
Home History Educational Philosophy Curriculum Overview Admissions Calendar News FAQ 75 John Street Providence, RI 02906 (401) 301-1308 info@thelaurelschool.org site design by maggie rose consulting	Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Is the Laurel School a public or a private school? Is the Laurel School approved by the RI Dept of Education? Is the Laurel School a for profit organization? How does the Laurel School compare to homeschooling? Does the Laurel School have any religious affiliations? What do parents do in the classroom? How does the Laurel School assess the progress of students? What is the curriculum at the Laurel School like? What is the experience like for children at the Laurel School? Is The Laurel School a public or a private school? The Laurel School is a private, or non-public, school. Is The Laurel School approved by the RI Dept of Education? The Laurel School is fully approved by the RI Department of Education. Is The Laurel School a for profit organization? No. The Laurel School is incorporated as a non-profit organization in the state of Rhode Island. The Laurel School has 501(c)(3) status. How does the Laurel School compare to homeschooling? The Laurel School is similar to homeschooling in the sense that parents are involved in their children’s educational experience. The Laurel School is also similar because each student proceeds at his or her own pace in achieving mastery of the basics such as reading, handwriting, spelling and math. The Laurel School is different than homeschooling in several ways. First, there is a classroom space where the school convenes every day. Second, there are teachers in the classroom, who are responsible for the development and implementation of the curricular materials. Third, in addition to individual material, students work both on their own and together on group projects and in areas such as science, social studies, environmental studies, and music. As a community involved in its own education, the Laurel School provides the social arena for an in- depth learning experience. Does the Laurel School have any religious affiliations? No. The Laurel School is a non-sectarian educational entity. What do parents do in the classroom? Behind the scenes, parents are involved in helping the teachers meet the needs of the classroom. This may mean doing research for field trips, contacting members of the community for possible visits, and finding supplies for the class. Parents also participate in the classroom on a limited basis. If a parent has expertise in science or music, for example, that parent is invited to work with the teacher to prepare and implement some in-class time exploring their material with the students. Parents are also expected to come into the classroom twice during the academic year as assistants to the teacher. This volunteer time strengthens the cooperative community and enables the parent to experience first-hand their child’s educational world. How does the Laurel School assess the progress of students? At the Laurel School, students learn to determine goals for themselves, to decide how to implement those goals, and how to assess whether and in what ways those goals have been met. This set of skills is developed through in-class work, work with the teacher, and via portfolios. A portfolio is a collection of student work that shows competence in terms of process and product. A student portfolio contains student work in most subject areas, with samples selected by both the student and the teacher. Samples are collected over the course of the year and are used to measure student growth and progress. Portfolios allow students to be evaluated against themselves instead of being compared to others. What is the curriculum at the Laurel School like? While the basics in math, writing and spelling are emphasized at the Laurel School, so are the elements of scientific and creative thought. The curriculum is determined in some part by the teacher, and in some part by the interactions of the students and teacher. Material in general is not imposed on the students but rather it emerges organically from discussions and interests generated during class discussions. What is the experience like for children at the Laurel School? Children learn to ask ‘why’, and ‘what if’. They learn to add substance to their questions and their dreams. They learn that learning can be fun, especially when there’s a rhyme and reason to it. They learn to work together, and to work independently. They learn how to share, and to think critically about their own lives and education. The educational policy and objectives of the Laurel School are to ensure that all students learn to think critically and independently, to respect and value the differences between people, to work cooperatively, and to acquire the academic skills and body of knowledge appropriate to their age group. The methods used to achieve these objectives are integral to the structural organization of the classrooms: small classes, mixed age groups, long-term projects, collaborative activities, portfolio assessment. Philosophically, the Laurel School believes in the community of parent-teacher-child. Parents of Laurel School children are involved in every aspect of making the school a success. Teachers create an environment that encourages communication, exploration and understanding and individually-paced instruction. Students at the Laurel School learn to be active participants in their own learning. Small, mixed age groups are the norm at the Laurel School. Such groups foster cooperation rather than competition, as well as respect for one’s own ideas and the ideas of others. Students spend at least two years with the same teacher, and there is a great deal of interaction among the different levels in the school; this enables the teachers to get to know the student’s manner of learning, and fosters trust and confidence on the part of the student. Long-term projects, determined by the teachers and students together, are used extensively. The Laurel School believes that through long-term projects, which are undertaken as a group and individually, the students learn that struggle is a natural part of the learning process; that experimentation is necessary and fun. In addition, they gain experience in the comparative approach, which enables them to uncover underlying connections and telling differences. Finally, as they set goals and evaluate whether or not and why the goals have been met, they learn the great satisfaction of seeing a project through. Special attention is given to developmentally appropriate learning. A course of study developed with the needs of the children both as a group and as individuals, based on their interests and abilities, is determined by the teacher and adjusted as the school year proceeds.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Is the Laurel School a public or a private school?
Is the Laurel School approved by the RI Dept of Education?
Is the Laurel School a for profit organization?
How does the Laurel School compare to homeschooling?
Does the Laurel School have any religious affiliations?
What do parents do in the classroom?
How does the Laurel School assess the progress of students?
What is the curriculum at the Laurel School like?
What is the experience like for children at the Laurel School?

