Download - Why Westerly
Why esterly?W
C u l t i v a t i n g t h e P r o m i s e o f
I n d e p e n d e n t E d u c a t i o n
2 9 5 0 E a s t 2 9 t h S t r e e t
L o n g B e a c h , C A
9 0 8 0 6
W e s t e r l y S c h o o l
M
Why is elementary education important?
Elementary education (K - 8) is where we sol idi fy most of our
relat ionships with learning. It is where we can take t ime to cult ivate a
sense of wonder, a motivat ing curiosity, and a thirst for understanding. I t
is where we discover how we are al ike and how we are dif ferent from each
other. I t is a t ime of explorat ion, of bui lding and gaining confidence, and
of being nurtured.
This is a foundational time when each child deserves the best
possible support ensuring future school success.
Elementary Education
Elementary Education
School is not preparation for life, school is life.
Words fr om John Dewey posted on Westerly’s 1st Grade Classr oom Door
1993.
Why do parents choose to send their
children to an independent school for
elementary education?
The model of independent schools has proven highly effective over t ime
across the entire United States. “Independent” means that the school is
free to establ ish its own mission and vision, i ts own curr iculum, its own
faculty, and its own community of famil ies who value a unique
educational experience.
To understand why parents invest in independent school education, let 's
look at information about the graduates of independent schools over
t ime. There are about 1,500 independent schools who are members of
the National Associat ion of Independent Schools (NAIS), which has been
the voice of independent schools in the United States since 1964. It
extracts information yearly from many sources, including the US
Department of Education, about the characterist ics of the graduates of
i ts 1,500-member inst itut ions.
The paths of independent school students and of publ ic school students
f i rst come together in the world of col lege appl ications where both
compete for their f i rst choice in col lege placement. While i t wi l l always be
impossible to understand the “what i fs” for a single student, there are a
number of stat ist ical facts that have been documented year after year for
independent school graduates.
Independent Schools
“Because NAIS schools
tend to be small, they
don't track students into
particular levels of
learning. All students take
a core curriculum that fits
with the mission of the
school. If students don't
do well, they can't take
lower-level courses.
Instead they get more
help.”- “Values Added:
The Lifelong Returns of
an Independent School
Education,” NAIS
Independent Schools
1. Higher SAT Scores
NAIS school students score more than 100 points higher on
average on SAT exams than public school students. This proves
true year after year.
· Family Income: At the lowest income range, a NAIS education
averages 188 points higher; at the highest income level, i t
averages 112 points higher
· Parent Education: At the lowest level of parents having no high
school diploma, a NAIS education averages 170 points higher; at
the highest level of graduate degrees, a NAIS education averages
118 points higher
· This advantage of an independent school education is achieved
even though publ ic schools are twice as l ikely to offer talented and
gifted programs for students as NAIS member schools
2004 SAT Performance Gapbetween NAIS and Public School by Family Income
0
50
100
150
200
250
Less
than
$10
,000
$10,
000
- $20
,000
$20,
000
- $30
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$30,
000
- $40
,000
$40,
000
- $50
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$50,
000
- $60
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$60,
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- $70
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$70,
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- $80
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- $10
0,00
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r $10
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Dif
fere
nc
e in
SA
T S
co
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The Co l lege Board2004 Co l lege Bound Sen io rs :A P ro f i l e o f SAT Tes t Takers
Independent Schools
“Another key element of
NAIS schools is their
emphasis on providing a
rigorous curriculum that
encourages students to
master core knowledge at
an early age and acquire
advanced skills in math and
language that pave the way
for success in college.”
- “Values Added: The Lifelong Returns of an
Independent School
Education,” NAIS
2.Greater Post-Secondary Achievement
NAIS graduates lead the nation in post-secondary achievement.
· NAIS graduates are twice as l ikely to complete a four-year degree
as publ ic school graduates
· 85% of NAIS graduates attend “highly selective” or “very highly
selective” col leges and universit ies
· NAIS graduates are almost three t imes more l ikely to pursue post-
graduate degrees than publ ic school graduates
Percent of Students completing a four-year
degree or higher
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
NAIS Catholic Other Private Public
US Dept . o f Educat ionNat iona l Cente r fo r Educat iona l S ta t i s t i csNat iona l Educat ion Longt i tud ina l S tudy1988 - 2000.
