MacDuffie called model for 21st century education

Date: 2/8/2010

Feb. 8, 2010

By G. Michael Dobbs

Managing Editor



SPRINGFIELD -- MacDuffie School may be celebrating its 120th anniversary, but according to Massachusetts Secretary of Education Paul Reville, there is nothing old fashioned about the private school.

He said at a recent event noting the anniversary that MacDuffie "represents what's possible not only in the private sector but all across the board."

He said the future of the Commonwealth is on "brain power" and an educated workforce and MacDuffie's "role is to set an example on how you do it and reach out to share with others."

John and Abbie MacDuffie founded the school in 1890 for young women. The couple had success and the school grew both in student body and in the size of the campus.

Mayor Domenic Sarno designated Jan. 20 as "the MacDuffie School Day" in honor of the anniversary.

Co-educational since 1991, MacDuffie now has a nearly 20 acre campus and attracts students not only from around Western Massachusetts but from around the world. Currently there are students from 14 foreign countries attending the school, with a student body of 191 young people.

The school has certainly changed over the past 120 years, MacDuffie Head of School Kathryn Gibson explained to Reminder Publications. Forty-three percent of the students are male, while 44 percent are students of color. Thanks to the school's endowment about 53 percent receive need-based financial assistance.

She noted that most members of the senior class are accepted into their first choice for college and the alumni have many success stories.

There are challenges, though, facing schools such as MacDuffie, she noted.

"Private schools face the challenge of keeping tuitions affordable, so they remain accessible to a diverse student body," she said. "Another challenge is disabusing general perceptions of elitism and of being disconnected to 'the real world.' MacDuffie addresses the former challenge by offering significant financial aid and scholarships to students with high academic promise and high financial need."

Gibson said MacDuffie has kept its tuition "intentionally lower" to help attract a wider variety of students. She explained that although the school could use additional funds for operating expenses, the staff "feels a huge obligation" to keep the cost of the school at a reasonable level.

This commitment to attract qualified students regardless of their finances belies the belief that a private school such as MacDuffie is elitist.

"A visit to our classrooms and seeing our students and teachers in action would dispel the myth of elitism. Classes address many current issues (from medical ethics to environmental issues) and introduce students to the world of ideas and ethics through a multicultural lens," she said.

Gibson sees the teaching philosophies of private school as resources for public schools.

"Independent schools have huge roles to play in what education should look like. The challenge is to get public schools to listen to us," she said.

"Because we focus on skills-based learning, our students learn how to learn and can apply those skills in a wide range of areas from mathematics and science to literature, the arts and world languages," she added

An assessment of individual students determines the educational approach, she explained.

"We really try to meet the needs of each child," she added.

Gibson said there would be additional anniversary activities throughout this year.