The Quaker Self-Study: Getting to the Heart of Friends Education

C H R O N I C L E S of

Quaker Education

WINTER 2015

Campus Early Schoolers on the beautiful grounds of CFS using mindfulness practices to settle in one morning.

The Quaker Self-Study

Getting to the Heart of Friends Education As the national organization for Friends schools across the country, Friends Council works to nurture and sustain the Quaker essence of our member schools. To do so in a rich, generative, and clear way, we invite our member schools to engage in our Membership Renewal Process (MRP). Designed to be a learning and growth experience for a school community, the MRP involves a year-long self-study followed by a school visit from the Friends Council at least once every ten years. At the heart of the membership renewal process is the Quaker self-study, which is explained more fully inside (see “The Quaker Self-Study Process”).

We invited schools that have completed the MRP to share their experiences and insights. Here are a few of their stories.

As a Quaker school, Carolina Friends School (CFS, Durham, NC) is guided by the tenets of Quaker philosophy.

One part of that philosophy in particular speaks to the learning and growth that a self-study evokes: “The truth is continually revealed.”

CFS aspires to live into that philosophy by continually evolving and growing. In 2013 – 2014, the school embarked upon the Quaker self-study as an opportunity to examine how to bring its mission and philosophy to life on a daily basis. With the mission as its guiding force, the school organized itself to delve more deeply into how Quakerism informs teaching and learning at CFS. The School Life Committee, which furthers the Quaker character of CFS, took the lead in guiding this study using an action research approach. The process began by asking all staff to consider the query, “What would Quaker pedagogy and philosophy look like at CFS if nothing were holding us back?” Staff wrote down their thoughts and shared them in small group sessions using the Claremont Dialogue, a Quaker process used to express thoughts and reflections on important topics. They focused on the vision of what could be, rather than on the challenges or obstacles to accomplishing Quaker related goals. The comments,

suggestions, and reflections served as the foundation for the study that shaped the rest of the school year.

Several areas of interest emerged: The role of silence, Quaker pedagogy, stewardship, service learning, staff and parent education, and spirituality.

Throughout the year, at staff meetings and on staff development days, CFS further explored these areas and created action steps for moving forward. For example, CFS decided to make mindfulness practices more evident in classrooms, to have all new employees participate in a clerking workshop to learn more about Quaker-based decision making, and to include queries connected to the tenets of CFS philosophy in parent newsletters.

The entire CFS community is committed to an ongoing process of taking meaningful action around these goals.

The CFS community is grateful for the intentional structure that the self-study provided. It allowed everyone to examine how Quakerism informs teaching and learning on a deeper level and gave the school concrete steps to move forward.

Maintaining the Quaker identity at Moorestown Friends School (MFS, Moorestown, NJ) was a central goal of two successive strategic plans in 2004 and 2011. As a result, the Quaker self-study completed in the winter and spring of 2013 was a perfect instrument for closely examining MFS Quaker connections and its commitment to Quaker values.

The Quaker self-study helped the school focus on increasing students’ knowledge of Quaker history and beliefs, developing a leadership model consistent with Quaker practice, and examining the long-term impact of a Quaker education. Upper School students now take a “Quaker Quiz” in grades 9 and 12 so that the school can measure the effectiveness of its Quaker education program.

To increase awareness of Friends’ contributions, the school developed posters to display throughout the school highlighting the achievements of Quakers in and outside the school community, including Alice Paul (MFS Class of 1901), Joseph Taylor ’59, Lucretia Mott, and many more. In addition, a new course designed to help students understand and practice leadership consistent with Quaker values,

“Leadership: Style and Skills,” began in the fall of 2014.

To find out how alumni incorporate their MFS education into their lives, recent graduates were invited to an event that included focus groups centered on if/how the school’s Quaker dimension makes a difference. Alumni both confirmed the importance of the school’s dedication to Quaker beliefs and values and challenged us to make that dedication even more explicit and central in students’ experiences at MFS. The key component of the Quaker self-study for MFS is the Continuing Revelation section, which MFS used to develop a blueprint for action related to Quaker beliefs, practice, and values. The examples cited above are direct outcomes of that section, through which the school makes concrete the actions needed to maintain and expand the depth of its commitment to Quaker faith and practice.

