Dalton Plan

The Dalton Plan is an educational system that was devised by Progressive educator Helen Parkhurst in the early twentieth century. Debuting in Dalton, Massachusetts, around 1919, the Dalton Plan attempted to reform education by placing more focus on student interests and diversity. Two of the fundamental concepts in the Dalton system are freedom and cooperation, reflecting the ideals of students being motivated individuals as well as team players working to improve society. In the Dalton Plan, students work at their own pace and are free to receive help from teachers when they request it but are otherwise left unfettered.

Dalton schools are characterized by a three-part structure of House, Assignment, and Laboratory. Houses provide a social base for students. Assignments are negotiated projects for students to complete. Laboratories are collaborative meetings between students and educators that may take place every day.

Background

Education has been a dynamic force throughout history. In early America, education was primarily a means of preparing successive generations to become efficient workers. Later, however, leaders came to believe that truly embracing democracy meant letting people become fully functioning citizens instead of simply laborers. These leaders saw education as a key to creating a well-informed populace that could perform their democratic duties and protect their country with careful thought and wisdom. The rise of mandatory public education reflected this desire to create more learned citizens.

By the late 1800s, the United States was struggling with governmental and industrial corruption and a variety of social ills. Many reformers believed that the great potential of the country was being wasted, and swift and drastic changes were necessary to right the wrongs. The Progressive Movement lasted from around the 1890s to the 1920s, when reformers pushed for change in politics, business, and social life.

Some of the many aspects of this widespread reform dealt with education, and many education reform movements emerged towards the end of the nineteenth century. School reformers believed that teaching was failing to prepare much of the national population, particularly immigrants, minorities, and urban residents, to be successful and fulfilled in the modern world. Reformers such as John Dewey, Francis W. Parker, and Ella Flagg Young pushed a revolution in educational and pedagogical thinking.

Reformers proposed that education take into account the differences of individual students, not just in terms of their ages or ability levels, but also their interests, needs, and cultural backgrounds. They argued the conventional education system and its assessment procedures ignored the unique learning styles many students possess. Reformers also posited that schools should teach students to be critical and socially engaged, so they can grow up to guide the country to further reforms and accomplishments. One reformer whose ideas are still influential in the twenty-first century was Helen Parkhurst, originator of the Dalton Plan.

Overview

Helen Parkhurst was an educator inspired by the Progressive reforms and the work of educational theorists such as John Dewey and Maria Montessori. Around 1908, Parkhurst began developing a theory for a distinctly new approach to childhood education. She believed her work could solve the problems within the contemporary system, which stifled diversity and expression, and treated all students as identical and static repositories of knowledge.

Parkhurst sought to engage children in their own learning, piquing their curiosity and interests, and customize their lessons around their talents and the needs of their communities. Around 1919, she tested her new system and established a small school in Dalton, Massachusetts. Although the school was originally named the Children’s University School, it soon came to be known around the country as the Dalton School, and the programs it followed were called the Dalton Plan.

Dalton education begins with very young students. Even in the lowest grades, students have the ability to make some choices about how and what they will learn. This process, highly unusual at the time, was meant to teach students about self-reflection and how to identify and pursue their goals. It also set the groundwork for continued student engagement and input in education throughout the school years. One of the hallmarks of Dalton education is that graduates often feel prepared to make important plans and choices, such as those required at the university level.

The Dalton Plan was founded on several unique principles. Two of the most fundamental of these are freedom and cooperation. The Dalton Plan affords students unprecedented levels of freedom, with the intention of helping students become more creative and independent. Students also have the freedom to pursue their own interests and take on an individualized course of study, rather than being restricted to a homogenous curriculum. Parkhurst believed that freedom would increase student concentration and perseverance even when faced with challenges.

Another fundamental principle is cooperation. Although seemingly at odds with the independence of freedom, cooperation helps students and teachers create interpersonal bonds through which they can share, learn, and meet mutual goals. Parkhurst hoped that teaching about cooperation could help students learn to work together in a considerate manner and understand the effects of their actions and ideas. On a broader scale, cooperation fulfills the vision of the Dalton Plan as a strategy for Progressive social reform.

Using the foundation of freedom and cooperation, Parkhurst designed the school system itself as a three-part structure. These three parts came to be known as House, Assignment, and Laboratory. The House refers to a home base for each student in the school. For young students, Houses are designed based solely on age, but in higher grades, Houses diversify to include students from different grades and ages. Supervisors of each House, or House Advisors, work with students and serve as a link between parents and the school.

The Assignment refers to a significant educational goal that takes the form of a contractual agreement between the students and the teacher. The Assignment defines student obligations for work in and out of school. Each Assignment is unique as it defines learning goals, expectations, and educational themes specific to the project in consideration. It also takes into account student abilities and interests. The Assignment system begins with young students and grows in importance and complexity over the years.

Finally, the Laboratory, or Lab, refers to an array of sessions between students and teachers. Labs may involve studying, researching, or various collaborative efforts toward the main Assignment. Some Labs are one-on-one environments, while others involve small groups of students meeting with their educators. They may occur multiple times per day, and each may differ based on the people involved and their focus.

Parkhurst’s teaching style expanded from its original location in the early 1920s and, over time, spread internationally. She won widespread praise for her work, which proved popular in the United States, China, Japan, Denmark, and the Netherlands. Royal families of Italy, Japan, and the Netherlands awarded her decorations for her contributions to worldwide educational policy. Perhaps her greatest accomplishment, though, is the persistence of her ideas even long after her death. In the twenty-first century, more than two hundred schools still implement Dalton Plan policies.

As at-home and remote learning became increasingly popular during and following the shutdowns for the COVID-19 pandemic, the Dalton Plan for education found itself easily adapted into this new learning environment. The plan's emphasis on freedom and individuality meshed well with remote learning, to allow students to continue their diverse and unique methods of study while continuing to provide collaboration and cooperation from online instructors and a shared online community. In the twenty-first century, both online and in person, educations rooted in the ideals of the Dalton Plan continue to produce learners prepared to tackle the problems of the modern world. Students enter the world prepared to both take initiative and collaborate. They are flexible but also have exceptional social skills.

Bibliography

“Assignment.” The Dalton School, www.dalton.org/about/the-dalton-plan/assignment. Accessed 19 May 2024.

“Dalton Education.” Dalton International, daltoninternational.org/dalton-education/. Accessed 7 April 2021.

“The Dalton Plan: How We Do It.” Dalton School Hong Kong, dshk.edu.hk/the-dalton-plan. Accessed 19 May 2024.

“Dalton Plan Education.” Kawaijuku Group, www.dalton-school.ed.jp/english/about/daltonplan.html. Accessed 19 May 2024.

"Global Online Academy." The Dalton School, www.dalton.org/programs/high-school/curriculum/notable-programs/global-online-academy. Accessed 19 May 2024.

“House.” The Dalton School, www.dalton.org/about/the-dalton-plan/house. Accessed 19 May 2024.

“The Dalton Plan: Overview.” Little Dalton, littledalton.com/the-dalton-plan/. Accessed 7 April 2021.

“The Dalton Plan.” The Dalton School, www.dalton.org/about/the-dalton-plan. Accessed 19 May 2024.

“Lab.” The Dalton School, www.dalton.org/about/the-dalton-plan/lab. Accessed 19 April 2024.