Dalton School

91st Street "Little Dalton"

The Dalton School, originally called the Children's University School, was founded by Helen Parkhurst in 1919. Parkhurst's "Dalton Plan", to which the school still adheres, reflected the Progressive Education movement that had begun in the late 19th century.[3]

After experimentation in her own one-room school with Maria Montessori, Helen Parkhurst visited other progressive schools in Europe including Bedales School and its founder and headmaster John Haden Badley in England. She developed what she termed the Dalton Plan, which called for teachers and students to work together toward individualized goals. The Laboratory Plan was first put into effect as an experiment in the high school of Dalton, Massachusetts, in 1916. The estate of her benefactor Josephine Porter Boardman, was also near the town of Dalton and from this beginning the Laboratory Plan and school eventually took their names.[4]^: 15f[5]

In 1919, Helen Parkhurst relocated to New York City, where she opened her first school on West 74th Street. Larger facilities soon became necessary; the Lower School was moved to West 72nd Street, and the High School opened in the autumn of 1929 in the current building at 108 East 89th Street. Eleanor Roosevelt admired the work of Helen Parkhurst and played an important role in expanding the population and resources of the school by promoting a merger between the Todhunter School for girls (founded by Winifred Todhunter) and Dalton in 1939.[6]

Enlarged and modified through the years, Dalton still celebrates many traditions like lighting candles before winter break and holding a Greek Festival. Academically, the school still subscribes to the Dalton Plan, which Parkhurst helped to create. Over the years, the Dalton Plan has been adopted by schools around the world, including schools in Australia,[7] Austria,[8] Belgium,[9] Chile, the Czech Republic,[10] the Netherlands,[11] and Japan.[12]

Admission to Dalton was according to the following criteria. For kindergarten to third grade, admission is based on school records, ERB testing, and interview. For grades 4–12, admission is based on school records, writing samples, an interview, and standardized testing (e.g., the Independent School Entrance Examination and the Secondary School Admission Test). Candidates receive notification of acceptance, rejection, or wait list in February. As of early 2013, the overall acceptance rate for grades K–12 at Dalton was reported by Peterson's to be 14%.[13]

Parental anxiety created by the highly competitive admission process was the subject of press coverage from 1999 to 2001.[14][15][16]

Long seen as a bastion of privilege, Dalton's efforts to broaden its mandate for diversity have met with some difficulty. In 2010, a financial aid budget of $6.5 million supported an outreach program for socio-economic diversity at the school.[17][18] As of 2008 students of color made up 38% of the Dalton First Program. In the 2008–2009 school year, the kindergarten was composed of 44% children of color.[19] Articles in The New York Times and The Atlantic have described difficulties experienced by some African-American children at the school.[20][21]

American Promise was a PBS documentary that followed two African American students who enrolled at Dalton as kindergartners and the challenges they faced due to Dalton's lack of diversity.[22][23] In 2020, Dalton found itself in controversy during the broader diversity, equity, and inclusion movement that followed the murder of George Floyd. The discussions continued into the following school year and resulted in the departure of school head Jim Best.[1][24][25][26]

Alumni

• Ronnie Abrams, US judge[27]
• Dan Barber, chef[28]
• Tony Blinken, current U.S. Secretary of State[29]
• Montgomery Clift, actor[30][31]
• Anderson Cooper, journalist[32]
• Rachel Covey, actress[33]
• Claire Danes, actress[34]
• Edward Downes, musicologist and radio quizmaster
• Naomi Ekperigin, writer and comedian[35]
• Edgar de Evia, photographer[36]
• Samuel R. Delany, writer[37]
• Maxim Dlugy, chess grandmaster[38]
• Shaun Donovan, former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and Director of the Office of Management and Budget[39]
• Noah Emmerich, actor[40][41]
• Mark Feuerstein, actor[42]
• Frances FitzGerald, journalist[43]
• Barrett Foa, actor[44]
• Helen Frankenthaler, abstract expressionist painter[45]
• Laura Geller, rabbi[46]
• Alexis Glick, television personality[47]
• Sam Gold, theater director, actor[48]
• Carol Grace, actress[49]
• Jennifer Grey, actress[50]
• Jefferson Y. Han, research scientist[51]
• Hannah Higgins, writer[52]
• Marni Hodgkin, children's book editor[53]
• A. J. Jacobs, journalist[54]
• Jason Jorjani, writer
• Max Joseph, filmmaker[55]
• Brooks Kerr, jazz pianist[56]
• Rachel Kovner, United States federal judge[57]
• Dylan Lauren, businesswoman[58]
• Steve Lemme, actor[59]
• Joshua Katz, classicist
• Sean Lennon, musician[60]
• Andrew Levitas, painter and sculptor[61]
• J. Kenji López-Alt, chef and food writer[62][63]
• Jenny Lumet, actress and #MeToo activist[64]
• Mary Stuart Masterson, actress[65]
• Helly Nahmad, art dealer[66]
• Jennifer O'Neill, actress[67]
• Morgan Pehme, filmmaker, journalist[68]
• Tracy Pollan, actress[69]
• Dara Resnik, screenwriter and producer[70]
• Simon Rich, writer[71]
• James B. Rosenwald III, entrepreneur[72]
• Matthew Ross, film director, screenwriter, journalist[73]
• Marco Roth, editor and founder of N+1 magazine[74]
• Melissa Russo, journalist[39]
• Eric Schlosser, journalist[75]
• Wallace Shawn, actor, playwright[76]
• Marian Seldes, actress[77]
• Fazal Sheikh, photographer[78]
• Christian Slater, actor[79]
• Jill Stuart, fashion designer[80]
• Emma Sulkowicz, performance artist[81]
• Veronica Vasicka, record label founder and DJ[82]
• Josh Waitzkin, chess player[83]
• Dean Wareham, musician[84]
• Julie Warner, actress[85]
• Bokeem Woodbine, actor[86]
• David Yassky, Director, New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission.[39]
• Matt Yglesias, writer[87]
• Andrew Zimmern, chef[88]

Head of School

In November 2021, it was announced that José Manuel De Jesús would replace Interim Head of School Ellen Stein[89] as Head in July 2022.[1] Former Head of School Jim Best resigned in April 2021[90] after 16 years at the school.

Faculty

• Donald Barr, headmaster c. 1964-74[91]
• Joe Frank, taught literature and philosophy 1965–1975; radio performer, writer.
• Rhys Caparn, art instructor 1946–1972[92]
• Jeffrey Epstein, taught 1974–76. Financier; convicted sexual predator[93]
• Yves Volel, taught c. 1968–85. Lawyer, activist, assassinated while running for Haitian presidency[94]

• History of education in New York City

• Semel, Susan F. "Dalton Plan" in Historical Dictionary of Women’s Education in the United States, ed. by Linda Eisenmann (1998) pp 111-113.
• Semel, Susan F. The Dalton School: The Transformation of a Progressive School (1992).

• Official website

40°46′53.6″N 73°57′18.2″W