Who We Are

We promise the lowest student to teacher ratios in the region. For every five students, at least one highly educated, highly trained teacher will be available to help them navigate the social, academic, and world-centered environment at Astra Day School. State regulations allow for more than 10 times as many students than teachers. We believe that this is untenable given our mission and goals.

We have an open door policy for all classrooms and children: We don’t need you to make appointments to drop by and see your child or to observe the way we teach, guide, and respect children. Making appointments for tours or observations only guarantees that we will have time to engage in conversation. Otherwise we need no preparation for your visit, nor should we or any other school to which you entrust your child. Many parents of children enrolled at Astra Day School stop by to watch lessons, volunteer, visit their children, etc. And it happens commonly enough that it is not disruptive nor would it ever misrepresent when you are not visiting. You should be a participant in your child’s learning; not just a recipient!

If your child is engaged with an arranged learning environment or cohort at Astra Day School, it is because they have chosen to engage in that activity. If a child is engaging in behavior that suggests avoidance of an activity, a disinterest in the activity, or a frustration with or difficulty with an activity, we respect that as functional communication and work to make sure that we again regain assent. In order to get the high outcomes we expect of our students, the desire for education must, as Tolstoy wrote, “manifest like hunger!”

All children are treated with respect, and expected to be kind. Our high expectations are supported by gentle guidance toward the skills of friendship, empathy, and generosity.

Explicit, individualized teaching with ongoing measurement so that we presume nothing.
We place children with precision so they enjoy and succeed with every learning opportunity. We deliver explicit teaching that builds on skills students demonstrate, then teach any skills required for the next step. If the next step appears out of reach, we investigate what component is missing and teach it first.
Our cooperative learning cohorts, where students respond in unison to teacher cues, engage children in five-to-twenty times as many opportunities to respond to the presentation of ideas, concepts, and experiences than traditional models that call on one student at a time.

Curricular Courage
The learning environment at Astra Day School is arranged carefully to minimize student errors. Learning is made fun because it comes easily, and errors won’t discourage. But learning to tolerate challenges and respond without distress when errors occur is an important skill. When errors do occur, we teach that making an error is better framed as a “learning opportunity.” We show that learning opportunities present the possibility of positive change, which is demonstrated by visual systems like charts and other representations of change. Individualized “Challenge and Change Activities” teach children to embrace the unmastered, best summarized by a phrase popularized by Ogden Lindsley as “Curricular Courage.” If the child reaches beyond their current familiar repertoires, they are more likely to encounter change. We teach students the reward of choosing to “make it harder” rather than “make it safe.”

To maximize learning for every student, teaching ratios and school resources are dictated by the student, not the student’s peers or state regulations.
Learner-based ratios
At Astra Day School, children are taught with the amount of teacher attention required to learn, not just given the number of teachers that are required by regulations. This is true of our highest achieving students as well as more fragile learners.
Student-led learning
Individual students determine the instruction they receive. Ongoing measurement, assessment, and consistent placement tell us where a child belongs rather than letting chance put students in situations where their time is wasted. In a student’s Challenge / Change Activity, or during independent activity time, learner choice is always honored.