Percent of Students Planning on achieving a
post graduate degree
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
NAIS Catholic Other Private Public
US Dept . o f Educat ionNat iona l Cente r fo r Educat iona l S ta t i s t i csNat iona l Educat ion Longt i tud ina l S tudy1988 - 2000.
Independent Schools
“[NAIS schools] recognize
that diverse learning
environments are essential
to giving all children the
preparation they need for
productive careers in the
global workplace of the
21st century.”- “Values Added:
The Lifelong Returns of an
Independent School
Education,” NAIS
3. More Engaged in their College Education
NAIS graduates have a more engaged relationship to their
college education than public school graduates. Freshman
surveys of graduates show that NAIS graduates are:
· Twice as l ikely to be a guest in a teacher 's home
· Twice as l ikely to ask faculty for advice
· Far less l ikely to report boredom in their classes
NAIS Students Work Closely with Teachers
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Guest in teacher's
home
Asked a teacher for
advice
Reported being
bored in class
NAIS
All Schools
Higher Educat ion Research Ins t i tu teFreshman SurveyTrends Repor t 2008
Independent Schools
“NAIS students receive a quality education that adds value to a
student's academic preparation and adds values that transform
young people into healthy, active, and engaged adults.”
- “Values Added: The Lifelong Returns of an Independent
School Education,” NAIS
4. More Engaged in Their Communities
NAIS Graduates lead more engaged lives within their communities than
public school graduates.
· NAIS graduates are more l ikely to be part icipants in community service
projects and organizat ions
· They have higher newspaper and magazine readership rates
· NAIS graduates are more l ikely to vote in elections
NAIS Students Are Engaged in Their Community
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
Up do date with
political affairs
Participate in
community action
program
Helping to promote
racial understanding
Higher Educat ion Research Ins t i tu teFreshman SurveyTrends Repor t 2008
NAIS
All Schools
Independent Schools
“[O]ne of the signature qualities of NAIS schools is their
commitment to providing safe, structured communities that
engage students in positive social situations and provide
space for personal development.”
- “Values Added: The Lifelong Returns of an Independent School Education,” NAIS
Why do parents choose to send their
children to Westerly School with its
tuition structure when the public schools
are free?
Westerly School is an independent school structured on the model of
independent schools and is one of the approximately 1,500 schools who
are NAIS members. As an independent school, Westerly is free to
establ ish its own mission and vision, i ts own curr iculum, its own faculty,
and its own community of famil ies focused on a unique educational
experience.
The Westerly community values the latent promise of each individual
student. Westerly famil ies, faculty, and administrat ion are united in
celebrating the dif ferences that make each student unique. Westerly
cult ivates the unique promise of each student so that each chi ld can
mature to his or her ful l potential in the world beyond the school.
While the Westerly community is diverse, both socio-economical ly and
ethnical ly, i t is united in i ts bel ief and support of the mission of the
school. Through formal and informal surveys, Westerly famil ies offer
specif ic reasons to the question, “Why Westerly School”?
W of Long Beachesterly School
Westerly School
1. The Westerly School Mission – To Develop Each
Child's Full Potential
Do you want your child to be measured for his or her full
potential instead of by a standardized test score? Do you
believe that each child has a unique path to success and should
be measured for his or her full potential?
2. A Balanced Education
Do you want a curriculum that is immersed in the whole of our
culture, created by the faculty that teaches it and measured
against the school’s mission and against what is actually
learned by the students?
Westerly students are celebrated for their unique talents and receive
the foundation to excel in any environment. Faculty members at
Westerly School are committed to addressing each chi ld 's intel lectual,
emotional, moral, and physical potential.
Westerly School has a strong and r ich programmatic balance which
integrates the arts, foreign language, ethics, and real-world
experience into the core academic curr iculum. At Westerly, the whole
of our culture and our world become an integral part of the
educational environment; an environment enriched by resources that
come from our learning community.
