The Weekday Independent School in New York City

• In Event: Roundtable Session 66
  In Roundtable Session: “Schools of Tomorrow,” Schools of Today Revisited: Histories of Five Contemporary Progressive Schools

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of this paper is to examine the history of The Weekday School at The Riverside Church in New York City. It is an independent nursery school for children between the ages of 2-6 years that was started in 1930 just when the progressive movement was gaining momentum. Additionally, the location of this institution has placed The Weekday School in the proximity of progressive influences such as Teachers College, Columbia University (where John Dewey himself spent the bulk of his teaching career) and the Bank Street College of Education. The progressive philosophy of the school has consistently, over time and under the leadership of various directors, placed the child at the center of all learning experiences. This progressive principle is clearly reflected in the pedagogy of the school, and the materials in the classrooms. The school has and continues to serve the children of families in the community and neighborhood which includes institutions of higher education such as Columbia University, Union Theological Seminary, Jewish Theological Seminary and Manhattan School of Music, as well as adjoining Harlem. Ongoing challenges faced by the school have included parental pressures to see more evidence-based learning for their children, and the constant struggle to increase racial diversity in the classrooms.

Perspectives: This paper uses the perspective summarized in the Paedagogica Historica special issue on ISCHE 30, which argues for the use of both historical and sociological analyses to examine education and inequality. The paper provides a sociological analysis of the history of the school through an examination of the evolution of its curriculum and pedagogy, its changes and leadership, its problems with sustainability and its effectiveness in serving a diverse student population.

3. Methods: The paper uses historical methods, including archival research, oral histories with living administrators and teachers, and qualitative sociological methods, including interviews with current teachers and administrators and ethnographic observations of the school.

4. Data sources: The paper analyzes archival documents, including memos, letters, newspapers, and planning documents, as well as interviews with former and current teachers and administrators.

5. Conclusions: The paper argues that the school has undergone a number of changes in its long history as it struggles to adapt to changing market and educational conditions. It explores how changes in leadership have been a key component of stability, change and sustainability. Finally, it argues that the school has been effective in balancing these conditions with admitting and serving a diverse student population.

6. Significance: The paper provides an important contribution to the literature on the history of progressive education through the analysis of a significant independent school.

Author

• Amita Gupta, City College of New York - CUNY