4. The Dalton Plan: House, Assignment, and Lab

Photos illustrating The Dalton Plan in action: Head of School Jim Best with students in House, Charles Forster Stewert, Michael Sturm and Parul Kalbag meet with students in Labs, An Assignment written by Frank Moretti and given to teachers in 1997 to understand the Dalton Plan.

The Dalton Plan is, and has always been, the core of the school since its inception. Mention, “The Dalton Plan,” and any Daltonian, past or present, faculty, staff, or administrator, will associate those words with how students are taught and learn at Dalton. Helen Parkhurst, the school’s founder, captured the progressive spirit of the age and translated it into this three part plan, unique to Dalton, that is very much alive and well at the school today. House remains the home base for each Dalton student; Assignment provides the focus for class and homework, tailored to meet different needs and strengths, and Laboratory, is the one-to-one or small group work when Dalton students have opportunities to work closely with their teachers. For Dalton alumni, memories of their Dalton experience frequently revolve around the Dalton Plan whether it be a special bond with a House Advisor, a particularly creative and challenging Assignment that inspired them to delve deeply into the work at hand, or beloved Labs when extraordinary faculty, took sincere interest in them, encouraging them to think in completely new ways, and inspiring them to pursue a passion for a topic. How brilliant that 100 years ago Helen Parkhurst, conceived of a pedagogy that still results in a learning environment that crackles with intellectual excitement. Her plan instills in its students a spirit of inquiry, creativity, as well as a sense of individualism and confidence that enables Dalton graduates to truly “go forth unafraid.”
—Elisabeth (Babby) Krents ’68, PhD, Director of Admissions