The mission of Liberty is to provide excellence and fairness in education for school children through a common foundation by successfully teaching a contextual body of organized knowledge, the skills of learning including higher order thinking, and the values of a democratic society. Liberty recognizes the value of inclusiveness, or providing access to a broad cross-section of the community, so that students from all backgrounds can benefit from Liberty’s educational offering. Liberty acknowledges the leadership of teachers in the classroom, and recognizes the responsibility of each student for his/her academic effort.
DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES
- Children yearn for meaning and require a basis of solid contextual common knowledge for the development of mature literacy and critical thinking, for growth and communication in a diverse society.
- The educational “playing field” between students of differing backgrounds should be level to provide all students a basis to the greatest degree practicable, upon which they can build further knowledge and to develop the skills necessary to communicate and succeed.
- The skills of learning–reading, writing, speaking, calculation, and higher order thinking–are most meaningfully learned from a combination of the knowledge or content of the curriculum, modeling, coaching, and sensible practice.
- To thrive in work, citizenship, and personal growth, children must be taught the values of a democratic society. These values include: Respect for others-their property and rights; Responsibility for actions, honesty and social justice; Resourcefulness-being ready to learn, to serve, and to share.
- Inclusiveness is fundamental in responding to the diverse needs of children and raising academic standards. All parents, regardless of economic status, should be free to choose this educational program for their children.
- Teachers are professionals, which implies considerable autonomy, mastery and independence. Having accepted the academic and philosophic mission of a school, the teacher needs to be free to exercise informed judgment in order to fulfill his/her primary role as an educator.
- The principle determinants of individual academic success are individual ability and effort. The policies of Liberty (grading, discipline, homework, teaching) must support the student’s adoption of a personal quest for academic growth using the clearly marked path of expectations in knowledge, skill, and character. The guiding philosophy of Liberty acknowledges that children can and should be held accountable for their own school work and behavior with the support of teachers and parents.
Liberty’s curriculum, the Core Knowledge Sequence, encompasses language arts, mathematics, science, history, geography, fine arts, and physical education. The curriculum is characterized by knowledge that is:
- Solid – lasting, unchanging knowledge such as important events of world history;
- Sequenced – a planned progression building on students’ previous knowledge and eliminating excessive repetition and gaps;
- Specific – clearly defined knowledge at each grade level ensuring fairness for all students;
- Shared – providing all students, regardless of background, with the shared knowledge they need to be included in our national literate culture.
For more information, please go to Core Knowledge in the Academics section.
The classical approach to education can be described as a journey to meaning. It begins with students acquiring knowledge through a wide familiarity with literature, history, science, math, music, arts, people, and places. Liberty’s purpose is to lead young people on an odyssey of the mind and heart, which will steer them towards self-reliance.