The New School is a small, independent and not-for-profit K-8 located in Dewitt, NY, established to guide children’s development toward a lifelong enthusiasm for learning, active citizenship, skillful decision-making, and strong relationships.
The process of education is best built upon strong relationships: teacher to teacher, teacher to child, child to child. We design an environment in which healthy relationships grow, and guide students in the skills necessary for successful relationships.
Teachers take time to know the children, to see them in many lights, and create activities and settings in which children learn in challenging and meaningful ways.
A child’s unique disposition to learn is perhaps the most powerful factor in their education. When teachers respond to the child’s learning disposition in presenting material and setting expectations, content is accessible and interesting to that student. Children assimilate information idiosyncratically, based on their prior experiences and understanding; teachers are attuned to assumptions and interpretations a child is making, and adjust and revisit areas of study as needed.