Westerly creates a balance with a learning environment that embraces
mult iple forms of intel l igences and expression.
· Robust arts and physical education programs at Westerly have
ful l-and part-t ime faculty and are integrated with the core
curr iculum
“Westerly students
perform competitively on
standardized tests.
However, we consider
their results a “slice of the
pie.” High schools,
colleges, and employers
equally value emotional
intelligence, a moral
compass, and creative
thinking - the 'whole
person.' That's what the
mission of Westerly
School is all about.”
- Chris Rodenhizer, Westerly Head of School
Westerly School
· Integrated cross-grade and cross-subject curr iculum including
f ield studies and service learning administered by faculty teams,
is a regular part of the school program
· Spanish foreign language is integral to the curr iculum and starts
in Kindergarten
Westerly creates an interactive learning environment with a structure
that cult ivates meaningful relat ionships between students and faculty.
The lower student-to-teacher rat io at Westerly School al lows for a
more personal ized classroom environment ensuring that each chi ld 's
individual needs are being addressed. At Westerly with an average
class size of 15 students and a student-faculty rat io of 9.6:1,
personal ized education happens every day.
· Westerly faculty are recruited and retained on performance
cr iter ia and al ignment with the mission and school phi losophy,
not just senior ity
· Cross-grade programs such as Westerly 's Mentor Program create
continued involvement between older and younger students
· The Middle School Advisory program helps foster mutual
understanding and meaningful relat ions between students and
faculty
· The al location of funds for faculty development and training
al low for ongoing ref lect ion and improvement of teaching
practices and student learning
3. Personalized Classroom Attention with an
Engaged Faculty
Do you want your student to get attention for his or her specific
individual needs?
Westerly School
The Accreditation Team
commends “the dedicated
faculty for their enthusiastic
approach to teaching and
learning and for their
commitment to
differentiated instruction.”
- CAIS & WASC Westerly
Accreditation Report, 2010
4. Future Success
Do you want your student to be able to choose from among the
best high school programs in Southern California that suit his or
her learning goals and college and career aspirations?
Westerly students are guided toward, matr iculate into, and thr ive at
the area's most competit ive and high-performing high schools.
Westerly students exercise that choice yearly. They attend Long
Beach Polytechnic PACE and CIC programs, Wilson Dist inguished
Scholars, Chadwick School (Palos Verdes Peninsula), Loyola High
School (Los Angeles), Cornel ia Connel ly School (Anaheim), Rol l ing
Hi l ls Preparatory School (San Pedro),Sage Hi l l High School (Newport
Beach), Cal i fornia Academy of Math and Science (CAMS) (Carson),
the Renaissance High School for the Arts (Long Beach), QUEST and
COMPASS programs at Mil l ikan High School, and Harvard-Westlake
(West Los Angeles) among others.
Westerly has an interactive, engaging, and community-based learning
environment where students not only feel physical ly safe, but
emotional ly safe as wel l .
At Westerly, students are encouraged to stretch – whether they win or
lose is not as important as reaching out to discover themselves. The
entire school community comes to together to support each other in
making the effort and taking a chance.
Westerly creates a safe and support ive environment for i ts students
through individual attention and celebration.
5. A Safe and Nurturing Environment that
Builds Confidence
Do you want your child to take academic risks? To feel safe in
his or her learning environment? To be a self advocate able to
articulate what would help him or her to succeed?
By managing their high
school admission process
with specific benchmarks
and expectations,
Westerly students were
prepared to meet the
requirements of their
prospective high school
admissions. The process
also instilled
independence, personal
responsibility, and
confidence in the
students. One hundred
percent of Westerly’s
class of 2010 was
accepted into their first-
choice high schools.
- Kalim Rayburn, Westerly Assistant Head of School,
2010
Westerly School
· Each chi ld is known by the community and celebrated for
who he or she is
· A faculty team structure ensures the sharing of individual
student strengths and weaknesses
· A r ich variety of programs and events provides many
opportunit ies for success
· High expectations and a robust safety net for fai lure translate
into high achievement
To address potential chal lenges facing adolescence, Westerly middle
school students have faculty advisors to help them acquire the ski l ls
and self awareness to be their own best advocates. As a result,
Westerly students achieve a level of self confidence that supports
success at a wide range of secondary schools.
