Making Sense of School Options
A Parent’s Guide to Elementary Education
Choosing the right elementary school is one of the most important decisions you’ll make for your child, shaping their growth, development, and future opportunities. Over the past 20 years, I’ve had the privilege of working in a variety of public, private, religious, and progressive schools. This journey has included action research and leading a model classroom to pilot innovative educational practices, offering valuable insights into what works and how schools can be thoughtfully designed to nurture every child’s growth, motivation, and love for learning.
These insights have directly shaped our program at WHPS. By blending the best practices from progressive teaching with the structure of traditional education, we’ve created an engaging and effective approach that fosters academic achievement, personal growth, and a lifelong love of discovery.
Why Families Choose WHPS
While WHPS isn’t exclusively for high-achieving or gifted learners, many families choose our program because of the way it supports their child’s unique potential. Families often share that they value the environment at WHPS—one where their child’s natural strengths and curiosity are celebrated, the curriculum is both rigorous and engaging, and every student benefits from a personalized learning plan designed to help them thrive.
What Sets Us Apart
At WHPS, we’ve designed a program that blends the best of progressive and traditional education to create a dynamic, engaging learning environment. Below are the elements that make WHPS unique and how we provide an exceptional experience for every student:
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Traditional Approaches
In traditional schools, learning often revolves around textbook-based lessons, where students read assigned sections, memorize spelling words, fill out worksheets, and prepare for standardized tests. While this approach can develop essential skills, it often lacks an emphasis on fostering deeper understanding and true enthusiasm for learning. It primarily focuses on reading and recall—tasks that, in today's world, even technology like ChatGPT can handle with ease. I believe school should be about so much more.Progressive Approaches
Progressive schools focus on student engagement through project-based learning, encouraging exploration of topics that spark genuine interest. While this approach fosters strong engagement and motivation, leaning too heavily on student choice can sometimes lack the structure needed for a well-rounded education, potentially leaving students unprepared for higher education or real-life situations where not everything is a matter of choice. Some progressive schools also delay formal reading instruction until closer to second grade. While this approach isn't inherently negative, it can pose challenges for children transitioning to a more traditional setting.Our Unique Blend
At WHPS, we combine the best of both worlds by merging progressive principles with structured learning. We begin with formative assessments—stopping to truly understand what each student already knows and can do—and then tailor pacing and lessons to meet individual needs and interests. Students have a voice in their education, whether they’re selecting reading materials or exploring social studies topics that fascinate them. This level of autonomy and personalization not only fuels motivation but also leads to greater levels of achievement. -
From my experience teaching in public schools, rigid curriculum guidelines often left little room for genuine differentiation. I worked tirelessly to offer learning extensions for advanced students or extra support for those who needed it, but much of our focus was on getting students who were close to testing “proficient” to cross that line before standardized tests. This pressure often overshadowed the broader goal of inspiring a deep, meaningful learning experience.
At WHPS, we take a more individualized approach, adapting the pace to suit each learner's unique needs. We incorporate traditional elements like tests and quizzes but intentionally delay standardized testing until third grade, prioritizing hands-on learning that students can apply to real-world scenarios.
Our method blends flexibility with structure. For example, during literacy time, all students might work on sorting and analyzing word lists, but they engage with different words and spelling patterns based on their spelling level—same structure, different challenge. In writing workshop, they might be learning to experiment with engaging story leads or nonfiction text features, but they do so within topics they’re passionate about, making their learning journey both personalized and meaningful.
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Social-emotional learning (SEL) at WHPS is more than just a buzzword—it’s the foundation of our daily teaching practices. We start by empowering students to help create the rules for their classroom, then model, reinforce, and hold them accountable to those expectations throughout the year. This simple act of gaining their input and buy-in pays dividends all year long, fostering a sense of ownership and responsibility. Through activities like reflection, goal-setting, and Student-Led Conferences (SLCs), students learn to self-assess their academic progress and their social and emotional growth, building resilience and emotional intelligence that will guide them throughout their lives.
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A key aspect of our program is our dedication to individualized attention. We use a co-teaching model with two fully qualified teachers in the classroom, which allows for dynamic grouping and small-group instruction. This approach ensures that every student receives the personalized support they need to thrive both academically and socially.
