Randolph School's Curriculum

Randolph School students love to learn! Responding to the children's deep interests and probing questions, our teachers each year design a curriculum that helps their students explore and make sense of the world. Interest-based themes, information, and materials are presented in a challenging, relevant and open-ended way, stimulating student curiosity, creativity and innovative thinking.

Randolph students are taught through small group seminars and hands-on projects that are designed to enhance skills and lead to new ideas and build knowledge. While all of our students work in multi-age groups, there are also opportunities for study with age mates and for individual projects, documentation and reflection. We find clear advantages in multi-age groupings. Younger children are challenged to think in ever more complex ways. Older children develop leadership skills, and are challenged to communicate their thinking and knowledge as they mentor younger children.

The arts are integrated throughout our curriculum. Our art, music and classroom teachers collaborate to provide opportunities for self-expression, practice and performance. Visiting artists and musicians enrich our studies by bringing a variety of new skills and viewpoints to the students. Our rich art curriculum instills a love for the arts and practice in close observation of the world.

Outdoors at Randolph is a place for running and climbing, swinging and digging, as well as for games and sports. The campus is also a laboratory for earth science and landscape design, and is the site of an amphitheater built by our students with a visiting artist. Each year we tap our maple trees and plant a garden nourished by our compost. Randolph School students learn to care for our earth.

We take many trips during the course of the school year. These field trips are an opportunity for students to encounter new ideas, initiate and develop inquiries and experience the whole world as a learning environment.

The social and emotional lives of the students have a direct effect on their cognitive development. Respect and cooperation are integral parts of life at Randolph School. When conflicts arise, students are guided through the problem-solving process. These life skills help to provide students with tools that foster independence. The students have many opportunities to develop caring, close relationships with their peers, as well as with their teachers. Individual differences are valued, allowing the students to develop a deeper understanding and acceptance of human nature.

Throughout the day, students are presented with choices. For the Downstairs children, choices may include block building, collage construction, or enactments of each other's stories. For the Upstairs children, there is a choice time each day with options like social games and block building, as well as room for a great deal of choice in their assignments. Upper School students can choose to explore particular areas of study in depth, and follow these up in their papers, internships, and presentations to their classmates. Practice in making choices helps our students of all ages learn to take responsibility for their own learning, to follow their own interests, and to develop collaborative and cooperative skills. When children's choices are respected, they grow to believe in themselves. Working and playing in a nurturing learning community prepares Randolph Students to become lifelong learners.

In December,2006, the Upstairs students held a Musical Morning Fundraiser for Toys For Tots. The entire process was indicative of how the Randolph School chooses to approach education. To read an account of this special event please click here.

For one terrific week in February 2007, nine students and teachers lived and worked at an environmental ranch in Costa Rica. The students wrote articles and took pictures of their experience. You can view them here.

To read an article about introducing children to reading and exploring the written word - click here.

Playing violin on the front lawn.

List of schools and colleges attended by Randolph Alumni