Ethical Culture Fieldston School, Private preparatory school in Manhattan, United States
Ethical Culture Fieldston School provides education from kindergarten through twelfth grade across two sites in Manhattan for around 1,700 students. The teaching method combines academic lessons with hands-on projects and encourages learners to take responsibility for their surroundings.
Felix Adler founded the institution in 1878 as a free kindergarten called Workingman's School for the children of working families. By 1880 the program expanded to include elementary grades, and over the following decades it grew into a comprehensive educational institution.
The institution follows the principles of the Ethical Culture Movement, which holds that every person deserves respect and that responsibility for the community matters. Classrooms and meetings reflect this approach by encouraging dialogue and shared action in the daily life of learners.
Visitors can enter the buildings during school hours only through organized tours or by arrangement. Outside lesson times the campus hosts events and family gatherings that offer glimpses into the daily rhythm of the place.
Each week learners take part in discussion groups where they talk about topics like bias and social differences. These gatherings encourage openness and mutual understanding among people from different backgrounds and experiences.
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