The Crefeld School
Encyclopedia
The Crefeld School is a small, private school in the Chestnut Hill
section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, founded in 1970 as The Miquon Upper School. Its mission is to pioneer a progressive
, alternative learning community for classroom secondary
and middle school
students. Crefeld is guided by the principles of the Coalition of Essential Schools
- a high school
reform movement with over 1000 member schools around the United States. The Headmaster
is George Zeleznik.
(a private progressive elementary school founded in 1932), created the new upper school partly in response to requests from many parents and former students from The Miquon School who wanted the opportunity to continue their schooling in the tradition of progressive education. Greenberg was granted permission by The Miquon School's board to include the "Miquon" name in the title of his new school, but the two schools were always entirely independent of each other. After some years of confusion, the upper school changed its name to The Crefeld School. Currently, the school enrolls 110 students in grades 7-12.
It is classified as an alternative secondary school. The Crefeld School recently became accredited by the Pennsylvania Association of Private Academic Schools (PAPAS) and Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. In addition, The Crefeld School is licensed as a private academic school by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Chestnut Hill is a neighborhood in the Northwest Philadelphia section of the United States city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-Boundaries:Chestnut Hill is bounded as follows:...
section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, founded in 1970 as The Miquon Upper School. Its mission is to pioneer a progressive
Educational progressivism
Progressive education is a pedagogical movement that began in the late nineteenth century and has persisted in various forms to the present. More recently, it has been viewed as an alternative to the test-oriented instruction legislated by the No Child Left Behind educational funding act...
, alternative learning community for classroom secondary
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
and middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
students. Crefeld is guided by the principles of the Coalition of Essential Schools
Coalition of Essential Schools
The Coalition of Essential Schools is an organization created to further a type of whole-school reform originally envisioned by founder Ted Sizer in his book, Horace's Compromise. CES began in 1984 with twelve schools; it currently has 600 formal members.-Horace's Compromise:Horace's Compromise...
- a high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
reform movement with over 1000 member schools around the United States. The Headmaster
Head teacher
A head teacher or school principal is the most senior teacher, leader and manager of a school....
is George Zeleznik.
History
The Crefeld School was founded as The Miquon Upper School in 1970 by Arnold Greenberg in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia. Greenberg, a former teacher at The Miquon SchoolThe Miquon School
The Miquon School is an independent, parent-owned, elementary school located in Conshohocken , Pennsylvania. It was founded by parents in 1932, following the progressive philosophy of John Dewey...
(a private progressive elementary school founded in 1932), created the new upper school partly in response to requests from many parents and former students from The Miquon School who wanted the opportunity to continue their schooling in the tradition of progressive education. Greenberg was granted permission by The Miquon School's board to include the "Miquon" name in the title of his new school, but the two schools were always entirely independent of each other. After some years of confusion, the upper school changed its name to The Crefeld School. Currently, the school enrolls 110 students in grades 7-12.
It is classified as an alternative secondary school. The Crefeld School recently became accredited by the Pennsylvania Association of Private Academic Schools (PAPAS) and Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. In addition, The Crefeld School is licensed as a private academic school by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
Notable alumni
- M. K. Asante, poet, filmmaker, and professor. Asante credits Crefeld with helping him blossom, after he experienced failures at other schools. He told a reporter, "There was a lot of intellectual and ideological diversity," noting that Crefeld encouraged his artistic sensibilities, stressed self-expression, and made classes optional.
- Bill Douglas, White House correspondent for McClatchy NewspapersThe McClatchy CompanyThe McClatchy Company is a publicly traded American publishing company based in Sacramento, California. It operates 30 daily newspapers in 15 states and has an average weekday circulation of 2.2 million and Sunday circulation of 2.8 million...
(formerly Knight RidderKnight RidderKnight Ridder was an American media company, specializing in newspaper and Internet publishing. Until it was bought by The McClatchy Company on June 27, 2006, it was the second-largest newspaper publisher in the United States, with 32 daily newspapers sold.- History :The corporate ancestors of...
)