Partner with the Exploratorium:

Over the past three years, we have developed a unique and deep partnership with the Exploratorium's Institute for Inquiry to train our educators, design curricula, build assessments, and research how inquiry-based teaching meets the needs of all learners. Our partnership has also enabled our students and teachers to have open access to the museum, which enriches our program tremendously.

Design Innovative Curricula

Finding authentic inquiry in a public school is rare. Teachers often find it challenging to facilitate hands-on and emergent curricula while also teaching Common Core. Additionally, you hear from educators that there is a tension between focusing on rigorous academic content and deeper learning. By designing curricula that follows an inquiry arc, connects content, and aligns with Common Core, we are demonstrating that it doesn't have to be an 'either-or.' We are hopeful that our curricula can be shared broadly and adapted to various educational contexts.

Share Our Lessons

At New School SF, "learning by doing" is an opportunity to grow for both students and staff.  We know we don't have all the answers, yet we believe we're asking the right questions and that the lessons we're learning - about what works for students - need to be shared. To that end, we are actively working to document our experience, codify our curricula, and make these resources available to others. We are proud to highlight: 

- Tools for educators to facilitate inquiry

- A deeper look at how we personalize learning

- Lessons learned about being a diverse school

Collaborate with Other Schools

We love learning from others, and we believe greater change is possible when more people are united towards a shared vision. To that end, we collaborate with:

- The Center for Progressive Education

- NewSchools Venture Fund

- Progressive Educators Network

- Ross Valley Charter School

- UCLA Lab School