ABOUT US:

We started the IDEA School in 2014 because we didn’t want the kind of rich, holistic learning that our children were in preschool to end when they became Kindergartners and First Graders. We wanted to build a K-8 school around some guiding principles and practices that were important to us as educators and parents: extremely low student-teacher ratios; collaborative teaching and learning; learning through play and exploration (inquiry-based learning); a connected parent community; and a focus on social and emotional development and the building of empathy.

As we were envisioning what this new school would look like, we also looked to Brightworks in San Francisco, where their motto is, “Everything is interesting. We can create anything.” Gever Tulley, founder of Brightworks and the Tinkering School and author of 50 Dangerous Things (You should let your children do), is a mentor and advisor to the IDEA School. Brightworks’ vision for how to organize the curriculum and the learning experiences around real-world projects was the jumping off point for our own.

Why a private school?

As we continued to meet, plan, and envision all the possibilities, we decided that we had to be an independent (private) school, not beholden to state-imposed standardized curricula or high-stakes standardized testing. We believe in high standards — which we implement and continually refine as a community of engaged educators and parents with our children’s best interests at heart. But we disagree with standardization — the idea that all kids need to learn the same things, at the same time — particularly since a standardized education holds less and less relevance to how the real economy works today.

It is widely predicted that many of the best jobs of the future will be in industries that have yet to be invented. We knew we needed to prepare our students to be in charge of their own learning. That, we felt, was the only thing that made sense when the only constant we can count on is change.

Scholarship program

At the same time, we knew we wanted to be accessible to all families, not just those who’ve always considered a private education within their reach.

We strongly believe that the kind of education we are facilitating belongs to all children — and that diversity, particularly socio-economic diversity, is vital to our success.

We created a robust Scholarship Fund so we could offer need-based scholarships to any family that wants this education for their child, regardless of income. Since the beginning, more than 75% of our students have attended on need-based scholarships. We have never turned away a family for lack of funds.

Moving forward

We always have had an abiding faith that this is the right way to do education. While our particular practices have evolved and changed, our vision has not. We continue to learn — from our students, families, and the broader community — and improve our practice.

Every enrolled family, and every member of our staff, has helped to shape the IDEA School. Together, we’re building a powerful education for all.