Professional Documents
Culture Documents
visionary welcome.
university Many years in the planning, Columbia University
opened The School in 2003 to serve three central
purposes:
partnership Recruit and retain top university faculty and staff by offering
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an extraordinary educational opportunity for their children.
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Support the development of cutting-edge curricula and
pedagogical practices, attracting the world’s best K-8
educators.
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The School at Columbia Welcome i
contents
faculty 7
students 19
parents 29
curriculum 39
co-curriculars 53
a harmonious community
Grade 5 students perform an the
Ode to Duct Tape (Materia Potens
et Adhaesiva) under the direction of
music teacher Rachel Klem. The School at Columbia Equity & Excellence 1
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education
extraordinary learning at its best
opportunity
In developing The School, Columbia University dedicated
itself to the proposition that excellence in education relies
fundamentally on the diversity of the student population,
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and that every child deserves the chance to experience an
innovative education.
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The School at Columbia Equity & Excellence 3
“ Many schools strive for
an integrated curriculum
and diversity of students.
The School at Columbia
University is the one “
that is succeeding in its
mandate.
- Dr. Sonia Ehrich Sachs – Parent Alumna
In its short history, The School has sent its graduates to the
finest high schools in New York City and beyond.
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with them a wide variety of experiences and cultural
perspectives. As broad-ranging as their backgrounds are,
teachers at The School share a commitment to knowing each
of their students as learners, and finding ways to complement
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every learning style.
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The School at Columbia Faculty 9
“ There are a few good
teachers at every school.
The difference here
is that every teacher is
“
extraordinary.
- Marla Powell, Kindergarten Lead Teacher
welcome to a
more than university-quality
90%
Andrew Gardner, Intermediate Division
Educational Technologist
• B.A. - Wesleyan
• Harris Fellow at the Yale Child Study Center
education
have advanced • M.S. Ed. - Bank Street College of Education
degrees
• Apple Distinguished Educator
• Google Certified Teacher
500
School Technologists
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from the neighborhood surrounding the university –
an equally diverse group. Together, they comprise
one of the most ethnically and socio-economically
diverse student populations in the nation.
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The School at Columbia Students 21
39% of all students speak
a second language at home
we
believe
in being
unique
together.
Keane, in Grade
3, loves drama and
dance, and recently
wrote a book on golf,
another passion.
partners in learning
The School relies on engaged
parents to extend and enhance
the learning that takes place
during the school day. The School at Columbia Parents 29
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co-create
support engaged & active
together The School’s parent body is unique. As Columbia faculty,
many are educators themselves and offer their expertise
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and resources to The School’s teachers. The balance of the
parent body—all local to The School— is equally engaged,
and the result is unrivaled parent involvement.
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The School at Columbia Parents 31
families
working
together
of families
The School’s parent diversity group created
an enormous mural made of photos of The
School’s families - a stirring reminder of
the range of families involved in creating
The School’s learning community.
curriculum
name a few.
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mathematics, music, science, social and emotional learning,
social studies, Spanish, visual arts, and wellness - to create
an engaging and ever-changing curriculum that encourages
collaborative problem solving and deep thinking.
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The School at Columbia Curriculum 41
asking questions that
lead to deeper learning
The School’s curriculum is centered on rich, developmentally
appropriate themes - moving from Self in Kindergarten
to The Quest for Social Justice in Grade 8 - that are
woven across disciplines. Teachers incorporate students’
interests and questions, working with their colleagues to
create learning experiences that immerse students in the
excitement of discovery.
science + social
and emotional
learning
In each grade the disciplines come
together to illuminate concepts and
themes in which children have a voice,
not in what skills they will master, but
in what path they will take to discover
the idea and themselves.
2. Subjects such as math look very different from previous decades because
we value creative problem solving over simple
memorization.
3. We ask that children work with others who may be at different levels because
we believe that children learn better when sharing their
knowledge and challenges with peers.
co-curriculars
The School doesn’t stop at the
classic disciplines when educating
students. What about the science
of sailing? The art of basketball?
The drama of the chessboard?
The poetry of poultry?
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to Black Rock Forest, excursions to Columbia’s Medical Center,
and The School’s extensive After School Program, students gain
an appreciation of the ever-growing range of issues in the world
and their roles as problem solvers.
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technology
Students have their own laptops
beginning in Grade 2. Several times a
year, up until the end of Grade 8, they
every day
select and edit work they are proud
of and post their work to an online,
cumulative portfolio viewable by parents
and members of the community. This
documentation becomes critical to their
self-assessment as learners, an integral
part of The School’s curriculum.
nature untouched
The School is a member of the Black Rock
Forest Consortium and has access to its
spectacular 4,000-acre forest only 50
miles north of New York City. Beginning
in Grade 2, students visit the forest at
least once a year, working with scientists,
hiking, and when they enter the Middle
Division, camping.