Dalton School

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. This view on teaching was seen in Parkhurst's "Dalton Plan", to which the school still adheres today.[1]

The name "Dalton" refers to Dalton in Massachusetts, where Parkhurst frequently visited. 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.[3]^:15f

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 (performed by sixth graders), and Arch Day (the last day of school).

91st Street "Little Dalton"

Inspired by the intellectual fervor around the start of the 20th 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.

Dalton School's main building for grades 4-12, nicknamed "Big Dalton"

Dalton is routinely ranked among the top three private schools in the United States. With regard to elite college admissions, Dalton ranked 2nd in a 2003 Worth survey and 1st in a 2004 Wall Street Journal survey.[4] Forbes ranked Dalton as the 13th best private school in the country in 2010 based on student-teacher ratio, college admissions, and other criteria,[5] while Business Insider ranked Dalton 2nd among private high schools in 2014.

Over the years, the Dalton Plan has been adopted by schools around the world, including schools in Australia,[6] Austria,[7] Belgium,[8] Chile, the Czech Republic,[9] England, Korea, the Netherlands,[10] and Japan.[11]

Dalton also offers many programs in the arts, particularly the visual arts and music, dance, and theater. At least two full-year arts credits are required for graduation, but many students take art for all four years; moreover, students are encouraged to pursue their interests outside of their academic curriculum.

Dalton has various artist-in-residence programs; Carmino Ravosa was Dalton's composer-in-residence for 21 years. Dalton's "Original Minds Scholar" program has included such notable visiting artists as contemporary sculptor and installation artist Sarah Sze (2003–2004), poet Natasha Tretheway (2006-2007), and author and illustrator David Macaulay (2009-2010, deemed the “Year of the Sketchbook”).[12]

The Dalton School is a part of the Ivy Preparatory School League in athletics. Some teams, such as varsity football, 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 they have been changed to blue and white (based on common misunderstanding). The sports range from high class ones such as horseback riding, alpine skiing, and sailing, to classics such as soccer and lacrosse. The school's mascot is a tiger whose name is Ivan.

The Daltonian is Dalton's official student newspaper and is published every 2–3 weeks by the High School students. Middle and High School students also produce other publications, including the political journal Realpolitik, literary magazine Blue Flag, visual art magazine Fine Arts, photography magazine Shutterbug, and a middle school blog, the Dalton Paw.

Dalton is known for the diversity of its staff and students. As of this date, admission to Dalton was according to the following criteria. For kindergarten to third grade, admission 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 (e.g., the Independent School Entrance Examination and the Secondary School Admission Test). Candidates receive notification of acceptance, rejection, or wait list in February. As of early 2013, the overall acceptance rate for grades K–12 at Dalton was reported by Peterson's to be 14%.[13]

Parental anxiety created by the highly competitive admission process was the subject of press coverage from 1999-2001.[14][15][16]

Long seen as a bastion of privilege, Dalton's efforts to broaden its mandate for diversity have met with some difficulty. In 2010, a financial aid budget of $6.5 million supported an outreach program for socio-economic diversity at the school.[17] As of this date, students of color made up 38% of the Dalton First Program. In the 2008–2009 school year, the kindergarten was composed of 44% children of color. Articles in The New York Times and The Atlantic have described difficulties experienced by some African-American children at the school.[18][19]

Alumni

Faculty

• Official website