Dalton School

History

The Dalton School, originally called the Children's University School, was founded by Helen Parkhurst in 1919. After experimentation in her own one-room school with Maria Montessori, Parkhurst visited other progressive schools in Europe including Bedales School and its founder and headmaster John Haden Badley in England. She developed what she called the Dalton Plan, which encouraged teachers and students to work together toward individualized goals. The Laboratory Plan was first put into effect as an experiment in the high school of Dalton, Massachusetts, in 1916. The estate of her benefactor Josephine Porter Boardman, was also near the town of Dalton and from this beginning the Laboratory Plan and school eventually took their names.

In 1919, Helen Parkhurst relocated to New York City, where she opened her first school on West 74th Street. Larger facilities soon became necessary; the Lower School was moved to West 72nd Street, and the High School opened in the autumn of 1929 in the current building at 108 East 89th Street. Eleanor Roosevelt admired the work of Helen Parkhurst and played an important role in expanding the population and resources of the school by promoting a merger between the Todhunter School for girls (founded by Winifred Todhunter) and Dalton in 1939.

Enlarged and modified through the years, Dalton still celebrates many traditions like lighting candles before winter break and holding a Greek Festival. Academically, the school still subscribes to the Dalton Plan, which Parkhurst helped to create. Over the years, the Dalton Plan has been adopted by schools around the world, including schools in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Chile, the Czech Republic, Hong Kong, Japan, and the Netherlands.

Admission

As of early 2013, the overall acceptance rate for grades K–12 at Dalton was reported by Peterson's to be 14%. Parental anxiety created by the highly competitive admission process was the subject of press coverage from 1999 to 2001. Long seen as a bastion of privilege, Dalton's efforts to broaden its mandate for diversity have met with some difficulty. In 2010, a financial aid budget of $6.5 million supported an outreach program for socio-economic diversity at the school. As of 2008, students of color made up 38% of the Dalton First Program. In the 2008–2009 school year, the kindergarten was composed of 44% children of color. Articles in The New York Times and The Atlantic have described difficulties experienced by some African-American children at the school.

American Promise was a PBS documentary that followed two African American students who enrolled at Dalton as kindergartners and the challenges they faced due to Dalton's lack of diversity. In 2020, Dalton found itself in controversy during the broader diversity, equity, and inclusion movement that followed the murder of George Floyd. The discussions continued into the following school year and resulted in the departure of school head Jim Best.

Notable people

;Alumni

• Ronnie Abrams, US judge
• Dan Barber, chef
• Antony Blinken, former U.S. Secretary of State
• Montgomery Clift, actor
• Anderson Cooper, journalist
• Rachel Covey, actress
• Claire Danes, actress
• Edgar de Evia, photographer
• Samuel R. Delany, writer
• Blu DeTiger, musician
• Maxim Dlugy, chess grandmaster
• Shaun Donovan, former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and Director of the Office of Management and Budget
• Edward Downes, musicologist and radio quizmaster
• Naomi Ekperigin, writer and comedian
• Noah Emmerich, actor
• Mark Feuerstein, actor
• Frances FitzGerald, journalist
• Barrett Foa, actor
• Helen Frankenthaler, painter
• Laura Geller, rabbi
• Alexis Glick, television personality
• Sam Gold, theater artist
• Carol Grace, actress
• Jennifer Grey, actress
• Vanessa Grigoriadis, journalist
• Jefferson Y. Han, research scientist
• Hannah Higgins, writer
• Marni Hodgkin, editor
• A. J. Jacobs, journalist
• Jason Jorjani, writer
• Max Joseph, filmmaker
• Joshua Katz, classicist
• Brooks Kerr, jazz pianist
• Rachel Kovner, United States federal judge
• Dylan Lauren, businesswoman
• Clyde Lawrence, musician
• Gracie Lawrence, musician
• Steve Lemme, actor
• Sean Lennon, musician
• Andrew Levitas, painter and sculptor
• J. Kenji López-Alt, chef and food writer
• Jenny Lumet, actress and #MeToo activist
• Mary Stuart Masterson, actress
• Helly Nahmad, art dealer
• Jennifer O'Neill, actress
• Morgan Pehme, filmmaker, journalist
• Tracy Pollan, actress
• Dara Resnik, screenwriter and producer
• Simon Rich, writer
• James B. Rosenwald III, entrepreneur
• Matthew Ross, film director, screenwriter, journalist
• Marco Roth, editor and founder of N+1 magazine
• Melissa Russo, journalist
• Eric Schlosser, journalist
• Marian Seldes, actress
• Wallace Shawn, actor, playwright
• Fazal Sheikh, photographer
• Christian Slater, actor
• Marina Squerciati, actress
• Jill Stuart, fashion designer
• Emma Sulkowicz, performance artist
• Veronica Vasicka, record label founder and DJ
• Josh Waitzkin, chess player
• Dean Wareham, musician
• Julie Warner, actress
• Bokeem Woodbine, actor
• David Yassky, Director, New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission.
• Matt Yglesias, writer
• Andrew Zimmern, chef ;

