About Us
What holds us together: 4 New School pillars
At New School, our lives matter.
New school is committed to addressing the whole person, your personal and intellectual growth, and developing a greater sense of community around learning. We’re interested in everything about you. We are a small community of about 125 people, and we take pride in having a welcoming environment. Small groups encourage discussion and a community spirit at the heart of a good college education. Students like to hang out in our space on the 8th floor where we have a large lounge/community space, kitchen, classrooms and teachers’ offices.
At New School, our presence and voices are important.
People learn best when their presence and contributions are valued. Members of classes (called “learning groups”) are expected to commit to their groups by: actively listening and participating in the discussions; contributing their knowledge and experience to the group; and responding empathically to one another’s lives. You can’t be a passive learner at the New School.
At New School, no one has a monopoly on wisdom.
The groups function through dialogue. Students are involved in the design of the courses they will be taking. Together, we develop a learning group contract that will meet our needs, questions, curiosities, and objectives within the theme of the course, with respect to the basic sets of objectives that already outline each Humanities and English course. This is unlike most other English and Humanities courses, which are designed solely by the teachers. At New School, the team of teacher-facilitators works together to bring knowledge, experience, and resources to the learning groups. Each learning group works with one teacher-facilitator who supports students’ initiatives and contributions toward the focus and objectives of the learning group. Throughout the term, learning groups remain flexible and responsive to the needs of the group. As our groups develop, we reflect on what and how we are learning. Sometimes we make changes in direction.
At New School, we are serious about challenging ourselves.
All learners share the responsibility to challenge themselves and others, personally and intellectually. We help each other challenge the boundaries of what we know, and we encourage each other to ask hard questions. Because we are interested in the learning process, how you learn and contribute to the group is as important as what you learn. We like you to produce something you can be proud of, but how you get there is also very important. We rely on all our students to demand the very best from their facilitators, from each other, and from themselves.
