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Our School
The Helen Parkhurst Institute
Inspiring Educational Thought and Practice
The history of Dalton is intertwined with the rise of progressive education in the United States. In response to the emergence of industrial-style schooling, twentieth century educational philosophers such as John Dewey, Maria Montessori, and Helen Parkhurst, Dalton’s founder, constructed new approaches for child-centered teaching and learning.
The Helen Parkhurst Institute (HPI) draws on the ideas of progressive visionaries to create programming, experiences, and media for educators. We strive to create enriching learning environments that do for teachers what the Dalton Plan does for young people: cultivate passion, creativity, and intellectual curiosity.
Through HPI’s faculty development program, Original Minds project, and collaborations with international Dalton schools, we empower teachers to reground their practice in Helen Parkhurst’s legacy and pedagogy.
A Vision for the Future
With over a century between Helen Parkhurst's conception of the Dalton Plan and current 21st Century educational practice, the Helen Parkhurst Institute serves as a bridge to ground faculty in Dalton’s core values and its unique child-centered pedagogy. It remains committed and excited about its goal to further Helen Parkhurst’s commitment to inspire educational thinking and practice with innovative faculty development projects for today and years to come.
Faculty Sabbatical Work
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The Assignment on the Assignment
by Frank Moretti, 1987
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(Re)Framing Student Learning and the Student Experience Through the Dalton Plan
by Kevin Slick, 2022
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Progressive Education for a New Millennium
by Lisa Stifler, 2002
HPI Programs
Faculty Dalton Plan Program
New and recently hired Dalton faculty members meet monthly as a group throughout the academic year to discuss various pedagogical aspects of the Dalton Plan and how to implement these practices in their classrooms. Members of the cohort are paired with coaches who meet individually or in small Lab groups, to support new faculty in their growth. Members and coaches are guided by a veteran Faculty Leader throughout the year.
International Dalton Schools
Helen Parkhurst traveled throughout the world in the 1920’s and 1930’s, Her ideas gained traction throughout Europe and Asia. Though Dalton in New York City is Parkhurst’s flagship school and the only one in the United States, there are still hundreds of Dalton Schools world-wide that adhere to Parkhurst’s pedagogy at varying levels of commitment. The Parkhurst Institute is connecting with these international Dalton schools to collaborate and offer leadership and travel opportunities for faculty.
The Original Minds Project
To unlock creative expression of both the students and adults who support them, the Parkhurst Institute is in the planning process to re-implement the Original Minds Project. Conceived, designed, and implemented during the academic years, 2003-2014, the program invited original thinkers, artists, and scholars to share their creative practices with faculty and students for the duration of an academic year at Dalton.
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Explore Our Unique History
As the first school to apply The Dalton Plan, we have a unique place in the world of schools influenced by Helen Parkhurst and her seminal work in the progressive education movement. Read more about our remarkable school’s history.
Grades K-3
53 East 91st Street, New York, NY 10128
Grade 4 & PE Center
200 East 87th Street, New York, NY 10128
Grades 5-12
108 East 89th Street, New York, NY 10128
