Our School

The Helen Parkhurst Institute

Inspiring Educational Thinking and Practice

We established The Helen Parkhurst Institute (HPI) to share perspectives, ask questions, examine the Dalton Plan — our school’s foundational pedagogy — and discuss the everyday joys and challenges of teaching and learning.
Through HPI’s innovative Faculty Development Program, Scholar in Residence, and collaborations with international Dalton schools, HPI’s goal is to inspire educational thinking and practice.

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  • Sustaining the Dalton Plan

    HPI aims to extend the reach of the Dalton Plan and support the work of educators through three programs:
     
    • The Faculty Dalton Plan Program
    • Aaron Kurzen Fellows Program
    • International Dalton Schools

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  • The Faculty Dalton Plan Program

    This program mentors and trains new and recently hired faculty in the School’s mission, values, and the Dalton Plan — our child-centered pedagogy. 

    Faculty meet monthly as a group throughout the academic year to discuss various pedagogical aspects of the Dalton Plan and ways to implement these practices in their classrooms. We pair cohort members with coaches who meet individually or in small Lab groups to support new faculty. A veteran Faculty Leader guides members and coaches throughout the year.

  • International Dalton Schools

    Helen Parkhurst traveled throughout the world in the 1920’s and 1930’s, and her ideas gained traction in Europe and Asia. Hundreds of Dalton Schools worldwide follow Parkhurst’s pedagogy to varying degrees. HPI is connecting with these international Dalton schools to collaborate and offer leadership and travel opportunities for faculty.

  • Aaron Kurzen Fellows Program

    HPI is planning the Aaron Kurzen Fellows Program, a scholar-in-residence program. Aaron Kurzen, a longtime Dalton art teacher for 66 years, influenced thousands of Dalton students in his painting and drawing classes. His structured assignments taught students how to see and think like an artist, and he introduced life drawing at the high school level. Aaron was also a mentor and friend to alumni and faculty members. Naming this innovative program for Aaron Kurzen, where artists and other creative individuals will be identified and come to Dalton every two years throughout the academic year to share their expertise and creativity with our students, is a fitting way to continue his Dalton legacy.

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  • Connect with HPI

    HPI invites schools to collaborate in advancing the principles of Helen Parkhurst’s Dalton Plan. In the foreword to Parkhurst’s newly republished Education on the Dalton Plan, Dalton alum Babby Krents, former Dalton Director of Admissions for over 20 years, and now Director of the Helen Parkhurst Institute, encourages schools “...to use her [Helen Parkhurst] ideas to create learning environments that are humanistic, dynamic, and responsive to contemporary society.” 

    By partnering with HPI, schools can deepen their understanding and application of the Dalton Plan and connect with a global network of Dalton educators. If you are interested in collaborating with the Helen Parkhurst Institute, please fill out this form.  

Recent HPI Collaborations

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  • Tokyo

    Assistant Head of School and Interim High School Director and HPI Advisory Board member Shira Kohn and HS History Teacher and HPI Faculty Advisor Kevin Slick traveled to Dalton Tokyo Gakuen Junior & Senior High School. They participated in class observations and two days of faculty workshops centered on the Dalton Plan’s history and its impact, past and present. While their workshops provided models for Assignments and introduced Dalton New York traditions — such as First Program’s Multicultural Festival, the Middle School Greek Fest, and the High School Dance Theater Workshop — they especially enjoyed Open Lab with fellow educators.

  • Netherlands

    Dalton’s Chief Information Officer and Director of New Lab Teaching and Learning John Neiers visited various Dalton Schools in Amsterdam in May 2024 to meet with students, faculty, and administrators to learn how the Dalton Plan is implemented across their programs. In the Netherlands, the Dutch Dalton Association adopted Helen Parkhurst’s educational philosophy across approximately 400 Dalton Schools across primary and secondary schools – the highest density of Dalton Schools in the world. During his visit, John also met with Helen Parkhurst scholar and biographer, Dr. René Berends, author of Helen Parkhurst: Founder of the Dalton Plan, to discuss the Dalton Plan and explore future collaborations with Dalton NYC.

Explore Our Unique History

The Dalton School in New York City was the first school to fully embrace Helen Parkhurst’s seminal work in the progressive education movement and implement the Dalton Plan. Read more about our school’s remarkable history.

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53 East 91st Street, New York, NY 10128

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