Five Reasons I Love Independent Schools

Andrea Jenkins March 25, 2024

 

My professional career has been spent teaching and leading in independent schools. Some of the schools were celebrating storied legacies, while some were in their beginning years and establishing their school culture. Some were faith-based and some were secular. Some were large K-12 schools and some focused solely on childhood education. These experiences have made me appreciate these unique commonalities of independent schools, regardless of their differences.

Singularity of Mission - Each independent school has its own Mission and Core Values. These characteristics provide the rationale for school decisions regarding everything from admission criteria to curriculum to strategic planning. Hillel’s Mission to inspire a passion for learning, responsibility to self and community, and devotion to Jewish living in a warm, innovative, and engaging environment is woven throughout every aspect of our school.

Relationships are Valued - At independent schools, it is the job of every adult in the school, and not teachers alone, to foster a strong school-home connection. Every team member internalizes the importance of building relationships with students and their parents for the overall wellbeing of each family. Successful personal connections sustain healthy school enrollment. A recent Independent School Management study found that over 90 percent of new families choose a school based on word-of-mouth or personal connections with satisfied parents.

Innovative Curriculum - A critical distinguishing factor of an independent school is its ability to be innovative in curriculum design. Free from state mandates and tests, teachers have the ability - and responsibility - to create lessons and units of study that are engaging, foundational, and relevant for the current and future needs of our students. As part of our ISACS standards for accreditation, Hillel provides a General and Judaic Studies curriculum that is congruent with our school mission, a program that prioritizes student-driven inquiry, perseverance, and problem-solving.

Easily Agile - “So, I have this idea…” is one of my favorite phrases and one of the reasons I love independent schools. Our ability as a school to make decisions without bureaucracy allows us to quickly adjust, react, and design processes and programs that best meet student needs. This autonomy positions independent schools as a leader in education innovation; at Hillel, we share our educational journey with private and public school leaders alike, collaborating on visions that help schools transform learning for modern students everywhere.

Autonomy - At the heart of independent education is autonomy. Autonomy allows our school to make decisions independent of external mandates. This extends to the way we structure our school calendar to budgetary decisions and curricular programs. We are held accountable to our mission through ISACS and NAIS, accreditation bodies that connect Hillel to a large network of independent schools. Their standards secure the quality of our program and organizational responsibility as we live the mission of Hillel Day School.

 

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Andrea Jenkins

Andrea Jenkins is the Director of the 1-4 Learning Communities at Hillel Day School of Metropolitan Detroit