Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the Center for Inspired Teaching?
For 15 years, The Center for Inspired Teaching has trained teachers across Washington. The Inspired Teaching School will put into practice the work of The Center for Inspired Teaching, a DC-based educational organization that has served our City’s teachers and students since 1995. The Center for Inspired Teaching has worked with thousands of teachers from nearly every school in Washington, DC, improving instruction and student productivity for thousands of students.
Q: What is Inspired Teaching and what is an Inspired Teacher?
Center for Inspired Teaching has spent 15 years helping teachers reach their full potential. Every teacher at the Inspired Teaching School will recognize your child’s innate desire to learn and build on his/her natural curiosity and individual strengths to maximize academic, social and emotional achievement. Our Inspired Teachers:
- Challenge students with meaningful, relevant, and interesting school work.
- Maintain high expectations and motivate students to achieve beyond their perceived limits.
- Build a positive and productive relationship with every student.
- Enable students to become knowledgeable and self-disciplined, with the skills to think and solve complex problems in school and in life.
An Inspired Teacher teaches students how to think, not just what to think.
Q: What grades/ages will the school serve?
During the 2012-13 school year, the school will serve students from Pre-School (age 3) through 4th grade. The school will add one grade level each year. At capacity, the school will serve students from Pre-School (age 3) through 8th grade.
Q: How do I enroll my child?
Applications are available on the school’s website and by calling 202-248-6825. Applications are due March 31, 2012. Should more applications are received than spaces available for students, we will hold a lottery on April 12, 2012. More details about the application process and our informational schedule can be found at http://www.inspiredteachingschool.org/school/appl/.
Q: Is my child eligible to attend?
Any student of appropriate age/grade level who is a resident of the District of Columbia is eligible to enroll in the school; students must be age 3 by September 30, 2012 to enter the PreSchool program. The only limitation is the number of spaces available at each grade level. No child will be discriminated against because of aptitude, achievement, ethnicity, national origin, gender, disability, language proficiency, or on any other basis prohibited by law. Should spaces remain after all DC residents have been enrolled, non-residents will be required to pay tuition at the level established by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education and to follow the same enrollment process as residents.
Q: How many students will the school have?
Target enrollment for our second year is 206 students. Enrollment will expand as grade levels are added in subsequent years.
Q: How big are the classes? How many teachers are in each classroom?
There will be approximately 20-25 students. There are two full time teachers in every classroom. In Preschool (3 year olds), in addition to the two full time teachers there is an additional full time paraprofessional.
Q: What is the school calendar?
The school generally follows the calendar of DC Public Schools, with a few small changes to ensure adequate teacher professional development. Parents will receive a complete 2012-2013 calendar in the Family Handbook. The calendar is also available at any time on our website.
Q: Where will the school be located?
We intend to be centrally located in Washington, DC so that we are accessible to families from across the city. We also hope to be Metro and/or Metro bus accessible.
Q: What is the curriculum?
The standards-based curriculum is centered on the school’s four goals of Intellect, Imagination, Inquiry, and Integrity. Active, hands-on, and experiential learning is primary, with movement, play, and student-led inquiry at the forefront. Instruction includes an emphasis on social-emotional learning, and classrooms is organized for collaborative groups and instruction that allows students to study varying topics at varying paces.
Pre-School and Pre-Kindergarten students experience developmentally appropriate instruction guided by national standards and student interest. Students develop pre-reading/writing and pre-math skills through learning experiences that respect the developmental stages of the students. Teachers prepare learning environments that include centers that allow for student-led inquiry and play. Teachers see the students’ “play” as their work and will support the students as they develop content-area skills and knowledge.
In the elementary grades, Readers’ and Writers’ Workshop is the primary methods for teaching reading and writing. Math instruction focuses on mastery of math facts, proficiency with all four mathematical operations and problem-solving, as well as on understanding and applying mathematical concepts and processes.
Science, at all grades, engages students in the scientific process: wondering and the creation of hypotheses; observation; experimentation; collection and analysis of data; drawing and defending a conclusion; and asking follow-up questions for further investigations.
Our inquiry-based approach to teaching takes full advantage of the richness of our nation’s capital. Using Washington, DC as a living textbook, teachers will ensure students develop the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary for effective citizenship and understanding of the content related to local, national, and world histories and cultures and economics.
Q: Do students get recess? How much?
Students have at least 30 minutes of recess each day. Students may spend even more time outside and active as movement and play are an integral part of the school’s curriculum.
Q: Will students go on field trips?
As part of a curriculum based on hands-on, experiential learning, students go on field trips to take advantage of the many resources throughout Washington, DC.
Q: How will students be assessed?
The school uses multiple tools to measure progress toward our four goals of Intellect, Imagination, Inquiry, and Integrity. The school relies primarily on authentic and performance assessments (i.e. student exhibitions, student portfolios, teacher observation protocols) to measure student growth and achievement, and also utilizes several externally validated assessments (DC-CAS, the DRA2, the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking, and the Measure of Questioning Skills).
Q: What is the school’s discipline policy?
The school maintains a safe and happy learning environment for all children and adults. The school embraces an approach to discipline that relies on and builds students’ intrinsic motivation and self-discipline. This approach is designed to maximize students’ appreciation of freedom and its accompanying responsibilities, yet provide the boundaries necessary for student success.
In this environment, students behave not because they are afraid of punishment or because they seek a reward, but because they know they are valued members of the classroom community. Teachers hold students to the highest expectations and seek to develop students’ intrinsic motivation in both academic and social situations.
Q: What does it mean to be a Demonstration School?
This school is unique in its commitment to honoring children’s intellect, imagination, and curiosity. Families, community members, and visitors are always be welcome at the school, and are able to see the work of The Center for Inspired Teaching in action.
The school strives to be a leader in improving the way teachers are trained and students are educated in DC and beyond. The school houses a Teacher Residency program in which Inspired Teaching Fellows study under the guidance and supervision of Master Teachers. Students benefit from the experience and expertise of Master Teachers, all of whom are among the finest educators in the city, and the energy and enthusiasm of new teachers.
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