There is a diverse student body at Westerly and a close-knit and
fr iendly campus with plenty of opportunit ies for famil ies to get
involved in support ing the school and enhancing the program.
Westerly famil ies come from a variety of ethnic, racial, rel igious, and
socio-economic backgrounds. What unites them is a commitment to
their chi ld 's education and Westerly 's educational mission. They value
the foundational t ime of their chi ldren's elementary- and middle-
school education enough to make a material investment in i ts qual ity.
6. A Diverse Community Committed to
Education
Do you want the other families in your child's class to care as
much about education as you do? Do you want your student to
participate in learning with students representing the rich
diversity of Southern California?
Westerly School
“In order to get things
done, we all had to work
together. All of our jobs
equally contributed and
were important.”
- A Westerly Student
participating in the
Salvation Army's“Million Meals for Haiti”
7. A Great Value
Do you want to receive all the benefits of an independent CAIS-
accredited school at roughly half the cost of the most expensive
independent schools in Southern California?
Westerly is the most affordable CAIS-accredited, independent K-8
school in the Los Angeles/Long Beach area. Westerly School has a
tuit ion lower than 95% of other K-8 schools in Southern Cal i fornia
accredited by the Cal i fornia Associat ion of Independent Schools
(CAIS). Addit ional ly, Westerly has a f inancial assistance program to
widen the candidate pool of mission-appropriate famil ies that may
otherwise not consider applying.
“Even though Westerly's tuition is lower than most independent
schools, we understand it's still a financial stretch for most
families. But, when I see the type of student Westerly produces
and hear about alumni successes, I come to the conclusion that
tuition is an investment families almost can't afford not to make.
With generous financial assistance for qualifying families, Westerly
can often make the independent school choice more affordable
than many people realize.”
Chris Rodenhizer,Head of School
Westerly School
Why is Westerly School a good
investment in your child’s future?
The mission of Westerly School of Long Beach is to
develop each child's full potential intellectually,
emotionally, morally and physically.
In independent schools l ike Westerly, the focus, spir i t and culture of their
community is dr iven by a mission.
Developing the budding promise of each chi ld 's potential requires
signif icant resources. Westerly famil ies are wi l l ing to make the
commitment and sacri f ices to provide those resources because they
understand the proven reward for investing in a foundational education
experience.
Westerly School is an investment in the foundation for l i fe- long learning
proven to pay off in a world of ever- increasing change.
Westerly School opened in the fal l of 1993 and had its f i rst graduating
class in the spring of 1996. Those f i rst Westerly students have moved
through col leges and universit ies and have joined society as highly
effective cit izens. Westerly graduates have paral leled the achievements of
other NAIS schools as a result of the advantages of an independent
school education.
Westerly’s Investment Value
Westerly Investment Value
“The Latin root of
'education' is educare and
it means to 'lead out of'. I
think of it as meaning 'to
lead out of darkness,' 'to
lead to a better place,' or
ultimately, 'to lead
towards independence', a
place where one no
longer needs to be led at
all. That's what a real
world class education
does.“- Deborah David,Westerly InterimHead of School,
2005
1. A Superior Learning Environment
2. Safe and Supportive Environment
Westerly creates a superior learning environment with a
structure that cultivates meaningful relationships between
students and faculty.
Westerly creates a safer, more supportive environment for its
students through individual attention and celebration.
· Westerly classes have an average enrol lment of 15 students
· Westerly has a 9.6:1 student-to-faculty rat io
· Westerly faculty are recruited and retained on performance
cr iter ia, and phi losophical al ignment with the mission, not
just senior ity
· Cross-grade programs such as the Mentor Program create
col laboration between older and younger students
· The Middle School Advisory Program helps foster mutual
understanding and meaningful relat ions between students
and faculty
· Westerly maintains and al locates funds for ongoing faculty
development and training
· Each chi ld is known in the community and celebrated for his
or her individual contr ibutions
· A faculty team structure ensures the sharing of individual
strengths and solut ions to chal lenges for each student
· A r ich variety of programs and events provides many places
to celebrate success
· High expectations and a support ive community translate
into personal growth to achieve students’ personal best
Westerly Investment Value
“The faculty [is
commended] for its
support of the philosophy,
goals, and policies of the
school and for its
commitment to providing a
solid academic program
that is supported by
creative instruction in a
welcoming, child centered
learning environment.”
