To be a successful leader in education requires clarity of mission and the ability to evolve. St. Luke’s has established a reputation for taking the lead in rethinking any norms and traditions that detract from the school’s mission: An exceptional education. In the words of Head of School Mark Davis: “If we want our students to thrive, we need to consistently reevaluate our culture and programs and ask: What’s best for students?”
The school was the first in the area to introduce later start times to help alleviate sleep deprivation—an issue still plaguing many local schools. The school’s academic leaders also enacted limits on homework and cell phone use to reduce excessive stress and constant exposure to digital distractions.
This fall, St. Luke’s became the first private school in this area to introduce its own Advanced Curriculum—courses that go above and beyond traditional AP curriculum.
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Head of Upper School Liz Perry explains the impetus: “When AP classes were introduced at St. Luke’s in the 1980s, they represented a chance to demonstrate our academic chops. Over 30 years later, we no longer need an outside seal of approval on our academic program. St. Luke’s has a national reputation as an academic powerhouse, sending students to a range of selective colleges and universities and attracting many more qualified students each year than we can enroll. Additionally, our faculty are ready and eager to challenge students in ways the College Board’s focus on standardized tests simply can’t accommodate in many subjects.”
St. Luke’s will continue to offer the best AP courses in conjunction with a full slate of original advanced courses. The school believes the Advanced Curriculum will help seniors distinguish themselves during the hyper-competitive college application process. Admissions officers from the most selective schools are familiar with St. Luke’s rigorous academics and already regard some of its Advanced courses as more advanced than the College Board’s offerings.
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“This is a win for faculty as well as students,” says Perry. “Giving teachers the freedom to create original curriculum is a strong statement about our respect for and trust in their exceptional, inspired teaching abilities.”
St. Luke's is a secular private school in New Canaan, CT, for grades 5-12. St. Luke's mission is an exceptional education that inspires a deep love of learning, a strong moral compass, the commitment to serve, and the confidence to lead. St. Luke's Center for Leadership advances our mission by helping students develop exceptional leadership ability. Visit today.
