), Greek Festival, and Arch Day (the last day of school).
Over the years, the Dalton Plan has been adopted by schools around the world, including schools in Australia,[3] Austria,[4] Belgium,[5] Chile, the Czech Republic,[6] England, Korea,[7] the Netherlands,[8] and Taiwan. There are also three schools founded on the Dalton Plan in Japan.[9] Leading educators from public and private schools and universities, from the United States and abroad, visit Dalton to observe its system of education.
Dalton ranked thirteenth on the 2010 Forbes magazine's list of the twenty best prep schools in the nation.
Dalton ranked fifth on the 2003 Worth ranking of graduates matriculating to attend Harvard, Princeton, or Yale.
In 2003, The Wall Street Journal conducted a ranking of secondary schools in the United States that sent students to 10 selective colleges, including seven Ivy League schools. Dalton placed eighth.[10] In 2007, another ranking conducted by WSJ produced a list of the top high schools in the nation based solely on each schools' 2007 placement rate of students to Harvard University, Princeton University, MIT, Williams College, Pomona College, Swarthmore College, the University of Chicago, and Johns Hopkins University. Dalton placed 59th out of the 65 high schools in the nation in this ranking.[11] In 2010's "American Best Prep Schools" ranked by Forbes magazine, Dalton placed 13th out of 20 top schools in the U.S.[12]
Admission to the Dalton School for kindergarten to third grade is based on school records, ERB testing, and interview. For grades 4–12 admission is based on school records, writing samples, an interview, and standardized testing (Dalton accepts the ISEE test as well as the SSAT test). Candidates receive notification of acceptance, rejection, or wait list in February.
In recent years, the parental anxiety created by the highly competitive admission process has been the subject of repeated press coverage.[13][14][15] According to Peterson's, the school year acceptance rate into Dalton for grades K-12 is 14%.[16]
Students of color in the First Program currently make up 38% of the Dalton lower school. For the 2008-2009 school year, the kindergarten is composed of 44% children of color. A financial aid budget of $6.5 million supports an outreach program for socio-economic diversity at the school.[17]
The school offers education from kindergarten through the 12th grade. The building at 108 East 89th Street, nicknamed "Big Dalton", contains grades 4–12, as well as a theater, music and art studios, and administrative space. A separate building, nicknamed "Little Dalton", on 91st Street between Park Avenue and Madison Avenue, has classroom space for the kindergarten and first three grades. Another building, at 87th Street and Third Avenue, contains two gyms and other areas for physical education, including a weight training room and an aerobics room.
The Daltonian is Dalton's official student newspaper and is published every 2–3 weeks. Dalton students also produce other publications, including the political journal Realpolitik, Blue Flag, Fine Arts, Shutterbug, the Dalton Paw, the Dalton Star, and The Tiger Wire.
The Dalton School is a part of the Ivy Preparatory School League in athletics. Some teams, such as varsity football (Dalton has the only varsity private high school football team in Manhattan), participate in different athletic conferences. Dalton offers 23 varsity teams (including a cheerleading squad) and nine junior varsity teams in the high school athletics program. The school colors were historically gold and blue, although due to common misunderstanding they are considered white and blue. The school's mascot is the tiger.
Dalton also offers many programs in the arts, particularly the visual arts and music, dance, and theater, and students are encouraged to pursue their interests in addition to their academic curriculum. Carmino Ravosa has been Dalton's composer in residence for 21 years. At least two full-year arts credits are required for graduation, but many students take art for all four years.
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