PORGES ’96

As we prepare to say farewell to Baldwin’s 8th Head of School, Dr. Marisa Porges ’96, we look back on her years of leadership and service to her alma mater.

— Innovations for Baldwin’s Academic Program —

At the start of her tenure as Head of School, Dr. Porges and the Board of Trustees conducted in-depth research on trends in higher education, the workforce and how girls learn best. The goal was to ensure that Baldwin continues to innovate its academic programs to prepare today’s students for the world that awaits them in 10, 20 and 30 years’ time.

As a result of this research, Baldwin announced a new strategic vision in Fall 2019 that emphasizes interdisciplinary studies and curricula that inspire our girls through hands-on projects applied to real-world problems. This focus was designed by our expert faculty and staff so that our girls grow into adaptable thinkers and life-long learners equipped with the skills and emotional intelligence crucial for tomorrow’s world leaders and changemakers.

Baldwin’s faculty already capitalized on the connections between disciplines, but our future-focused strategic vision built on this foundation with new programs and curricular offerings. To help prepare our teachers for this work, Baldwin sent a cohort of faculty to the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education ProjectBased Learning program. While there, faculty gained graduate-level experience in developing classes that bridge subjects and integrate authentic, student-driven projects to apply learning in new ways. This work continued during the school year, as faculty concentrated their professional development around interdisciplinary learning and ongoing work with pedagogical leaders from around the country.

The impact on Baldwin’s academic program has been inspiring for students and teachers. As faculty brought the strategic vision to life, students explored their coursework more deeply and creatively through discussions facilitated by teams of faculty from different academic departments, student-led research using real-world data sets and unique projects during class and during extra time set aside for in-depth interdisciplinary work. In addition, we tapped into the wealth of resources in the surrounding community and Baldwin’s extensive alumnae network, so that experts from various fields of study partner with students and faculty on projects inside and outside the classroom.

The Lower School Wyss Interdisciplinary Incubator (i2) and the Middle and Upper School Wyss Interdisciplinary Institute (I2) are two additional outcomes of this innovative focus for our academic program. These special initiatives allow students more time to combine lessons learned in different content areas and to do special projects that help them practice their collaboration, communication and problem-solving skills.

Examples of new units launched during Lower School i2 include our Kindergarten studying dinosaurs and paleontology in cross-disciplinary Language Arts, Music, Physical Education and Science lessons and our 3rd grade using their humanities, science and DREAM Lab classes – alongside time with rangers from the National Park Service – to study the ecosystem, animals and geography of America’s national parks. The 5th grade also integrates interdisciplinary learning into their study of Ancient Egypt, for which the culminating project is sharing their research on a website they design in the DREAM Lab.

In the Middle and Upper Schools, I2 provides students the chance to take mixed-grade cross-disciplinary seminars like “Maps, Math and Democracy,” “Using Music, Theater and Animation to Teach Science,” “The Chemistry of Jewelry,” “Francophone Women of the 20th and 21st Centuries” and more. They also have the opportunity to see and hear how their interdisciplinary studies apply beyond Baldwin’s gates, where our girls connect with outside experts, visit museums and labs and see performances in the local area. Driven by students’ passions and interests, each seminar culminates in different ways – from art exhibits to plays to published writing. These new academic programs thus re-enforce the feeling of fun and love of learning so essential to girls’ Baldwin experience.

This academic focus also inspired Baldwin to update facilities to increase access to digital tools in classrooms and common spaces, develop new cutting-edge, research-based courses for our curriculum and introduce more authentic learning experiences during local and global trips. We are proud of the numerous ways that our strategic vision ensured Baldwin continues to leads the nation with its innovative programs tailored to what our girls need – for today and years to come.