You can view all of the Legacy of Quakers posters at Moorestown Friends School’s website: http://www.mfriends. org/our-program/quaker-values/a-legacy-of-quakers/

Contributed by Carolina Friends School faculty Renee Prillaman, Assistant Principal for Teaching and Learning, Lisa Carboni, Head of Lower School, and Kate Pendergrass, Middle School Math Teacher and Advisor

Contributed by Barbara Caldwell, Self-Study Clerk, Moorestown Friends School continues on page 2

Moorestown Friends School students in the “Leadership: Style and Skills” course, developed as a result of the Friends Council Membership Renewal Process, with Wawa, Inc. Vice Chair and Former CEO/President Howard Stoeckel (center) and Head of School Larry Van Meter (right). Stoeckel, author of The Wawa Way, spoke with students about servant leadership, a concept pioneered by Quaker business theorist Robert Greenleaf.

A Publication of the

Getting to the Heart of Friends Education continued from page 1 For many years, Brooklyn Friends School (BFS, Brooklyn, NY) contemplated engaging in a self-study.

The school finally made it a priority for the 2011 – 2012 academic year, and the wide-ranging process reaffirmed the unique ways that Brooklyn Friends lives out its Quaker identity.

The process incorporated several cycles of listening and learning, and embraced the entire school community — current students, alumni, parents, faculty, staff, and members of Brooklyn Meeting. Highlights of activities included:

seeking was prominent throughout the process. As the “Minutes of Learning” make clear, the school has made a commitment to draw connections and provide education so that it may “. . . warmly, consistently, and continuously engage everyone in exploring Quaker history, practices, and vision.”

Contributed by Whitney Thompson, Self-Study Clerk, Brooklyn Friends School

❆❅❄

• Staff and faculty reading, reflecting on, and discussing Robert Lawrence Smith’s A Quaker Book of Wisdom.

Family members also were encouraged to read the book and about 80 took part in discussion groups led by student-staff-parent triads.

• P resentations from Friends school leaders and Meeting members on topics such as the Quaker testimonies and the history of Quaker education.

Contributed by Jim Clay, Director, School for Friends

❆❅❄

• Q ueries to K –12 students about Brooklyn Friends’ Quaker values.

• V ideotaped testimonies from alumni on how Quaker values have affected them as adults.

The self-study sparked a revised mission statement and the formation of an All-School Quaker Life Committee that is overseeing an annual rotation of Quaker programming for staff, families, and students. In addition, a Quaker Life document has been envisioned, with the goals of deepening everyone’s understanding of Friends education and spirit, and helping with outreach to the wider community.

The “Minutes of Learning” developed by the Quaker Self-Study Steering Committee provide an overview of the self-study’s thematic outcomes, and include an affirmation that diversity and inclusion are central to Brooklyn Friends’ identity as a Quaker institution.

While it was apparent that many community members had not felt deeply connected to the Quaker life of the school, the school’s deep spirit and culture of collective

Longtime leader of several Friends Schools and former Friends Council Board member Bruce Stewart (left) engages with BFS alumnus Jacob Reiben ’13 (right) during the event, “Looking Inward and Reaching Out — Exploring the Transformative Power of Friends Education.” Bruce gave the evening keynote and BFS community members engaged in small group discussions.

After the report was submitted, everyone involved looked forward to a visit from Friends Council, which provided an opportunity to show others how the school lives out its Quaker identity. The visiting team, including one early childhood educator from Friends School of Baltimore, made everyone feel appreciated for this important work. They acknowledged and commended the school for all they saw, and their conversations with parents, board members, and faculty left everyone feeling affirmed.

Furthermore, in the “Continuing Revelation” section of the study/report, the school set out two clear goals: a more conscious use of the testimonies in curriculum and creating a Quaker Life Committee that will focus on the school’s Quaker identity. The board and teachers are very pleased with the report from the Membership Committee and Board of Trustees.

It has truly been a rewarding experience!

Preschoolers at School for Friends. While the Membership Renewal Process was designed for schools beginning at the elementary level, School for Friends piloted the program as an early childhood education program and had great success.

School for Friends in Washington, DC, an early childhood Friends school with 50 children, has been a member of Friends Council since 1986. Though the new Membership Renewal Process (MRP) was designed with schools having at least an elementary school, School for Friends asked the Friends Council Membership Committee if School for Friends could undertake the process as a pilot. Part of the school’s hope was to broaden representation on the school’s Board of Trustees.

