Dalton Plan

The Dalton Plan is an educational concept created by Helen Parkhurst. Inspired by the intellectual ferment at the turn of the twentieth century, and educational thinkers such as Maria Montessori and John Dewey , Parkhurst created the Dalton Plan, aiming to achieve a balance between each child's talents and the needs of the community.

Specifically, she had these objectives: to tailor each student's program to his or her needs, interests and abilities; to promote both independence and dependability; to enhance the student's social skills and sense of responsibility toward others. Parkhurst developed a three-part plan that continues to be the structural foundation of a Dalton education—the House system, the Assignment, and the Laboratory.

• The House is a social community of students.
• The Assignment is a monthly larger goal which students contract to complete.
• The Laboratory refers to the subject teachers and subject-based classrooms intended to be the center of the educational experience from fourth grade through the end of secondary education. Students move between subject "laboratories" (classrooms) exploring themes at their own pace.

The Dalton Plan takes its name from an early trial of the system at the High School of Dalton, Massachusetts in 1920.

Today, The Dalton School educates students in accordance with some of the precepts of the Dalton Plan developed by Helen Parkhurst.

Schools

Today there are a number of schools around the world that employ variations of teaching methods based on the Dalton Plan. Most of the schools listed below interpret the Dalton Plan according to their needs. In some cases, they retain only a minimal part of the original Dalton Plan. Currently, the only schools that have strong affiliation with Helen Parkhurst's Dalton School in New York are Dalton Tokyo and Dalton Nagoya.

Australia

• Ascham School, Sydney

Austria

• Europaschule, Wien,

China

• Shanghai East Century School, Shanghai

Czech Republic

• ZŠ a MŠ Chalabalova, Brno
• ZŠ a MŠ Husova, Brno
• ZŠ a MŠ Křídlovick, Brno
• ZŠ a MŠ Mutĕnická, Brno
• ZŠ Rájec-Jestřebí
• Gymnázium Slovanské námĕstí, Brno
• ZŠ Benešova Třebíč
• Základní škola, Brno
• Základní škola Brno, Brno

Belgium

• Basisschool De Kleine Icarus, Gent

Hungary

• Általános Iskola, Győrszemere

Northern Ireland

• Millington Primary School, Portadown,

Japan

• Dalton Tokyo, Tokyo
• Dalton Nagoya, Nagoya

Netherlands

• Dalton basisschool de Twijn, Utrecht
• Dalton basisschool Rijnsweerd, Utrecht
• Dalton Den Haag, Den Haag
• Daltonexpertisecentrum, Instituut Theo Thijssen, Hogeschool, Utrecht
• Daltonschool De Klipper, Berkel en Rodenrijs
• Daltonschool Hengelo Zuid, Hengelo
• Dalton Lyceum Barendrecht, Barendrecht
• De Achtbaan, Amersfoort
• De Klinker, Schiedam
• De Poolster, Amsterdam
• 2de Daltonschool, Amsterdam
• 3de Daltonschool, Amsterdam
• Erasmus College, Zoetermeer
• Helen Parkhurst College, Almere
• Hogeland College, Dalton vmbo, Warffum
• Kardinaal Alfrinkschool (voor Daltononderwijs), Wageningen
• Katholieke Daltonschool De Leeuwerik, Leiderdorp
• Markenhage College, Breda
• Maurick College. Vught
• Saxion Hogeschool, Deventer
• Schooladviescentrum, Utrecht
• Stedelijk Daltoncollege, Zutphen
• Stedelijk Dalton College, Alkmaar
• Stedelijk Dalton Lyceum, Dordrecht
• Wenke Dalton Consultancy, Meppel
• Dalton Voorburg Lyceum, Voorburg
• De Waterval, Ermelo
• Jeanne d'Arc, 't Harde

Russia

• Dalton School 1080, Moscow

United States

• The Dalton School, New York

See also

• Rosa Bassett, who introduced the Dalton Plan at the County Secondary School, Streatham, England in 1920–1921.
• J. G. Jeffreys, who introduced the Plan at Bryanston School, in England.

External links

• The Dalton School Homepage
• Dewey, Evelyn (1922). The Dalton Laboratory Plan. New York: E. P. Dutton & Company. http://www.archive.org/details/daltonlaboratory00deweiala. Retrieved 2007-12-01. 
• A detailed article about Helen Parkhurst and the Dalton Plan