Francis W. Parker School

Parker provides our students, and our society, with a specific, invaluable and sustainable resource: Educated people who identify themselves as creative citizens capable of thinking for themselves and listening to others—especially to those who with whom they may not agree—in ways that inspire them to apply their idealism in pragmatic ways as they think critically and act collaboratively to solve problems facing our world.

Choosing a school is one of the most important decisions you will make. Parker’s passion for education emanates from our desire to know all students and guide them in their learning and development so they can become authentic, effective, responsible and empathic citizens and leaders in our democracy and the wider world. At Parker, we affirm the dignity of each person and inspire all to learn and grow to make a difference in the world.

To uphold this mission, our teachers are attuned to how each student learns so that each can grow in character, talent and confidence as knowledgeable, skilled and creative problem-solvers. By knowing who our students are—and with an emerging sense of who they aspire to be—and by mentoring them through their development, our teachers curate a culture where curiosity and respect for oneself and others drive inquiry and joy, resilience and optimism shape student experience.

From the earliest ages, Parker students learn with others and gain real-world, practical experience speaking in public, finding their own voice, learning how to listen attentively to others, reflecting on what they are learning and working collaboratively in groups, all skills that will serve them throughout their lives.

Our engaging progressive approach to teaching and learning provides all students with the quantitative, interpretive, analytic and artistic experiences that allow them to acquire the skills that will help them develop their own interests and apply what they are learning in ways that benefit the broader community of which they are a valued part.

At Parker we are confident that our democracy will continue to need citizens and leaders who have the intellectual, social and emotional dispositions to think for themselves, hear other perspectives, ground their views in facts, maintain patience in the face of complexity and ambiguity and act on their convictions to provide insight, understanding and empathic, courageous leadership in addressing the pressing challenges of our times.

Our democracy is diverse, and because excellent problem solving results from including a diversity of perspectives, a Parker education is grounded in our commitment to compose the school with people who have different backgrounds, cultures, stories, beliefs and identities and in our strategies to provide equitable access for all students to the richness of our educational opportunities. It is essential that all students feel included in their classroom learning and develop a genuine sense of belonging to their school community.

Francis W. Parker School educates students to think and act with empathy, courage and clarity as responsible citizens and leaders in a diverse democratic society and global community. We treasure the respectful ways students, teachers, staff, parents and alumni come to know one another through their work and studies, empowering each individual and our community with hope and possibility.

We understand how history, culture and society shape our individual and shared experiences, and we appreciate how our unique identities develop through our relationships with others, our own inner lives, our surroundings and the world of ideas. Our school nurtures authenticity and trust as we inspire each student to be a creative citizen, capable and dedicated to upholding Parker’s mission.

We are deliberately composed of a diverse group of people committed to equity and inclusion throughout the school. We create learning experiences through curriculum and pedagogy that resonate with the many different identities that our community comprises, making us effective citizens who honor the dignity of every human being. We are an intimate and expansive school that affirms the ways students can flourish when they feel known, appreciated and supported by equitable access to the fullness of a Parker education. Our school thrives when we each can acquire and contribute to the creation of new knowledge and skills; explore our imaginations and different perspectives; share who we are becoming; and expect to be treated with respect and kindness when expressing our own ideas, popular or not, while also learning to confront behaviors that oppress, exclude or demean the humanity of others.

We pursue educational excellence by cultivating creative problem-solving through vigorous effort so all can experience joy in learning and come to understand how individual and collective labor can improve society. We grow in intellectual, emotional, physical, aesthetic and moral life through our attuned approaches to responsive teaching and mentoring. We learn from one another as we participate fully in spirited, rigorous, reflective and ethical engagement in all areas of study and activity, curricular and extracurricular. We seek purpose, meaning and impact through the content and methods that inform our learning and teaching. Our academic and artistic standards for interdisciplinary inquiry flow from classroom learning to life throughout the school and beyond.