why westerly

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Why esterly? W Cultivating the Promise of Independent Education 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 90806 W e s t e r l y S c h o o l M

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Page 1: 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

Page 2: Why Westerly

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.

Page 3: Why Westerly

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

Page 4: Why Westerly

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

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than

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$10,

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- $20

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- $30

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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

Page 5: Why Westerly

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

Page 6: Why Westerly

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

Page 7: Why Westerly

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

Page 8: Why Westerly

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

Page 9: Why Westerly

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

Page 10: Why Westerly

· 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

Page 11: Why Westerly

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

Page 12: Why Westerly

· 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”

Page 13: Why Westerly

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

Page 14: Why Westerly

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

Page 15: Why Westerly

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

Page 16: Why Westerly

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

Page 17: Why Westerly

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

Page 18: Why Westerly

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