A New Way of Learning in a Floundering School System

The Seattle school district has been dealing with budget crunches and reviewing the possibility of school closures over the past couple of years. One of those schools that had been on the potential chopping block was the New School @ Southshore located in the Rainier Beach neighborhood on Rainier Avenue South in the Rainier Beach Community Center building.  This is a temporary housing for the school that is to be renovated with a new roof this summer, until they can provide an entirely new building for the students.  

The New School concept is to educate the whole child - mind, body & spirit.  They focus on multiple ways of learning and each individual childs needs.  They have below average class size, keeping each room at a maximum of 17 students.  All classrooms have a teacher and a teaching assistant.  This provides the time needed to focus on each child during the day to ensure they are keeping up with what is being taught.  If a child is designated behind in a subject area, they are provided with a specialized tutor for their area of concern.  The University of Washington has been participating in a research program on tutoring students in reading.  This is provided to the school at no charge to the students.  

This is a school with varying economic and social backgrounds.  There is a philanthropic foundation that supports the areas of funding that the school district cannot.  Any child that cannot afford to participate in an activity is granted assistance from the foundation so that they are not left out.  There are after school programs offered to the students such as language classes, martial arts, writing & more.  It varies each semester as to what the parent alliance group has selected.