Background

The Bloomfield Public School District contracted with The Big Picture Company to assist in designing the Big Picture High School, a new magnet high school.  The school is based on the idea that students learn best when they are actively engaged in their own educations through personalized learning, authentic work, adult mentors and family involvement. The school will open in the fall of 2005 with an initial class of 30 9th graders.

The Big Picture Company is located in Providence, Rhode Island.  It is funded by the Gates Foundation to open small schools across the nation.  The innovators of the Big Picture School design, Dennis Littky and Eliot Washor, are the co-directors of the Big Picture Company and have operated Big Picture Schools for the past eight years. 


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        The Big Picture High School

The Big Picture High School is a magnet school located in Bloomfield, Connecticut.  The school is based on a central theme: learning through internships, real work based on the interests of the student.

Personalized Education:  The curriculum is individualized based on each student’s needs and interests.  Each student has a Personalized Learning Plan that he or she creates with a teacher, parent(s), mentors from local businesses in the community.

     Small School: 

The Big Picture High School is committed to maintaining a school environment that accommodates no more than 120 students.

Family Engagement: The student’s parent/guardian is a member of the learning team (including student mentor, and teacher) that is directly involved in making curriculum and assessment decisions.

Learning Through Internship (LTI):  Learning is centered around real work.  Students work alongside a mentor in a workplace, performing jobs or solving problems with real outcomes and products that matter to the community, while simultaneously exploring their interests and developing skills.

Teachers as Advisors:  

They advise, coach and guide in developing curriculum projects that are directly related to the student’s interest.

Authentic Assessment: 

Each student demonstrates his/her progress before a panel of evaluators.  Each quarter teachers write a narrative evaluation of the student based on learning goals, and other skills.

 A Diverse Community: 

The school culture is founded on respect for individuality and diversity, vital elements in this educational process. 

The Learning Plan Team: 

Designs a curriculum that reflects the student’s interests as well as prepares the student for post secondary experiences.

The Big Picture High School Learning Goals

Empirical Reasoning: to use empirical evidence and logical process to make decisions and to evaluate hypotheses.

Quantitative Analysis: to understand numbers, to analyze uncertainty, to comprehend the properties of shapes, and to study how things change over time.

Communication: to understand your audience, to write, read, speak and listen well, to use technology and artistic expression to communicate, and to be exposed to another language.

Social Reasoning: to see diverse perspectives, to understand social issues, to explore ethics, and to look at issues historically.

Personal Qualities: to demonstrate respect, leadership, responsibility, organization, time management, and to reflect on one’s abilities and strive to improve.