Is The Laurel School a public or a private school?

The Laurel School is a private, or non-public, school.

Is The Laurel School approved by the RI Dept of Education?

The Laurel School is fully approved by the RI Department of Education.

Is The Laurel School a for profit organization?

No. The Laurel School is incorporated as a non-profit organization in the state of Rhode Island. The Laurel School has 501(c)(3) status.

How does the Laurel School compare to homeschooling?

The Laurel School is similar to homeschooling in the sense that parents are involved in their children’s educational experience. The Laurel School is also similar because each student proceeds at his or her own pace in achieving mastery of the basics such as reading, handwriting, spelling and math.

The Laurel School is different than homeschooling in several ways. First, there is a classroom space where the school convenes every day. Second, there are teachers in the classroom, who are responsible for the development and implementation of the curricular materials. Third, in addition to individual material, students work both on their own and together on group projects and in areas such as science, social studies, environmental studies, and music. As a community involved in its own education, the Laurel School provides the social arena for an in- depth learning experience.

Does the Laurel School have any religious affiliations?

No. The Laurel School is a non-sectarian educational entity.

What do parents do in the classroom?

Behind the scenes, parents are involved in helping the teachers meet the needs of the classroom. This may mean doing research for field trips, contacting members of the community for possible visits, and finding supplies for the class. Parents also participate in the classroom on a limited basis. If a parent has expertise in science or music, for example, that parent is invited to work with the teacher to prepare and implement some in-class time exploring their material with the students. Parents are also expected to come into the classroom twice during the academic year as assistants to the teacher. This volunteer time strengthens the cooperative community and enables the parent to experience first-hand their child’s educational world.

How does the Laurel School assess the progress of students?

At the Laurel School, students learn to determine goals for themselves, to decide how to implement those goals, and how to assess whether and in what ways those goals have been met. This set of skills is developed through in-class work, work with the teacher, and via portfolios.

A portfolio is a collection of student work that shows competence in terms of process and product. A student portfolio contains student work in most subject areas, with samples selected by both the student and the teacher. Samples are collected over the course of the year and are used to measure student growth and progress. Portfolios allow students to be evaluated against themselves instead of being compared to others.

What is the curriculum at the Laurel School like?

While the basics in math, writing and spelling are emphasized at the Laurel School, so are the elements of scientific and creative thought. The curriculum is determined in some part by the teacher, and in some part by the interactions of the students and teacher. Material in general is not imposed on the students but rather it emerges organically from discussions and interests generated during class discussions.

What is the experience like for children at the Laurel School?

Children learn to ask ‘why’, and ‘what if’. They learn to add substance to their questions and their dreams. They learn that learning can be fun, especially when there’s a rhyme and reason to it. They learn to work together, and to work independently. They learn how to share, and to think critically about their own lives and education.

The educational policy and objectives of the Laurel School are to ensure that all students learn to think critically and independently, to respect and value the differences between people, to work cooperatively, and to acquire the academic skills and body of knowledge appropriate to their age group. The methods used to achieve these objectives are integral to the structural organization of the classrooms: small classes, mixed age groups, long-term projects, collaborative activities, portfolio assessment.

Philosophically, the Laurel School believes in the community of parent-teacher-child. Parents of Laurel School children are involved in every aspect of making the school a success. Teachers create an environment that encourages communication, exploration and understanding and individually-paced instruction. Students at the Laurel School learn to be active participants in their own learning.

Small, mixed age groups are the norm at the Laurel School. Such groups foster cooperation rather than competition, as well as respect for one’s own ideas and the ideas of others. Students spend at least two years with the same teacher, and there is a great deal of interaction among the different levels in the school; this enables the teachers to get to know the student’s manner of learning, and fosters trust and confidence on the part of the student. Long-term projects, determined by the teachers and students together, are used extensively. The Laurel School believes that through long-term projects, which are undertaken as a group and individually, the students learn that struggle is a natural part of the learning process; that experimentation is necessary and fun. In addition, they gain experience in the comparative approach, which enables them to uncover underlying connections and telling differences. Finally, as they set goals and evaluate whether or not and why the goals have been met, they learn the great satisfaction of seeing a project through.

Special attention is given to developmentally appropriate learning. A course of study developed with the needs of the children both as a group and as individuals, based on their interests and abilities, is determined by the teacher and adjusted as the school year proceeds.