When I taught in public schools, aides often supervised students during recess and lunch—my only breaks—which frequently led to unresolved conflicts by the time students returned to my care. It's hard for students to learn effectively when they're stressed, yet as a single teacher, I was constantly juggling the need to address conflicts, disagreements, or problems with the pressure to keep the day's lessons on track. At WHPS, we take a different approach. Our teachers rotate breaks so that students are almost always with a homeroom teacher who knows them well, providing a consistent and supportive presence. Even when a teacher is absent, continuity is maintained, with one homeroom teacher staying with the class, supported by a substitute—a model that’s difficult to replicate in traditional schools with single-teacher classrooms.
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Public schools often operate under the "rule of 500," with one Principal overseeing 500 students, and larger schools may have an Assistant Principal. At WHPS, we believe that providing a high level of personalized attention and ensuring our teachers have the training and support they need for an individualized program requires a much more robust leadership team. Our team includes a Principal, a Dean of Students, and an Administrative Director who is also a resident child development specialist, alongside myself and the rest of the office staff who actively support the elementary program. This structure enables us to offer a level of personalized attention and truly open-door communication that is rare in larger institutions.
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A well-rounded education goes far beyond core academics, which is why our enrichment programs are part of the regular school day for TK-5th grade. Our students benefit from:
Immersion Spanish for early language acquisition
Music & Fine Arts to nurture creativity and self-expression
Performing Arts to build confidence and promote teamwork
Inquiry-Based Science to spark curiosity and develop critical thinking skills
Animal & Nature Studies at our on-site teaching zoo
Robotics & AI-focused Technology Curriculum to equip students for the future
Physical Education to develop fitness, coordination, and teamwork skills
These programs aren't just add-ons; they are fundamental elements of the program.
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Minimum Days: We avoid the disruption of weekly early-out days, keeping our focus on continuous learning.
Extended Care: Is managed by WHPS staff, ensuring a familiar environment, rules, and teachers. Many public schools outsource extended care to the YMCA or other organizations, which can mean less consistency and sometimes waitlists for space.
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Open Door Policy: We pride ourselves on maintaining an open-door policy with families.
Daily Connection with Teachers: We encourage parents to connect with teachers during drop-off and pick-up or to schedule a protected time to talk about any complex issues.
Conferences: We hold Intake Conferences before school starts and Student-Led Conferences throughout the year, fostering a strong partnership between home and school that directly supports student success.
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Our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging is woven into every aspect of school life. We focus on building cultural proficiency through:
Celebrating Cultural Joy: Collaborating with our parent organizations, we strive to find joy in customs and events beyond the dominant culture, broadening our students' understanding and appreciation of diversity.
Field Trips & Experiential Learning: These experiences allow students to engage with different cultures and histories firsthand, deepening their understanding through direct interaction.
Learning Hard History: We approach complex historical topics with sensitivity and depth, ensuring that our students learn about all aspects of history, not just the easy parts.
Confronting Bias: We actively encourage students to recognize and challenge biases in themselves and others, fostering a more inclusive mindset.
Building Strong Classroom Community & Belonging: We believe that a strong sense of belonging is essential for every student, and we work to cultivate this environment daily.
Affinity Spaces: This year, we launched new affinity spaces to honor and uplift the diverse experiences of our students, families, and staff.
Private School Village & SOMOS: We belong to outside organizations that promote belonging for Black/brown families across Los Angeles independent schools and enrich our school community through professional development and fostering inclusive discipline and hiring practices.
We also partner with organizations like Private School Village and SOMOS to support Black and brown families in Los Angeles, enriching our school community through inclusive practices and professional development.
Final Thoughts
Parenting and education are among the most meaningful journeys you’ll undertake. At WHPS, we’ve seen how transformative our small, supportive community can be in helping children become the best versions of themselves. Every child deserves a place where they are inspired, empowered, and truly known and valued for who they are.
We invite our current preschool families to experience the heart of our program during October and November tours. These tours offer a closer look at our elementary offerings, answer your questions, and help you feel confident in your decision before the remaining spaces open to outside applicants in January.
While we’re deeply passionate about what we offer, our ultimate goal is to support you in finding the best fit for your child—one that aligns with their strengths and your family’s vision for their future.
