What is place-based education?

Place-based education uses the local community and environment as a vehicle for learning core skills and exploring questions that are relevant to Baltimore and to students’ lives. Place-based education increases student motivation and performance, helps students develop stronger ties to their local environment, and allows the school to make positive change in the community. Place-based education is experience-based, and in kindergarten, play-based. Students learn about the built environment, infrastructure, residents, businesses, culture, resources, challenges and the history of the city around them.

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What is arts integration?

At Creative City we weave the visual, musical and performing arts into its curriculum as a way to foster student-centered learning, reflection, and personal expression, and a way to deepen conceptual learning, encourage creative thinking, promote collaboration, and strengthen the social environment within the school. Using the arts in all subjects is our way of delivering information and instruction, and is a method of assessing student mastery. Students observe art to stimulate discussion on pertinent themes and make art to explore problems and reflect on lessons learned.

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Success stories:
  • Second-grader Mehki Lee’s artwork was one of three pieces selected to represent Baltimore City Public Schools at the “Making Your Mark” juried youth art show at Thurgood Marshall, Baltimore Washington International Airport. The show will be on display from late May until November of this year.
  • Ms. Gordy’s class wrote a play, “Foxy Grandpa,” that was performed in May as part of the Young Playwright’s Festival. It was chosen from a field of 600 applicants, and a monologue by Greg Green in Ms. Brown’s class was also performed.
  • Amani McLean and Henry Walker (first grade) and Triniece Carter and Samantha Stanford (third grade) were featured in the regional “For Your Inspiration” exhibit at the Baltimore Museum of Art.
  • Amani McLean, in Ms. Mongan’s first grade class, and Celia Gieszl, in Ms. Carver’s third grade class, created two of only eight Baltimore City works selected for an exhibit at the State Treasury building in Annapolis, MD.
  • Third grade student Teneille Woodard’s artwork, a print mural created by Ms. Brown’s second grade students, and hand-bound books containing prints and monologues by Ms. Carver’s third grade students are all included in the Arts Everyday exhibit, “My Baltimore,” at the Walters Art Museum.
  • For the second time in a row, a Creative City student artist won the Mayor’s Holiday Card competition.  This year’s card featured Ben Klima’s snowman art work.
  • Watch second-grader Earl Lloyd give the weather on Fox 45 News on YouTube!

What is play-based Kindergarten?

At Creative City, we value student-directed play as an opportunity for learning, skill-building, and social development.  Our Kindergarten program includes a generous block of time for child-directed center play in each school day.  Teachers and other classroom helpers are engaged with students during this time to make links to curriculum, challenge thinking, and identify students’ own emerging interests that can later be woven into classroom lessons.  Adult engagement is kept in careful balance with giving students space to do their own problem-solving and negotiate their own social relationships. In addition to having a play-based Kindergarten, Creative City prioritizes play and daily recess for students in all grades.

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What is cooperative community?

Creative City gives young people the opportunity to be active thinkers and leaders through decision-making about their school culture and classroom. Parents, teachers, and community members all have a role in creating and supporting the school’s climate and curriculum. Our Board of Directors is directly elected by all teachers and parents, and includes teachers, parents, and community member representatives. Students, teachers, and parents share the responsibility of choosing new teachers and administrators.

All of our teachers use the responsive-classroom method for managing classroom behavior.

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What is a community school?

Creative City is a strong community school. This means we know that families, schools, and community resources make children successful together. We keep the lights on during evenings and weekends, making Creative City a hub of learning and enrichment for adults and older kids in our community, as well as our students. We build upon partnerships with strong organizations in the neighborhood, bringing their knowledge and wisdom into the classroom and into our whole-family programming. The School Family Association coordinates these efforts alongside the Executive Director.  We build on our community’s assets and coordinate programs, services or resources for our students’ whole families, supporting their needs, dreams and aspirations.

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What are some more resources on progressive education in general?