The school board consists of current parents (including Quakers), former parents, members of the affiliated Friends Meeting of Washington, and a faculty representative. In order to complete the self-study, they divided themselves into six committees of two persons each, which required some people to serve on two committees. The committees assessed the school’s commitment to each of the six principles laid out in the Principles of Good Practice for Friends Schools: Affirming the Quaker Identity.

School for Friends easily adapted all the queries to its early childhood school. The process led board members to interview the head of school, parents, and teachers to determine (1) what everyone actually does at the school to meet those principles and (2) develop goals for improvement. The yearlong timeframe allowed ample time to share information, draft sections, and even engage in brief discussions at board meetings.

As of this writing, Richmond Friends School (Richmond, IN) is in the midst of its Quaker self-study. The process has already proven to be a revealing, meaningful, and thought-provoking journey.

Richmond Friends is a PreK – 6th grade school in an area many consider a Quaker hotbed. The school sits within walking distance of Earlham College and the Earlham School of Religion. Twenty-five percent of students are Quaker, 50 percent of the board is Quaker, and 33 percent of the faculty and staff is Quaker.

Furthermore, the vast majority of non-Quakers have an affiliation with Earlham. And a neighbor, West Richmond Friends Meeting, owns the school building.

In short, many Quaker threads run near and through the school. But are those threads as developed as they could be? Are they guiding and teaching everyone at Richmond Friends in ways that are the wisest and most valued?

The on-going experience of having these focused conversations is rich and illuminating and seems to be leading toward at least one query related to intentionality.

A clear priority is that everyone at Richmond Friends not only knows about the traditional Quaker testimonies, but also lives out these values each and every day. Evidence that this is, in fact, the case can be seen in practices ranging from governance and leadership to community life and curriculum. The school is indeed practicing what it preaches.

What is less clear is whether it matters if the school is making an intentional, factual, overt connection to Quaker practices and faith tradition. Is there a need for a common historical framework, vocabulary, and grammar of thought regarding how everyone identifies and defines Richmond Friends as a Quaker school?

Thanks to the Quaker self-study, the entire Richmond Friends community is making progress down the path toward discernment and continuing revelation.

Contributed by Marcie Roberts, Head of School, Richmond Friends School

At George School (Newtown, PA) the Quaker self-study created a lovely opportunity for “internal marketing.”

Namely, there are many ways in which the school engages in Quaker-based practices that are so deeply ingrained in the culture that the origins have been forgotten.

For example, as part of the self-study, each department was asked to describe how they utilized Quaker practices. Out of this came the shared realization that at least a few teachers in every department were using some kind of centering silence at the beginning of most of their classes, without realizing that many of their colleagues were doing the same. This created a space to mirror this finding to the entire adult community, and to share with one another the different language and/or rituals used to introduce this in various classes.

At George School this dovetailed with an increased focus on collaboration among colleagues across disciplines.

Learning what colleagues do in a completely different discipline is often quite energizing. And by naming various practices explicitly, it has helped staff claim all of them as part of the school’s overall Quaker pedagogy.

Contributed by Tom Hoopes, Head of the Religion Department, George School

A Self-Study Tip Tom Hoopes, Head of the Religion Department at George School, offers the following suggestion for those considering or about to begin the self-study process.

I would recommend creating space on a faculty meeting agenda to do some small group or oneon-one sharing in response to the question, “How do you encourage your students to look for that of God in everyone in your own classroom or teaching context?”

Asking this query in an open-ended, non-prejudicial way invites each colleague to think creatively about what she or he is already doing, and also to listen invitingly to what others might have to say on the same topic.

My experience is that most people who choose to work at a Friends school are excited to think of themselves as part of a dynamic, creative solution to some of the world’s most intractable problems. This exercise creates an affirmative space to name and claim our role in that unfolding solution.

Here is what students in the 1-2 classroom at Richmond Friends School came up with during their discussion this fall when they were asked, “What is a Quaker School?”

Quaker Self-Study Process Suggested Resources for Community Engagement Available at www.friendscouncil.org Bookstore Leading in the Light This foundational and inspiring collection of writings from leaders in Friends education reflects on the history and principles of Quaker education and the defining features of Quaker education in practice.

As part of their Quakerism class, middle school students at Friends’ Central School use mirror props for an exercise on reflection. They begin with the prompt “Begin Within — All the wonder you are is deep inside yourself — Take time to reflect — Begin Within” and move on to discuss reflection, self-reflection, and Meeting for Worship.

