At Dawson we make plans and decisions which will be in the best interests of children, both short-term (their present experience in the classroom, the effectiveness of the teaching and the curriculum, the atmosphere) and long-term (superior preparation for the best high school, prep school, and college programs; an understanding of their own strengths and interests; the ability to work productively with people different from themselves). With these factors in mind, we do extensive investigation to ensure that the curriculum and the teaching methods we employ are demonstrably the best, based on current knowledge and research.

For example, our English curriculum is a program developed in the United Kingdom and based upon current research about language acquisition and literacy. It is designed to be the best possible way to teach students at the elementary level. Moreover, it is designed to be complete. In the U.K. students specialize in a few subjects beginning in the equivalent of our high school; before that time they need to be fully literate, able to read for understanding, able to organize, write, and edit a term paper or essay correctly, be familiar with a wide spectrum of literature, and have all of the other skills expected of a literate high school graduate. We augment the U.K. Literacy Model with materials and techniques which enhance it and which provide connections to other parts of the curriculum. A good example is the Thinking Maps program, which has applications for organizing writing and other thought processes across all subject areas. Thus Dawson’s English program meets both the short- and long-term needs of the children we serve.

Our math programs are similarly chosen to enhance understanding. Application to real-world situations and problem-solving are fundamental extensions of the learning of math facts and algorithms.

As we plan all areas of the curriculum, we look for similarly challenging, intellectually strong, intrinsically interesting, educationally sound attributes in materials and processes we choose to adopt. Our curriculum is available as a "map." You may browse by subject area or by grade level.

The thinking of many notable educators influences our decisions. Elliot Eisner, a highly regarded Professor of Education at Stanford University and the author of many significant books including The Kinds of Schools We Need and The Arts and the Creation of Mind says:

"The kinds of minds that children come to own are profoundly influenced by the kind of experiences they are able to secure in the course of their lives. Mind is the product of opportunity… We can do a great deal about the conditions and opportunities the young have during the course of their development."

We are mindful of the words of David Thornberg, prominent futurist, author, and consultant: We must educate our children for their future, not for our past.

At Dawson, we emphasize learning how to learn, how to think, how to investigate, how to work hard to meet their goals, how to meet new challenges with flexibility and their own resourcefulness, providing opportunities for students to be prepared for their future.