The best schools have mission-driven programs and talented, engaged educators who administer them and benefit from them. Building on our already strong teaching and learning foundation, the next step in elevating The Episcopal School of Dallas is making sure we have the resources to create a comprehensive and scaffolded curriculum that reflects our mission and to attract the best possible people to work and to learn here. This is the final piece needed to make ESD a school of national renown.David L. Baad, Hobson Family Head of School
Executive Summary
For children to successfully transition into living lives of purpose as adults, they need:
- The skills and dispositions to be successful in a complex world;
- Exposure to a variety of academic disciplines that stimulate intellectual interests and possible life-long vocations; and
- A moral compass that enables them to make decisions among competing alternatives in a way that positively impacts both themselves and their communities and leads to living an ethical life.
Objectives
- To enhance and align ESD's academic program.
- To distinguish ESD's academic identity.
- To construct ESD's value for today's and tomorrow's students.
- To guide students to become their best for themselves and the world.
The vision behind ESDistinction enables students to discover purpose through building self-awareness, growing in understanding, and taking action by:
- Understanding and cultivating essential dispositions, virtues, and skills.
- Mastering relevant, high-interest curriculum.
- Engaging in real-world problem-solving.
- Making purpose-driven contributions to local and global communities.
- Building purpose discernment skills through regular activities of reflection.
FAQs
| What is ESDistinction? |
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ESDistinction is part of the ESD2030 Strategic Plan and a means of articulating and exemplifying how our students discover, explore, and cultivate their passions that then ignite lives of purpose. Each Curriculum Network acts as a resource for students to delve into what drives them most. These networks abound with experiential learning opportunities that take textbook teachings beyond the classroom and into our greater community and global society. As students progress in these networks, our goal is to equip them with the skills, dispositions, and knowledge to effectively make a difference in our world. To do this, Curriculum Network Leaders have made connections with numerous nonprofits, institutions, and individuals across the nation, providing students with endless opportunities to take action and get hands-on experience in their desired field(s). These networks also feature internships, extracurricular activities, service learning, simulations, labs, field trips, study abroad programs, and more. |
| How does the program work? |
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As students advance through their scholastic careers, ESD has intentionally created an aligned, scaffolded program for students to discover, explore, and cultivate their passions. Aligned, meaning subject matter and the application thereof start at the Beginner level and increase in complexity and sophistication through senior year. Scaffolded, meaning students are supported at every grade level via faculty, advisory, mentorship, community, opportunity, and more, to ensure their personal success. Starting in Lower School, students are presented with experiential learning opportunities that help them discover their interests and develop a baseline of skills and knowledge pertaining to those interest areas. In Middle School, students explore those areas more in-depth, taking on projects and activities that put conceptual knowledge to practice, fine-tuning their skills, and developing dispositions related to their work. In Upper School, students combine their skills, knowledge, and dispositions to cultivate an overarching sense of purpose and further establish why they are passionate about what they do. Between each division level (Lower, Middle, and Upper), students will present a showcase that explains and exemplifies their passions, why they are interested in that work, and how they plan to continue pursuing their ambitions. We are aware that interests change and that not everyone is passionate about the same things, which is why students can participate in numerous Curriculum Networks at the same time at any point in their journey at ESD. Our goal in establishing these networks is, first and foremost, to help students ignite lives of purpose, and our faculty is committed to that mission through and through. |
| How is ESDistinction different from other curricular programs? |
| What sets ESDistinction apart is our approach to learning. We believe the most crucial aspects of learning take place in a hands-on environment, where students learn by doing. Through ESDistinction, students with all different kinds of interests are able to find their niche and put it into practice in the real world, further preparing them for life beyond ESD. |
| Who are the network leaders? |
| Each network includes a network leader who collaborates with academic leaders and teachers in all three divisions to ensure that the skills, virtues, and dispositions essential to the network are being discovered, explored, and cultivated. ESDistinction's network leaders create community partnerships with their designated network that expose ESD students in all three divisions to real-world practitioners and their problem-solving strategies. |
ESDistinction Network Overviews
| Business, Entrepreneurship, and Marketing Network | ||||
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| Computer Science, Engineering, and Design Network | ||||
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| Global Education and Citizenship Awareness Network | ||||
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| Health Science and Wellness Network | ||||
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| Leadership, Government, and Public Policy Network | ||||
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ESDistinction in Action
Through the unparalleled journey of our school’s first 50 years, ESD developed a spectacular campus and a balanced, whole-child education rooted in our Episcopal Identity. It is our time to soar and focus on our people and programs by attracting and retaining the very best teachers and students possible while simultaneously sustaining and further developing our programs that ignite lives of purpose. To an even greater degree, ESD’s graduates will be prepared to go out from our classrooms into our communities and stand out in the world.
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