Francis W. Parker School is an Independent Chicago Day School serving students in JK-12th grades.
We are deliberately composed of a diverse group of people so that we can learn how to honor the dignity and experience of every human being. Our commitment to inclusion and integration makes us an intimate and expansive school aiming for all to feel free and safe and able to acquire knowledge and skills, explore our imaginations, share who we are becoming and embrace the diversity of identities, passions and ideas that shape humanity.
We pursue educational excellence and creativity in order to know the pleasures of learning and the value of contributing to the progress and improvement of society. We affirm students and their capacity to thrive when they feel known, understood and appreciated by teachers and classmates. We believe scholarship, character and confidence grow when we are open to new questions, perspectives and information; when we lead with respect, civility and curiosity as we make reasoned judgments; when we collaborate and when we persevere with integrity in the face of challenge. Our culture of trust and authenticity nurtures an abiding sense of purpose and joy that drives our work toward insight, understanding and accomplishment.
We are responsive in our approaches to teaching and mentoring so that each person can grow in intellectual, aesthetic, emotional and moral life. We encourage all to be resourceful as we learn from one another through spirited, rigorous and reflective engagement in mathematics, languages, the humanities, sciences, arts, athletics and community service. Our vision is grounded in our relationships with one another, inspiring us to stretch beyond current achievements, points of view and disciplines. Our standards for inquiry reach from the classroom to life throughout the school, guiding each of us to do our best as we find meaning in what we learn.
We hold that a Parker education is a privilege that carries responsibility. We call on all to participate with self-discipline, independence of mind and collaborative spirit. We expect each of us to come prepared to learn and to support Parkers approach to education, human development and community. Our purpose is to inspire our students to apply their skills, thoughts and values to make the world just, beautiful and interesting. The people of Francis W. Parker School educate students to connect reflection with action, wisdom with innovation, deeds with consequences, and character with citizenship. In these ways, Parker stands as a progressive school, dedicated to the growth and development of the whole person, on behalf of our democratic society and the wider world.
