Laboratory school

Former laboratory school at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, with one-way mirrors in the upper-level observation deck, allowing professors to view the classroom
The same room, showing observation room with a one-way mirror to the right of the classroom

A laboratory school or demonstration school is an elementary or secondary school operated in association with a university, college, or other teacher education institution and used for the training of future teachers, educational experimentation, educational research, and professional development.[1][2]

Many laboratory schools follow a model[citation needed] of experiential education based on the original Laboratory School run by John Dewey at the University of Chicago.[3] Many laboratory schools still operate in the United States and around the globe. They are known by many names: laboratory schools, demonstration schools, campus schools, model schools, university-affiliated schools, child development schools, etc., and most have a connection to a college or university. Each university-affiliated school has a unique relationship with a college or university and a different grade configuration. Some lab schools are only for preschool or kindergarten children, some are preschool through fifth or sixth grade, and some continue through high school.

Khan Lab School in Silicon Valley is one of the few laboratory schools not affiliated with a college or university. It is affiliated with Khan Academy, a non-profit educational organization.[4] The school's experimentation with abolishing grade levels was featured on Voice of America in 2016.[5]

  1. ^ "nals.net". www.nals.net.
  2. ^ "Lab Schools - PrivateSchoolReview.com". PrivateSchoolReview.com.
  3. ^ "John Dewey's Laboratory School in Chicago". mi-knoll.de.
  4. ^ "What is a lab school?". Khan Lab School.
  5. ^ "Experimental Silicon Valley School Abolishes Grade Levels". Voice of America.