Finding “. . . the transcendent Spirit . . . that lies among us”

By Mark Fifer Middle School Assistant Principal Co-Chair, Quaker Self-Study Committee Friends’ Central School (FCS, Wynnewood, PA) devoted the 2013 – 2014 year to the Quaker self-study as part of the Friends Council Membership Renewal Process. We found that the self-study process initiated valuable dialogue and learning opportunities throughout the school community. The broad participation and interest in the process made it clear that there was a strong desire to recognize and make even more visible the principles and practices that define and differentiate our Quaker school.

The final report has served as an orientation and edification tool for those new to Quakerism and Quaker education, and will continue to do so. The inquiry also helped reorient those who have more experience with Quakerism and Quaker educational pedagogy by providing points of clarity and reminders about what it means to be a Friends school.

The primary benefit of the Quaker self-study was found in the search, in the process.

The self-study provided a means to activate our community, creating a dynamic environment of self-reflection, both in groups and as individuals. The process enhanced a sense of ongoing inquiry that is part of the character, the difference, found in Friends schools.

“For Friends schools, searching for the truth together and exploring the belief in continuing revelation means that we are constantly engaging with one another in a conversation about what it means to be a Friends school.” (“Friends Education: Our Light for the World,” Friends Journal, April 2014, p. 16) Friends’ Central’s Quaker self-study report is intended to be a living, breathing document, part of an ongoing process of truth-seeking. For both Quakers and non-Quakers, the selfstudy encouraged a process of individual and community discernment, breathing life into the tenets and values of Quakerism and providing engaging thought and conversation about how these Quaker elements inform the way we interact with one another, whether in our school community or in the wider world.

In doing the work “we found, paradoxically, the transcendent Spirit that lies not within any one of us, but among us, transforming us.” (Readings on Quaker Pedagogy: Philosophy and Practice in Friends Education, Friends Council on Education, 2004, p. 24) I would be glad to discuss our experience further with any school that is considering doing the Membership Renewal Process and Quaker self-study. Please feel free to contact me at 610645-5064 or email to mfifer@friendscentral.org.

Quaker Book of Wisdom

By Robert Lawrence Smith

Smith, the former headmaster of Sidwell Friends School and a tenth generation Quaker, explores the ways in which we can harness the inner light of God that dwells in each of us to guide the personal choices and challenges that we face every day.

Advices and Queries for Friends School Community Life Advices and Queries is designed to sustain and deepen the Quaker dimension of Friends school communities as it supports administrators, faculty, and staff in examining how their daily practices and interactions reflect Quaker values.

Governance Handbook for Friends Schools, second edition This revised edition provides guidance in areas of governance that are unique in Friends schools and new material on advancement, effective board process, and building an optimum culture for school leadership and governance.

Principles of Good Practice for Friends School Boards & Every Friends School Trustee A companion piece to the Governance Handbook for Friends Schools, this resource covers major areas of responsibility and attention in Friends school governance.

Readings on Quaker Pedagogy: Philosophy and Practice in Friends Education The essence of teaching and learning in Friends schools is explored by four different voices in this collection, perfect for exploration in full and/or departmental faculty meetings.

Connect

The Quaker Self-Study Process A school engaging in the Quaker self-study forms a committee that includes representation from all constituency groups — faculty, administration and staff, board, parents, alumni/ae, Friends Meeting members as appropriate, and students as appropriate.

The school is asked to confirm faithfulness to its Quaker identity as evidenced by its commitment to the Principles of Good Practice for Friends Schools: Affirming the Quaker Identity. The school writes a brief, clear report to Friends Council confirming the six principles. After a school visit, Friends Council Membership Committee provides feedback to the school, and to the FCE Board, which gives final approval for membership renewal.

Schools and Friends Council visitors report deep appreciation for the opportunity to support each other’s growth and exchanging ideas for sustaining the Quaker dimension of Friends schools.

your students to today’s Quakerism

Read

Friends Journal in print and online

Listen

to podcasts of articles

Watch

QuakerSpeak videos YouTube.com/QuakerSpeak

Participate

in the annual Student Voices Project

FriendsJournal.org The Friends Council MRP visit team with trustees at CFS. From left to right: Mark Kuhn, Irene McHenry, Matt Drake, Chari Smith, John DiLiberti, Dick Wade, Margy Campion, Marsha Green (right foreground). Not shown: Drew Smith.

LOVE Friends education?

