District 36 is located in Cook County, Illinois, in the village of Winnetka, 16 miles north of Chicago. For decades, The Winnetka Public Schools have lead the nation in progressive education and served as model for educators who value the development of the whole child.

The District serves approximately 2,000 kindergarten through eighth grade children in three elementary schools (Crow Island School, Greeley School, and Hubbard Woods School); one fifth/sixth grade center (The Skokie School); and one seventh/eighth grade middle school (Carleton Washburne School).

After students complete Grade 8 in The Winnetka Public Schools, they attend New Trier Township High School where 96% go on to college.

This "Beautiful Land"

The Village of Winnetka stands at the edge of Lake Michigan 16 miles north of Chicago. Named for a Native American word meaning "beautiful land," Winnetka today is home to some 12,400 people who live along its tree-lined streets.

Nestled in this four-square-mile village are three neighborhood elementary schools: Crow Island School, Greeley School, and Hubbard Woods School. They serve children from junior kindergarten through grade four. The Skokie School enrolls students in grades five and six, and Carleton Washburne School enrolls students in grades seven and eight.

Students graduate from The Winnetka Public Schools to join children from nearby towns at New Trier High School.

A Tradition of Progressive Education

With a tradition of leadership in progressive public education, The Winnetka Public Schools consider each child to be a whole person who should be developed intellectually, socially, emotionally, and physically.

The District's landmark document, Winnetka, A Community of Learners, declares the schools' primary purpose to be the development of each child's ability to read with comprehension, write and speak effectively, perform mathematical processes with precision, use the scientific method, and act with confidence and self reliance.

The Story of Our Schools

A decade before the Village was incorporated in 1869, families in the town made private donations to finance the first public school. Years later, before the first World War, a handful of citizens gathered to discuss starting a private preparatory school like those they had attended in the East. They ended up instead putting their efforts into the public schools.

"Why don't we make the public schools of our Village so good that we will be proud to send our children to them?"
- Citizen Edwin Fetcher, speaking in the early 1900s

But it was Carleton W. Washburne, the superintendent from 1919 to 1943, who was the architect of "The Winnetka Plan." His innovations - individualized instructions, hands-on learning, and attention to the development of the whole child - are now cornerstones of excellent schools across the country. Educators in Winnetka every day renew and extend this vision.

Our Elementary Schools

At the elementary level, The Winnetka Public Schools offer language arts (reading, writing, listening, and speaking), mathematics, science, social studies, art, music, physical education, and Spanish.

While curriculum goals are set at the District level, each school and each classroom maps its own path to these goals. Walk into a Winnetka school, and you will sense a unique culture. You will see teachers collaborating with other professionals as well as parents.

Teachers tailor the curriculum to their students, addressing the needs of different individuals with different approaches. Teachers regularly confer with parents, using examples of students' work, test scores, and daily observations to paint a picture of children's progress. Letter grades are phased in at the middle-school level.

The Resource Center staff in each school expands upon core learning by engaging children in literature and independent research. The Math Lab similarly challenges and supports children in mathematics. In instrumental music, children may take Suzuki string lessons starting in kindergarten or join a District-wide band or orchestra from fifth grade through eighth grade.

The Washburne-Skokie Campus

Carleton Washburne School (grades 7 and 8) and The Skokie School (grades 5 and 6) form the Washburne-Skokie Middle School Campus. The two-school-building setting came into existence in August 1998 to accommodate the growing student population and program expansion.

An interesting history precedes the opening. The Skokie School was the District junior high school beginning in 1920. As the student population grew and educational needs changed, Carleton Washburne School was built in 1969 to house the District's seventh and eighth grades, while The Skokie School housed the fifth and sixth grades. By 1980 the student population declined, allowing the fifth grade students to move to the three elementary buildings and the sixth grade students to become a part of Carleton Washburne School.

By the late 1990s, the population at Carleton Washburne School increased to 600 students. In response to the growth, the School Board elected to remodel and reopen the south end of The Skokie School to house the sixth grade and to let Carleton Washburne School become a grade 7-8 building. Thus, in August 1998, The Washburne-Skokie Campus began a new era in the District.

Learning with Meaning

Integrated learning is one of the hallmarks of The Winnetka Public Schools. A class planning a visit to a prairie, for instance, may hone many skills.

The children may read fiction about life on the prairies in the 1800s and study the plants and animals that live there today. Once on the prairie with their teacher and parent volunteers, they may draw what they find, plot a course with a compass, calculate the current of a stream, or scatter seeds.

When they return to school, a few may write letters to local policy makers or stage a play for a younger class. The prairie becomes a springboard for academic learning in the context of stewardship of a precious resource.

A long standing tradition for all Winnetka students is to spend a day in The Pioneer Room at Crow Island School, a school built in Washburne's day to be "the architectural embodiment of our ideas and ideals." Dressed as pioneers, small groups of third grade students from all three schools experience a day in the life of a pioneer family. Weeks of classroom study culminate in this experience.

Pupil Services

The Winnetka Public Schools strive to meet each child's needs with appropriate services. The District offers a multi-disciplinary team approach in which specialists work with classroom teachers and parents to help children with learning disabilities or other problems. The pupil services team at each school includes a social worker, speech therapist, and health professional. Students with special needs also may be served through the Northern Suburban Special Education District (NSSED).

Reaching Out to Others

The schools support connections among people of different ages and backgrounds.

Younger classes find "buddies" in older classes. They may do projects together, with each contributing from his own gifts and skills. They may even be in the same classes together, as they are in the summer "Adventures in Learning" Program. Since 1959, children have attended "Adventures" to explore such topics as model rocket building, creative dramatics, and pet care.

Winnetka children establish bonds with children from other backgrounds through relationships with other Chicago area schools. These links - forged teacher to teacher, classroom to classroom, and child to child - feature joint study and projects as well as more casual interactions.

Through the use of technology, Winnetka children are becoming more global in their experiences, as they explore relationships through the Internet.

Organization and Funding of the Schools

The Winnetka Public Schools, technically known as Cook County, Illinois District 36, employ an administrative team of a Superintendent, Chief Financial Officer, Curriculum Director, Pupil Services Director, Technology Director, five building Principals, and three Assistant Principals.

District 36 is locally governed by an elected School Board of seven citizens. 85% of the District's $36 million budget comes from local tax dollars. Per-pupil costs and tax rates reflect the community's desire for high quality education within the context of financial realities.

Striving for Excellence

Excellent schools and their faculties must engage in continual growth. The curriculum is constantly evaluated at all levels. Faculty members regularly meet in grade levels or as teams to discuss and improve instruction. Teachers participate in Winnetka Teachers Institute staff development programs throughout the year. The District financially supports their continuing education and work toward advanced degrees. Many teachers and administrators publish in scholarly journals, teach college courses, lecture, and lead workshops across the country.

Today and Beyond

The aphorism, "It takes as entire village to raise a child," originated in an African village. But it just as easily could have come from Winnetka. The maxim expands upon what Carleton Washburne once called the "exchange of faith" between the school and the community.

Today, Winnetka's schools embrace the values of the community in fostering the development of whole people who are critical thinkers with compassion, creativity, and a sense of their place in the world. In turn, the community helps the schools realize their shared vision with citizen involvement and public and private financial support.

The ideal of a "community of learners" informs the philosophy and day-to-day teaching of The Winnetka Public Schools. Committed to excellence through growth and innovation, The Winnetka Public Schools face the next century with eagerness and confidence.