TWELVE GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF WASHINGTON LATIN

Principle One: A Small School. Washington Latin is an intentionally small school with small classes. Its entire student population - when it reaches full size with eight Forms-will not exceed 822. The primary pedagogical setting will be the Harkness classroom with no more than sixteen scholars.

Principle Two: A Distinctive School Culture. The creation of The Washington Latin School is rooted in the belief that the primary deficiency in most non-performing and underperforming schools is the lack of a definable and sustainable culture that inspires and ennobles parents, teachers and students. Simply put, too many schools underestimate and undermine the inherent dignity of the students they teach, the families they serve and the teachers they employ.

Principle Three: A Rich Literature-Based Curriculum. At Washington Latin, there is no time for the latest educational fad or fashion. No school in the nation has a more disciplined or focused course of study. In reading, depth, not breath, is the measure. Mastery of a discreet knowledge core, and not coverage of a vast and disconnected curriculum is the standard.  Washington Latin's classical education  will be rooted in the tried and true "Latin School" approach to the study of classical language and culture. In addition to classical studies, Washington Latin's rich literature-based curriculum develops the skills of listening, reasoning, reading, writing and speaking.

Principle Four: An Advanced Program of Rhetoric & Logic. Formal training in logic and rhetoric began in Syracuse after 467 BC, when Athenian democracy was established. This tradition of formal training in thinking and speaking came to these shores by way of the Puritan colonists but unfortunately, largely disappeared from the American curriculum in the 20th century. As a result, the quality of our national conversation has become increasingly superficial, coarse and impoverished.  The restoration of logic, rhetoric and public elocution as major components of a secondary curriculum will represent a significant innovation within the contemporary American academy. At Washington Latin, courses in logic and rhetoric, taught in concert with studies in classics, literature and history, afford each student the best possible preparation for responsible citizenship.

Principle Five: A "Triple Threat" Faculty. Students at Washington Latin will study and grow within the context of sustained relationships with teachers who are hired and trained in the old tradition of teacher, mentor and coach. These "triple threat" teachers will be hired as much for the example they set as for the knowledge they impart, and each one will be expected to embody the "public virtues" that comprise the School's Standards and Etiquette.

Principle Six: A Socratic Teaching and Learning Environment. At Washington Latin, teacher-as-lecturer is not the model. The grammar stage of memorization and recitation-valuable with younger students-is simply not developmentally appropriate for young women and men. The school's classrooms will be Socratic by design with students as the primary discussants.  By emphasizing observation and experimentation in the sciences, the case-study method of historical inquiry and teaching through the arts, the School asks its students to research, reflect, imagine, and create.

Principle Seven: The Harkness Classroom. Designed by educator and philanthropist, Edward Harkness, these classrooms accommodate 14 scholars seated around an oval table to engage in a Socratic interchange of ideas. In schools like Exeter and Lawrenceville, this pedagogical innovation has proven successful over many years, producing many of America's leaders.

Principle Eight: A High-Expectation Society. The culture of Washington Latin prizes hard work and real achievement. Within a context of personal concern, tenderness and good humor, every young scholar is expected to do his or her best. Nothing less will be acceptable. Moreover, the challenge to personal achievement is matched with the tools and the support needed to meet that challenge.  At Washington Latin, there is no substitute for excellence-and no excuse for mediocrity. Artificial inducements to bolster "self esteem" have no place here. Instead, we encourage the timeless qualities of self-examination, self-control and self-sacrifice. It is, after all, the examined life, the disciplined life and the life poured out in service to others that constitute the main object and true ideal of education.

Principle Nine: Preparation for Servant-Leadership. Washington Latin's entire program, though rich in antique and global literary sources, is intentionally connected to the real-life context of contemporary Washington, D.C. Every student benefits from the School's Servant-Leader Community Experience (SLCE) requirement.

Principle Ten: "Designing In" Technology. At Washington Latin, technology is not an afterthought or an add-on. Technology that supports rather than supplants brilliant teaching will reach into the living rooms of every faculty member and family in the school, linking us together in a common enterprise. The objective will be to make technology ubiquitous and-as much as possible-invisible.

Principle Eleven: A Network of Community Partners. An important element of the School's success will be its aggressive program of forming articulated relationships with key cultural, educational and civic institutions-local and national, public and private.  We are reaching out to corporations and foundations that can provide educational venture capital-and real-world know how. We plan to recruit writers, artists, naturalists, public servants and community leaders to inform and inspire our students through their work.  The School's Board of Governors reflects the importance of these relationships.

Principle Twelve: A Partnership with Parents. The most important partnership of all will be our partnership with parents. The active involvement of mothers, fathers and grandparents is the single most important factor in the success of Washington Latin.  As a public charter school, Washington Latin will be open to the public. Yet since it is a school that parents choose for their children, every parent in the Washington Latin School Parents' Association must sign and honor a Parents' Resolve and Covenant.