Little Red School House
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The Little Red School House (sometimes simply referred to as LREI) was founded by Elisabeth Irwin in 1921 in New York, New York as a joint public—private educational experiment. The school was an experiment designed to test the notion that the principles of progressive education, advocated since the turn of the century by John Dewey could be applied successfully in the crowded, ethnically diverse, public schools of the nation’s largest city. Nevertheless, this method of progressive education continues to be tried out mainly in small, private school settings. In 1932, the school became entirely privately funded with tuition ranging today from $24,240 to $27,200. The Little Red School House consists of a lower school, middle school, and a high school; Elizabeth Irwin High School. Famous alumni of the school include Ethan Coen, Robert De Niro, Angela Davis, Kathy Boudin, Mary Travers and Victor Navasky. As of now, the institutions' head is Philip Kassen; the High School principal is Ruth Jurgensen; the Middle School principal is Mark Silberberg; the Lower School principal is Elaine Winter. The Little Red School House and Elisabeth Irwin High School occupy two separate buildings, as well as a third space housing athletic facilties.
LREI believes in progressive education. One possible example of this progressive education is that the high school students have art everyday. (These art classes include: Dance, Drama, Music, Media, Photography, Studio, Graphic). There are also physical education requirements for the high school students.
Their 2004 handbook states: “The school retains its historic commitment to social justice and inclusion. Students are encouraged to become involved in struggles for social justice… as alumni tell stories of concerts given by Pete Seeger singing about social and racial justice, future alumni will remember the programs and discussions sponsored by today’s Multicultural Committee and Lesbian and Gay Issues Group.”
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