Like us on facebook! www.facebook.com/friendscounciloneducation

Friends Council on Education

Drew Smith Executive Director

The testimonials from schools included in this issue of Chronicles provide evidence that the Membership Renewal Process (MRP) has been well received. In every case, schools reported a thoughtful, year-long Quaker self-study process of reflective inquiry that included all constituencies within their communities. Those inquiries produced not only affirmations of current practices, but also opportunities to deepen Quaker practice in classrooms, faculty rooms, and boardrooms. The MRP has served as a catalyst for each school to renew their sense about what makes their particular school “Quaker.” From the Friends Council’s perspective, these reports from schools are very encouraging.

My own experience serving on visiting teams to Carolina Friends School and Friends’ Central School demonstrated to me firsthand both the enthusiasm for MRP self-study process and the depth with which schools pursued their own inquiry into their school’s commitment to Quakerism and Quaker practice. Whether visiting an elective class taught by a senior at Carolina Friends, or sharing our final meeting at Friends’ Central with their Steering Committee, the sense of purpose and ambition to grow into an even better Quaker school was palpable at each school.

As more schools undertake the MRP, we at the Council anticipate generating a wealth of best practices in which Friends schools might engage to strengthen their core. Friends Council’s primary purpose is the dissemination of best practices across our network of schools and the MRP will only serve to enhance this core function. We believe that the MRP will continue to connect our network more closely together as more member schools participate in the development, communication and practice of our Quaker work.

It is easy to imagine, for example, a member of an MRP visiting team returning to his or her school, and encouraging a colleague to go visit “The Your Name Here” Friends School to learn more about the student-led meetings for business, or the training for clerking, or the Quaker heritage class, with the express purpose of introducing a new Quaker practice at that member’s own school. Perhaps members of an MRP steering committee might offer process advice to a school embarking on their first MRP, through which they introduce a new and more effective threshing process to another member school.

What is clearly emerging is a regular process of disciplined, reflective practice at every Friends School that engages all community members in examining the Quaker culture of the school. At the core of the self-study process is the assumption that a school’s ability to truly live the ideals of Quaker life comes and goes and therefore, benefits from cyclical periods of active focus and attention. When a school engages in this kind of deep review, it is living out the Quaker principle of continuing revelation. A Quaker school may never fully complete its journey to the truth, but it will develop habits of heart and spirit and reflective practice that are the hallmarks of all our Friends schools. The MRP Quaker self-study brings a sense of unity to the question — “What does it mean to be a Quaker school?” The discipline of reflecting on our practice and living Quaker principles and testimonies will serve us well into the future.

Early Childhood Educators, April 16 – 17, 2015, Fairville Friends School and Pendle Hill Friends Environmental Educators Network (FEEN), April 29 – May 1, 2015, Germantown Friends School Development, Admissions & Public Relations, May 4, 2015, Friends Center Three online sessions in the winter: January 13, January 27, and February 10, 2015 “Generative Conversations: Leveraging the Value of Good Governance.”

Peer Network Events Workshops

Trustee U: Governance Programs for Trustees

Educators New to Quakerism, Pendle Hill: FULL for 2014 – 15 Registration for three 2015 – 2016 sessions will open August 1, 2015

A Time for Renewing the Spirit of Quaker Education

Applications are now being accepted for a new two-year (2015 – 2017) cohort for

Heads of Small Friends Schools (hosted by Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Heads), February 20, 2015 at Frankford Friends School, Philadelphia, PA

SPARC (Spirited Practice and Renewed Courage),

Secondary Heads Gathering, April 23 – 24, 2015, Friends Center and Moorestown Friends School Elementary Heads Gathering, April 26 – 28, 2015, Chestnut Hill Friends Meetinghouse a leadership development program based on principles of Quaker philosophy of education and Parker Palmer’s Courage to Teach work. Designed for Friends school teachers, administrators, counselors, and others in all roles and points in their careers.

Educators selected take part in this collaborative community, using reflective tools for self-directed professional development exploring the art and calling of teaching.

Register now For application and more information: www.friendscouncil.org > programs > sparc

2015

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Philadelphia, PA Permit No. 248

WINTER

1507 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102 215.241.7245 • info@friendscouncil.org • www.friendscouncil.org

Reflections online at www.friendscouncil.org Head Gatherings

Experiential On-going Professional Growth for Faculty, Staff, and Trustees in Friends Schools

Quaker Education CHRONICLES OF

Getting to the Heart of Friends Education