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Beacon has been recognized for it's unique approach to education through a number of publications including CNN and TIME, and recently interviewed by Dr. Beth Halbert for Women's Radio.
Read the article
on CNN.com called, Educators close book on homework which
highlights Beacon Day School and its unique approach to homework
at the Elementary level. OAKLAND, California (CNN) -- It seems like a child's wild fantasy. But it's a fact at Oakland's Beacon Day School: Homework doesn't exist for students in the lower grades. The private school just doesn't believe in it, saying younger children aren't developed enough to benefit from it or have the discipline to study for long periods. Continue reading on CNN site.... Read excerpt on Beacon Day School Site... Read the archived article on TIME which highlights Beacon Day School's no homework policy called All Schoolwork but No Homework By ANDREW GOLDSTEIN
The beach is a mile away, the July sun is shining. But at Beacon Day School in Oakland, Calif., it's the 212th day of classes (only 28 to go before the one-week summer break!), and a group of nine- and ten-year-olds is struggling through a spelling test on parts of the body--lungs, heart, stomach, brain. The afternoon math lesson isn't any easier: How many times does 6 go into 8,342? You might think these were 18th century Puritans. But the kids are all smiles. "School is really fun," says precocious Annie Marcuzzo. "Camps are boring." Read excerpt on Beacon Day School Site... U.S. Government Report A school year that never really ends. At Beacon Day School in Oakland, California, the school year never really ends. At this private elementary school, the school day is over ten hours long. There is no set vacation period. Parents plan vacations to fit family needs. Students work in teams by achievement level, not age. Letter grades are unknown and students spend six to eight hours a week on art, music, dance, drama, or martial arts. "There's no summer vacation, so there's extra time to learn," 10-year old Colin Gage told the Commission. Thelma Farley and Leslie Medine founded this award-winning school over a decade ago as a fundamental alternative to traditional notions of schooling. "We knew that what was going on in most schools was absolutely wrong," says Medine. "Nothing about the way schools were run had anything to do with the ways kids learn." This philosophy explains why Beacon kids are not scolded for getting up to stretch while the teacher talks or for sitting on the floor to study. It also explains why teachers eat lunch with the students and recess is five times longer than in most public schools. Continue reading on Government site.... Read excerpt on Beacon Day School Site...
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