Project Learn School is a 38 year old humanistic cooperative school serving children from kindergarten through eighth grade.
Situated in the historic Philadelphia neighborhood of Mt. Airy, the school maximizes the many resources available in a dynamic urban setting.
While we offer a traditional elementary and middle school curriculum, parents and students are invited to participate in the educational process and policy to a much greater extent than in most schools.
Project Learn operates as a parent cooperative, offering parents the opportunity to be true partners in their child’s educations. Just as parents determine the goals, focus and philosophy of the school, students – working with teachers and parents – shape their educational goals and decide specific topics of study they are interested in pursuing.
Our program is unique in a variety of ways. Most of our classes are vertically grouped - and there are many mixed age learning activities and electives as part of our curriculum. Another emphasis of our program is GROUP Time. This consists of regularly scheduled activities that teach students to work together and make decisions, negotiate differences and take responsibility for part of a project.
Our
Jr. High offers a unique opportunity for middle school age children to work in their own small groups within a larger community and to successfully prepare for the challenges of high school and beyond.
OUR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM
Our philosophy is based on the belief that every student has unique talents, interests, and learning styles. Our dedicated teachers work closely with each other and each student to develop lessons and activities. Since education is only meaningful when students are personally involved, we believe in giving students the opportunity to share in the planning and directing of their education. The school strives to provide a productive and creative learning environment that meets the intellectual, social, emotional, and physical needs of every students. Emphasis is on developing a sense of responsibility in students for themselves and for the larger world, encouraging lifelong learning, developing the knowledge and skills needed for empowerment, learning how to work in multi-age groups, and cultivating critical thinking. It is also the goal of Project Learn School that students, staff, parents and volunteers work collectively to foster an atmosphere of respect and involvement.
Group
A unique part of Project Learn is the emphasis on working cooperatively. During GROUP time, students develop leadership skills and learn to work together, negotiate differences, and take responsibility for a project.
Each year the staff determines the number of groups and the students who will be assigned to each group. Group size is ten to sixteen students. Each group has a multi-age, multi-grade span of two to three years, and students have complimentary social and emotional needs.
The younger children spend much of the day with their group teacher, but will split into clusters with other teachers for some projects, lessons and activities.
Each older group spends four or more hours together each week, during which time they have meetings about school-related issues, engage in thematic studies, and carry out sales, projects and service learning.
