dalton misc 81297

8/13/2019 Dalton Misc 81297

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2Strategic Plan

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Letter to the Community 3

Mission Statement 5

The Dalton Plan 6

Academic Excellence 8

Student Life 10

Faculty Life 12

Diversity 14

Te chno lo gy a nd Communi ca ti ons 1 6

Facilities and Enrollment 18

Finance 20

Process 22

Appendix 23

Contents

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THE D ALTON PLAN

The Dalton Plan has been the bedrock of

innovative Dalton education since Helen

Parkhurst founded the School in 1919 and

remains central to the day-to-day life of

Dalton students and faculty. Students learn

to take responsibility for navigating the

Assignment at the earliest ages, faculty and

students employ Lab time for one-on-one

and small group work, and House continues

to be the primary unit of identification for

most students and families in our school.

Helen Parkhurst’s principles must becontinually integrated and implemented

in new ways as we formulate ideas and

strategies for planning Dalton’s future. To

that end, we will:

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A CADEMIC EXCELLENCECurriculum, Character & Culture

To become life-long learners, Dalton students take an

active role in their education. A Dalton education

emphasizes students’ abilities to think creatively and

work cooperatively; to access, analyze and synthesize

information; to be organized and self-disciplined; and

to be flexible in applying knowledge learned in onesituation to others. All aspects of a vital Dalton Plan,

in conjunction with our continued commitment to

developing students of character, impel our dynamic

approach to academic excellence over the next decade.

Within the context of the Dalton Plan, the School will

strive to:

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STUDENT LIFE

Since the last Strategic Plan was written in 1997, pressure

on our middle and high school students and their peers

across the country has increased. As an educational

leader among independent schools, Dalton must

continually respond to a competitive and complex world

by reasserting its commitment to a curriculum of depth

and substance. Our teachers rightly have high standards,

and their assessments are frequent and rigorous. At

the same time, we must ensure that our students have

opportunities to pursue their intellectual, artistic, athletic

and altruistic passions, as well as reflect on what they are

learning. In addition, students must have time for friends

and family and for savoring the moments of introspectionneeded to make sense of life. Although Dalton cannot

eliminate the societal pressures to which our students are

exposed, in order to help them improve their work-life

balance, we will:

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F ACULTY LIFE

The quality and dedication of

Dalton’s faculty are critical factors

that distinguish our students’

education. Unfortunately, over

the last ten years, the costs of

living in New York City, especially

the dramatic increase in the costs

associated with housing and

health insurance, have emerged

as a significant obstacle to the

School’s essential desire to attract,

retain and develop an inspiredand committed faculty. Therefore,

the School needs to address the

financial challenges of a career in

teaching in New York City.

Dalton also remains dedicated

to supporting and furthering our

faculty’s pursuit of professional

development. Our priorities will

be to:

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DIVERSITY

Dalton is committed to being an intentionally diverse learning community fueled by the belief that an education must reflect the

history, cultures, beliefs and perspectives of the global society in which our children live. Over the past ten years, the School has

advanced diversity through articulating its importance in our mission statement, implementing a variety of programs and policies

designed to build a more inclusive community and increasing the diversity of our student body, faculty and administration. Creating

a welcoming, diverse environment requires ongoing commitment, advocacy and sufficient resources to ensure that diversity is fully

embedded in the culture, pedagogy and practices of the School.

Looking ahead, Dalton aspires to expand faculty diversity and further develop a curriculum which embraces global and cultural

perspectives. We seek to strengthen a culture of inclusion, while minimizing the impact of socioeconomic difference on the Dalton

experience. To take our vision to the next level, we will:

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TECHNOLOGY AND

COMMUNICATIONS

Musing about the ways in which technology

is revolutionizing our lives has become

commonplace, yet determining a plan of

action that integrates a technologically

forward curriculum with a timely, cogent

communications system is daunting. New

technologies change the ways our students

reason, interact, make ethical judgments

and acquire knowledge and analytical skills.

Digital media alter our children’s learning

and development and affect their senses of identity and community, attitudes toward

civic participation and awareness of other

cultures. To take advantage of the growing

opportunities of the technology revolution,

Dalton faculty must keep pace with

technological innovations to educate

students in the media of their own time.

