CPE1: Central Park East 1 Elementary School

CPE1 offers pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade classes. In a CPE1 classroom you rarely see a teacher lecturing before a passive group, and you won’t see desks in rows. Instead, you will find classes set up more like working laboratories, with research materials and tables for group work. In a typical classroom the day consists of periods when the students work independently or in small groups and periods when they come together for discussion, problem-solving or other large-group activity.

Our classrooms value the importance of making choices, learning to work collaboratively and independently, and taking responsibility for interactions with materials and people. Children devote a significant amount of their time each day to project work. In the lower grades, many of the projects are very short in duration, only lasting a day or two, whereas in the upper grades, some students carry projects on for weeks. They are expected to document and share their process and product in some way, expecting feedback and suggestions from adults and peers. They learn to question and respect varying perspectives. They are given the opportunity to construct knowledge in a variety of ways and explore many forms of expression. This allows teachers to see children fully and understand more about their ways of thinking and learning.

Our classes are multi-age groups so that children can learn from one another and be with the same teacher for more than one year. All classes have similar structures and materials. This promotes continuity and consistency among the grades. We do not use textbooks but have a vast collection of trade books that range from simple texts to lengthy chapter books, source materials of all kinds as well as specific materials used for reading instruction of related literacy activities. Every classroom has its own library and is supported by the larger school library. Classes frequently team up for collaborative projects like “reading buddies,” in which older children read throughout the year to younger ones.