A racially diverse nursery through eighth grade coeducational independent school in East Providence, Rhode Island.
The Gordon School was founded in 1910 by a female pediatrician for her son Gordon. Today, Gordon continues to be the choice for families who seek a coeducational environment that challenges both the intellects and imaginations of elementary and middle school students. The nursery through eighth grade structure allows a focus on the crucial early years when the foundations of academic and social learning are laid. Academics, arts, music and athletics are grounded in real life applications, from the gardens maintained by three year old scientists to the four week service learning projects eighth graders complete as the culmination of their study of citizenship and American history. Gordon eighth graders benefit from a secondary school placement process that results in graduates entering high schools of their choice as scholars, leaders, and good citizens. The school's longtime commitment to being a racially diverse institution extends throughout the student body, faculty, Board of Trustees and administration. Gordon has been recognized as a national leader in multicultural education, sending faculty to present at conferences nationwide and running a teacher residency program that emphasizes multicultural practice.
Mission Statement
The Gordon School is a racially diverse nursery through eighth grade coeducational independent school in East Providence, Rhode Island. Child by child, the Gordon School community cultivates successful students by inspiring joyful learning, encouraging intellectual leadership, fostering an empathic spirit and stimulating a drive for positive societal impact.
Guiding Principles
We emphatically believe that each of the following five principles is essential for the success of our mission:
* Our curriculum is rooted in multicultural practice, which develops academic skills, thinking strategies, active imaginations and children’s social competencies
* We teach students to investigate and study concepts and topics from multiple perspectives, a basic skill for success in school and in life
* Students are challenged and inspired to be active workers toward their education
* As articulated in the Gordon School Statement on Inclusivity, we create and sustain a diverse community of faculty, staff, students and families
* As multicultural educators, our teachers strive to establish relationships of understanding and trust with each child and his or her family
Founding Purpose
Founded in the fall of 1910 by pediatrician Dr. Helen West Cooke as the Open Air School, Gordon began in Dr. Cooke’s living room on the East Side of Providence. Windows were kept open year round to foster good health and clear thinking. In that year, Dr. Cooke’s son Gordon and a neighbor, Margaret Arthur, comprised the school’s first class. In this way, Gordon became Rhode Island’s only non-public coeducational school.
Today, the school remains true to its progressive roots. We seek to instill what Dr. Cooke termed “the true spirit of joyous work” into each day of school. Our faculty implements a challenging multicultural curriculum to fuel each child’s innate curiosity and idealistic spirit. We prepare our students to enter an increasingly complex and diverse world with skillful awareness, unwavering hope and the capacity to advocate confidently for justice.
As Gordon enters its second century, we proudly follow the directive highlighted on the bronze plaque that was placed at our entrance at the time of the school’s move to this beautiful 12-acre campus in 1963: “The Gordon School: founded in 1910 in the belief that mind and heart should be educated with equal care.”
The Gordon School Statement on Inclusivity
Gordon proudly honors each individual within its community. The school respects the customs, traditions, values and perspectives of individuals of different gender, race, religion, socioeconomic status, family configuration, sexual orientation, ethnicity, ability and age. The faculty actively teaches students to confidently consider multiple perspectives, examine and express their own beliefs and respond respectfully to the ideas and beliefs of others. To the greatest extent possible, Gordon takes steps to ensure equal and equitable participation for all members of the school community.
Gordon’s emphasis on inclusivity, an evolving process, is essential to its mission to prepare students for active citizenship in the world.
