Letter from the Director

Welcome to the web pages of the Dalton Middle School!

Dalton is a community where learning is at the core of all we do, and the Middle School stands at the center of a Dalton education, providing a smooth bridge from the self-contained classrooms of the First Program (Lower School) to the rich and challenging High School. Dalton's Middle School provides a balance between attention to the basics, through the coverage of necessary skills and body of knowledge, and the need for students to explore a wide variety of interests and experiences.

Dalton's history of progressive education, which extends back to the second decade of the 20th Century when Helen Parkhurst first published Education on The Dalton Plan, still inspires our approach to education. We believe that students come to us eager to learn and that our goal is to fan that spark into a flame which lasts a lifetime.

Through the Middle School curriculum, students acquire greater depth and proficiency in all their academic and co-curricular subjects. Assignments individualize opportunities for students to pursue their particular interests in depth, but within a common curriculum and skills base. Good curriculum is never static, and at Dalton, the creative use of computer software programs, such as Archaeotype, Ecotype, or Hyperstudio offers teachers and students exciting new ways to augment the academic experience.

Enjoy your visit to our web page and, afterwards, take the opportunity to visit Dalton's other pages as well to get a taste of how exciting and enriching learning at Dalton can be.

Elizabeth Hixson
Middle School Director