 |
|
Home > About
How We Are Different
CES stands for certain essential elements of good practice: Schools and classes have to be small enough so that teachers and kids have warm, trusting relationships and so that instruction can be personalized. Students should be engaged in authentic tasks and assessments should be directed at providing information to improve teaching. Schools should work actively to redress the inequities that have plagued our educational system.
|
CES doesn't offer a specific curriculum, it doesn't offer a set of core topics that all students should cover. It doesn't offer pre-packaged materials or "one-size-fits-all" professional development. What CES does offer is a vision of education, based on our Common Principles, that sees students and teachers as active partners in creating meaningful learning.
-Kathy Simon, CES National
|
|
|
We believe that these elements are non-negotiable. But we don't believe that there's a single model for a great school. We believe that a school should bear the mark of the people who come together to create it and should respond flexibly and creatively to the children it serves.
CES doesn't offer a specific curriculum, it doesn't offer a set of core topics that all students should cover. It doesn't offer pre-packaged materials or "one-size-fits-all" professional development. What CES does offer is a vision of education, based on our Common Principles, that sees students and teachers as active partners in creating meaningful learning. We offer a vision where students' habits of mind — the ability to ask good questions and find answers, to stick to a task, to think critically, to see from many points of view, for just a few examples — are more important than the memorization of facts and formulas.
Beyond our vision, the CES network offers a wealth of experience and hands-on help for schools who are drawn to our principles and seek to join us in reinventing schooling. CES National and the regional centers offer professional development, networking, and resources focused around school design, classroom practice, leadership, and community connections.
In addition to these formal services, perhaps one of the most unique aspects of CES is the robust nature of our network, through which thousands of educators have developed powerful, collaborative relationships over time, as they seek to improve their practice for the sake of kids. Ted Sizer once referred to CES as a "conversation among friends" — and while there are now thousands of us, it remains a central part of who we are that we talk and talk, sharing experience and expertise, and drawing strength from each other's work.
For those interested in adopting CES as part of a comprehensive school reform design grant, our regional centers offer extensive services. To learn more about CES National programs and services for all schools, 
Page last updated: May 15, 2002
|
|
printer version
