Clonlara School
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Clonlara is a private institution for alternative education in Ann Arbor, Michigan located at 1289 Jewett Avenue.
[edit] History
Clonlara was founded by Pat Montgomery in 1967 as an innovative, private day school. Its campus serves five- through eighteen-year-olds who reside in Ann Arbor, MI and surrounding areas. A second program was established in 1979, the Clonlara Home Based Education Program, which serves home schooling families in each of the United States and in over 25 countries worldwide.
[edit] Educational Philosophy
The Clonlara School philosophy is that a school should empower learners to participate willfully and eagerly in their own educations. We believe that learning begins with curiosity, which should therefore be nurtured. Our experience providing an open environment that fosters creativity has solidified our belief that students gain knowledge best when their interests guide their activities. Clonlara School views the world as the classroom and considers the learning environment integral to the learning process. We believe that a school should allow its students to participate in the design and application of its curriculum. At Clonlara, the student is the curriculum. Clonlara School believes that parents have the right to educate their own children. We believe that academic learning and the mastery of skills are not limited by the location in which they are sought (i.e. schools). Clonlara believes that a lifelong love of learning is the result of our approach to a child's education.
Clonlara School encourages students to have self-directed educational goals. Clonlara uses verbal and written evaluations to mark progress, rather than paper report cards. Students submit portfolios to demonstrate their work.
Clonlara's campus school has small class sizes. Currently our Younger Group (ages 5 to about 11) has 10 students, our Middle Group (ages in a range from 11 to 14) has 10 students, and the Older Group (ages 14 to 18) has 20 students.
