At CTL we focus on educating the whole child with attention to all of the developmental domains: cognitive, social, emotional, and physical. CTL is a place where all students can reach their full potential — a vision that may be clouded in a more crowded, tradition-bound, and conventional setting. We work with students where they are, differentiating instruction so they won’t just succeed but will advance to new heights of achievement. CTL students discover their giftedness and develop habits of mind necessary for a productive, meaningful, and successful life. Students benefit from CTL's private school model in the following unique ways:
Small School and Class Size: CTL is dedicated to maintaining a small school and small class sizes. In small schools children receive more individual attention and support, are more engaged in their studies, and are more likely to participate in extracurricular activities. Children are more than just a face in a crowd.
Multi-age Classrooms: Multi-age education involves a belief that all children can learn but learn at different rates. Because learning tasks in a multi-age class are based on developmental levels, children make continuous progress and thereby become more successful. Multi-age classrooms have motivating activities with attention to learning styles, multiple intelligences, and interests. The teacher provides individualized support so student motivation and learning is accelerated. The multi-age approach is child-centered, not curriculum-centered. With flexible options for grouping afforded by the multi-age model, children participate in instruction that focuses on individual needs rather than prescribed curriculum.
Highly-Qualified, Dedicated Teachers and Leaders: We are committed to recruiting and retaining expert teachers and providing the time, resources, support, and autonomy to continually develop their pedagogical skills in a collaborative, professional learning community; create, evaluate and refine curricula; and ensure that all students have every opportunity to achieve. The high expectations of teachers will guarantee a school-wide commitment to student success.
Inquiry/Project-Based Teaching and Learning: inquiry and projects are a key to student engagement and motivation. The CTL curriculum stresses real and original work: writing, research, computation and problem-solving, experiments, building, observation, data collection and analysis, the reading of children’s literature across the disciplines, and artistic, musical, and dramatic performance. Instruction in writing, reading, and math will be organized as workshops that combine whole-group instruction via mini-lessons and conferences with individual students about their independent efforts.
Differentiated Instruction: Students benefit from CTL’s differentiated instruction based on the child’s current level of mastery, not on his/her biological age. With the guidance of expert teachers, children learn as they learn best, discover their potential, and explore how to achieve it. CTL is a place that cultivates passion and lifelong learning while allowing each child to reach his or her full potential. Through individualizing instruction, teachers get to know their students better. Students are able to excel far beyond what they would achieve in a more traditional setting where every child receives the same instruction.
Performance Assessments: Also known as “alternative” or “authentic” assessments, on-going performance assessments will inform instruction at CTL, thus enabling teachers to individualize and differentiate instruction for students. Performance-based assessments such as student self-assessments, portfolios, and projects are student-centered, are used to inform instruction, and allow the teacher, parent, and child to see genuine progress over time. They also build critical thinking skills and help the child see the connectedness between content areas and the real world.
Professional Development School Model: CTL will provide a place for our expert teachers to develop and implement the most innovative, promising practices for teaching across the curriculum. We are also committed to building strong partnerships with surrounding colleges and universities through serving as a demonstration site to host teacher candidates and will sponsor a mentorship program for practicing teachers who are interested in learning more about inquiry-based teaching and learning and the implementation in their own classrooms and schools.
CTL's innovative model is designed to serve the whole child. Our students will learn to read and think critically, communicate effectively, seek to understand, share and care, solve problems, take responsibility and persevere. They will become passionate learners who are truly prepared for success in learning and life.