- CAIS & WASC Westerly Accreditation
Report, 2010
3. A Balanced Learning Environment
4. Expanded Secondary School Options
Westerly creates a balanced learning environment embracing
multiple forms of expression and modes of thinking.
Westerly students have expanded choices for secondary school
placement.
· Robust arts and physical education programs at Westerly have
ful l- and part-t ime faculty and are integrated with the core
curr iculum
· Integrated cross-grade and cross-subject curr iculum, including
f ield studies and service learning administered by faculty teams,
are a regular part of the school program
· The Spanish foreign language program is integral to the
curr iculum and starts in Kindergarten
· Westerly faculty and administrat ion engage with students
for a personal ized approach to high school selection.
· Westerly has 25% to 50% of i ts graduating students qual i fy for
the most selective LBUSD magnet program: PACE at Long Beach
Polytechnic High School
· Westerly graduates have been admitted to the most highly
selective high school programs in Southern Cal i fornia
· Westerly graduates have received scholarships to highly selective
independent high school programs
· Nearly al l Westerly graduates are accepted to their f i rst choice in
high school programs in both publ ic and independent schools
· Westerly graduates have been accepted into the most selective
col leges in the country
· Westerly graduates have received ful l scholarships to the most
highly selective col leges in the country
Westerly Investment Value
The Accreditation Team
commended “the
administration and faculty
for providing students with
performance opportunities
throughout the grades
and across the
curriculum, increasing
their confidence and their
competence.”
- CAIS & WASC Westerly Accreditation
Report, 2010
5. Individual Confidence
6. Full Potential
Westerly School cultivates the discovery of a unique pathway for
each student.
Westerly graduates invariably achieve a level of confidence that
supports success in diverse secondary educational environments.
· Westerly graduates excel in local publ ic high school magnet
programs in schools with over 4,000 students
· Westerly graduates excel at the most selective independent high
schools in Southern Cal i fornia
· Westerly graduates excel at the most r igorous rel igion- based high
schools in Southern Cal i fornia.
Each chi ld is a unique promise to the world of what can be. Westerly
exists to cult ivate that emerging promise. Westerly 's purpose is to
expand and extend each chi ld 's unique gifts so that he or she can
blossom in the world beyond the school, and become the promise they
are.
C ome to Wester ly School
and invest in your
child's future.
M
Westerly Investment Value
“Wherever we go and
whatever we do, we have
so many opportunities to
learn and grow in
understanding. The world
around us is truly an
extended classroom
presenting us with
discoveries to be made
and insights to be gained.
We are indeed students
for life of life.”
Raymond F. BizjackWesterly School
Founding Head of School1994
Sources & Further Information:
Cali fornia Associat ion of Independent Schools (CAIS) and the Accredit ing
Commission for the Westerly Associat ion of Schools and Col leges (WASC),
“Visit ing Committee Report for Westerly School,” January 31-February 2,
2010.
National Associat ion of Independent Schools (NAIS), “Values Added: The
Lifelong Returns of an Independent School Education,” February 2004.
Discussion of the “National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS),”
conducted by the National Center for Education Statist ics (NCES).
NAIS, “NAIS and Publ ic Schools: How Do They Compare?” An overview of
data from various sources indenti fy ing key characterist ics and outcomes of
independent school education.
NAIS Report, “Understanding Students at Independent Schools: A Look
Through the Eyes of Col lege Freshman Students (2005),” May 2006. The
report highl ights some of the f indings of the 2005 Freshman Survey
conducted by the Higher Education Research Inst itute (HERI).
Al l Photography unless otherwise noted, by Jeremy Dodgen of Dodgen
Photography, dodgenphotography.com . Photos taken at Westerly School
2008, 2009 and 2010 academic years.
M