Erikson's New Schools Project partners with administrators and teachers in Chicago Public Schools to establish positive, effective learning environments for children in prekindergarten through third-grade classrooms.
Erikson faculty and consultants provide child development knowledge and professional development to promote high-quality teaching. Workshops, individualized coaching, and modeling classroom techniques and relationships help teachers reflect on and refine their practice. Consultants emphasize the value of building strong relationships in the classroom and among the school, families, and community as a foundation for successful early schooling.
The New Schools Project exemplifies Erikson’s commitment to the city of Chicago and its public schools, bringing the Institute’s early childhood expertise into classrooms to directly benefit young children.
Learn more about the New Schools Project (.pdf) »
Project leadership
Christine Maxwell, Ph.D., heads the project. She is a former member of the faculty at Winthrop University in South Carolina and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and has served as the curriculum coordinator and principal of the Frances Starms Center in the Milwaukee Public Schools. The Starms Center is a large three-site urban public school serving children ages three through 14.
Philanthropic support
Major funding from the Robert R. McCormick Foundation has helped the New Schools Project launch an endowment fund. Additional support for the project is generously provided by the Joyce Foundation, Polk Bros. Foundation, W. Clement & Jessie V. Stone Foundation, and Perkins Hunter Foundation Fund at The Chicago Community Trust. To support the New Schools Project, contact Randy Holgate, vice president of Institutional Advancement, at (312) 893-7110 or rholgate@erikson.edu.