The Putney School - Definition and Overview

The Putney School is an alternative high school in Putney, Vermont. Founded in 1935 by Carmelita Hinton, the school is an experiment in progressive education. In addition to strong college-preparatory academics and music and art, the school's campus is a 500 acre (2.0 km²) farm on which all of its students work. Many decisions are made collectively by all the students, staff, and faculty in community meetings modelled on the direct democracy of New England town meetings. The school's educational program has emphasized the value of labor, art, community, and scholarship for individual growth since its founding.

The Boston Globe wrote of it: "The school's combination of a New England work ethic and a strong academic program, its pioneering of coeducation and community service and its emphasis on music and the arts have made it a model for other independent schools...Putney remains committed to the total community of work and schooling that goes far beyond the more limited pieces of its tradition adopted by other schools."

References

• Cohen, Muriel. "Putney - A Vermont School that Dared and Succeeded." The Boston Globe January 1, 1995: p. A42.
• Lloyd, Susan McIntosh. The Putney School: A Progressive Experiment. Yale University Press, 1987. ISBN 0300037422.
  • "Carmelita Chase Hinton and the Putney School." In Founding Mothers and Others: Women Educational Leaders During the Progressive Era, ed. Alan R. Sadovnik and Susan F. Semel. Palgrave, 2002. ISBN 0-312-29502-2.

External links

• Putney School web site (http://www.putney.com/)
• Putney School mission statement (http://www.putney.com/admissions/putneyinfo/explore/mission.htm)