Given these realizations, we must:

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F ACILITIES AND ENROLLMENT

‘Space for learning’ is a vital requisite in a dynamic learning environment. Indeed, the effective implementation of

the Dalton Plan is dependent on space. We need room for students to interact in House, for students and teachers to

work together in Lab and for faculty to exchange ideas and plan Assignments. The Dalton community relies on

common spaces for its constituencies to come together for activities, discussion and enrichment. Our initiatives in

acquiring and renovating the space we need will require an enthusiastic financial commitment on the part of our

school, its parents, alumni and friends. The School plans to:

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FINANCE

To ensure a strong and vital Dalton well into

the 21st century, we must provide adequate

financial resources to support faculty and

ongoing and innovative programs, while being

ever mindful of the need to maintain the

School’s long-term financial stability. Dalton

will engage all segments of our community in

its efforts to gather the resources necessary

to realize the vision and initiatives outlined in

this Strategic Plan. We ask all those who

appreciate and have benefited from a Dalton

education to actively and generously help us

move forward with our mission as we seek to:

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PROCESS

The strategic planning process began two years ago

with the formation of a Strategic Planning Steering

Committee. Through the use of a community-wide survey

and subsequent focus groups, we invited all members of

the Dalton community - students, faculty, parents and

alumni - to have a voice in the shaping of this plan.

The survey yielded valuable information in terms of areas

of interest and concern; the focus groups, composed of

cross-sections of our constituencies, further drew our

attention to important issues.

As a result of this broad information gathering, we formed

Task Forces to address key areas – The Dalton Plan,

Academic Excellence, Student and Faculty life, Diversity,

Technology and Communications, Facilities and Enrollment

and Finance. Ultimately, the written reports of the work

generated by the Task Forces served as the focal point for

discussion and reflection at a two-day retreat in February

for trustees and senior administrators. The institutional

goals outlined in this Strategic Plan grew out of the

retreat. These goals have been carefully considered in

the light of our mission statement and as an extension of

that mission. In crafting this plan, we also paid close

attention to the recent NYSAIS evaluation and to our

own in-house 2005 Dalton Plan Committee Report.

Discussions continued with all constituencies through

spring 2007 as we developed the final Plan.

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TASK FORCES

Academic ExcellenceEllen Stein ’65, Chair

Jim Best

Elizabeth Hixson

Elisabeth Krents ’68

John Neiers

Ned Pinger

Eva Rado

Linda Schapiro

Sage Sevilla

Janet Shaw

Lisa Waller

DiversityMelinda Wolfe, Co-ChairSage Sevilla, Co-ChairLiz Curtis

Sezelle Haddon

Karen Lindsay

Beatrice Liu

Alavaro Martin

Alan Pardee ’84

Susan Raanan

Larry Roth

Michele Viard

Felicia Washington

FacilitiesCheryl Effron ’83, Co-Chair

John Shapiro, Co-Chair Judy Geller ’51

Elizabeth Hixson

Elisabeth Krents ’68

Mike Mezo

Judith Levinson Oppenheimer ’69

Andy Stone

Finance

Kim Elliman, Co-ChairRoy Swan, Co-ChairDaniel Glass

Ned Pinger

Linda Schapiro

John Shapiro

Student and Faculty LifeNancy Neff ’72, Co-Chair

Warren Johnson, Co-ChairLeslie Cornfeld

Doug Evans

Teddy Frischling ’89

Julie Hiraga ’90

Kim Koopersmith

Ariel Levenson

Shonni Silverberg

Janet Shaw

Felicia Washington

Technology and CommunicationsAdam Usdan, Co-Chair

Jim Best, Co-ChairPeter Buttenweiser ’83

Casper Caldarola ’77

Kathy Chan

Camille Ehrenberg

Arlo Klinger

Ellen Nickles

John NeiersArvind Raghunathan

Amy Reiss

Beth Softness

The Dalton Plan Jim Mintz, Co-Chair

Lisa Waller, Co-ChairKelvina Butcher

Tom deZengotita

Martha Edelson

Reina Marin

Kathleen McNary

Alan Pardee ’84

Lisa Stifler

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The Dalton School

108 E. 89th St.New York, New York 10128

www.dalton.org

dalton misc 81297

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