January 25, 2015
“How do you know you are providing the best?”
I was asked at our parent coffee this morning, “How do you know you are providing a program that is on par with the best schools?”
I love that question…and could talk about it all day. I’ll sum it up in 5 points.
1. We have a fundamental philosophy that has been proven through neurological research to be solid. Students learn better through authentic, experiential learning in which they exercise their voice. This is the essence of constructivist education.
2. We select research-based curricula that align with our constructivist approach, and we provide our teachers with professional training. Our faculty members are hired for their high credentials, their commitment to
Jewish life, their desire to foster a warm, learning environment AND because they love learning themselves. They engage in ongoing professional development, and then share what they’ve learned to enrich our entire faculty.
3. Our standardized test scores demonstrate that our students are doing as well or better than students in the best independent schools across the country. We don’tteach to the test, but when students engage in authentic learning, retention is higher.
4. Our graduates are making names for themselves in high school and attending selective universities.(Recently, we learned that one of our alumna earned a perfect score on both the SAT and ACT.)
5. Our students are happy. Guests to Mirowitz often comment about how exceptional our students are…in their behavior, their deep thinking, their focus and their joyful spirit. We know that a primary reason is this: authentic learning simply feels good!
Our parent surveys recently revealed that our parents are happy, too! An extraordinary 95 percent of parents are pleased with the way this school year is going, and 97 percent are pleased with their teachers. These numbers look even better when you know that the independent school benchmarks are closer to 83 percent.
We are happy that you are happy! But don’t think that we think our work is done. We thoroughly enjoy seeking out excellence, and engage in self-reflection and continuous improvement as a habit. We have read and take seriously every one of your compliments, comments and constructive suggestions. They will guide us as we provide for your children a childhood beyond compare.
After all, your children deserve nothing less.
Shabbat Shalom,
Morah Cheryl