One afternoon years and years ago, when I taught at Watkinson School in Hartford, Connecticut, I showed my students slides of contemporary paintings. Jackson Pollacks, Piet Mondriens, Gustav Klimts and Picassos. I was trying to help them see the importance of the work. The students were restless, frustrated, growing more annoyed with me with each passing image. I realized too
As this issue of Horace goes to press and with great sadness, we share the news that CES’s founder, Theodore R. Sizer, passed away on October 21, 2009 at home in Harvard, Massachusetts. Ted leaves his wife Nancy Faust Sizer, four children, 10 grandchildren, and a wide circle of loving family and friends. Please visit www.essentialschools.org to learn more about
“Purpose serves as a principle around which to organize our lives.” -Anonymous There’s a story told about a farmer from Nebraska. It seems that every year the farmer grew amazing, award-winning corn. Each summer he entered his corn in the State Fair where it always won the blue ribbon. One year, a newspaper reporter interviewed the farmer and learned something
Schools seeking help with implementing the Ten Common Principles can find help through the Coalition of Essential Schools in a variety of ways: 1. The new CES School Benchmarks spell out detailed “indicators” for how the Ten Common Principles play out in school structures and practices. To obtain the latest working copy, contact Joe Pattaphongse by e-mail at jpattaphongse@essentialschools.org, or
Note from the editor: Most Coalition of Essential Schools Fall Forums have opened with remarks from CES’s founder, Ted Size. Ted’s observations reconnected us with our purpose and reminded us that our network is unique, precious, practical, and immeasurably valuable. The thought that Ted shared to launch Fall Forum in 2000, which took place in Providence, Rhode Island, stand as
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Schools play out the Coalition’s Ten Common Principles in different ways, depending on their local context and priorities. For each principle, here is an Essential school exemplar of its practice, nominated by other school people impressed with how student learning has followed. As Essential schools put into practice the Coalition’s
As I reflect on CES and its groundbreaking, significant work over the past 25 years, I am regularly reminded of the importance of the core guiding principles, even as the educational landscape changes. I was introduced to the work of Ted and Nancy Sizer as an eager undergraduate in summer program in Andover, Massachusetts sponsored by the Institute for Recruitment
I never worked “with” a boss before working with Ted at Brown University. I had always known of Ted—he was Dean at Harvard Graduate School of Education when I was a student there, just beginning my teaching career. Ted arrived at Brown University in September 1984. I was working at Brown in President Howard Swearer’s office, creating seminars led by