;Head of School

José Manuel De Jesús became Head of School in 2022. Former Head of School Jim Best resigned in 2021 after 16 years at the school.

;Faculty

• Donald Barr, headmaster c. 1964–74
• Joe Frank, taught literature and philosophy 1965–1975; radio performer, writer.
• Rhys Caparn, art instructor 1946–1972
• Jeffrey Epstein, taught 1974–76. Financier; convicted child sex offender
• Yves Volel, taught c. 1968–85. Lawyer, activist, assassinated while running for Haitian presidency
• Melissa Zexter, photography instructor

References

References

1. "Affording Dalton".
2. "Dalton School". NNDB.
3. "The Dalton School; Tuition & Financial Air".
4. Parkhurst, Helen. (1922). "Education On The Dalton Plan". E. P. Dutton & Company.
5. Susan F. Semel, "Dalton Plan" in ''Historical Dictionary of Women's Education in the United States'', ed. by Linda Eisenmann (1998) pp 111-113.
6. "Home - Ascham School".
7. [http://www.europaschule.at/es/] {{webarchive. link. (April 2, 2008)
8. "Faisons vivre l'info".
9. "DALTON INTERNATIONAL". Dalton International.
10. "Dalton School Hong Kong".
11. "ドルトンスクール(Children's University)".
12. "Nederlandse Dalton Vereniging".
13. Peterson's Staff. (January 22, 2013). "Private Colleges: Dalton School".
14. Gardner, Ralph. (November 15, 1999). "Failing at Four".
15. Hymowitz, Kay S.. (Spring 2001). "Survivor: The Manhattan Kindergarten". City Journal.
16. Williams, Laura. (March 1, 2001). "It's PreSchool Daze for Parents". New York Post.
17. Dalton School Staff. (July 17, 2010). "Dalton School Outreach Program".
18. Anderson, Jenny. (2011-12-19). "She's Warm, Easy to Talk to, and a Source of Terror for Private-School Parents". The New York Times.
19. Hollander, Sophia. (2011-08-11). "At Dalton, a Push for Change". The Wall Street Journal.
20. Ohikuare, Judith. (December 17, 2013). "When Minority Students Attend Elite Private Schools". [[The Atlantic]].
21. Anderson, Jenny. (October 19, 2012). "Admitted, but Left Out". [[The New York Times]].
22. Dargis, Manohla. (2013-10-17). "Two Boys' Schooling, for 13 Years of It". The New York Times.
23. (2014-02-03). "'American Promise' Probes Race Issues In NYC Private School". NPR.
24. Johnston, Scott C.. (2020-12-29). "Opinion: Revolution Consumes New York's Elite Dalton School". The Wall Street Journal.
25. (2021-04-15). ""As Usual, Dalton Got in Its Own Way": Inside the Antiracism Tug-of-War at an Elite NYC Private School".
26. Bellafante, Ginia. (2021-04-23). "Private Schools Brought In Diversity Consultants. Outrage Ensued.". The New York Times.
27. Schneider-Mayerson, Anna. (May 2, 2005). "Ted Olson Joins Floyd Abrams In Time-Times Case". [[The New York Observer]].
28. Gopnik, Adam. (August 19, 2002). "The Cooking Game".
29. Horowitz, Jason. (September 15, 2013). "Antony Blinken steps into the spotlight with Obama administration role". Washington Post.
30. Roman, Robert. "Montgomery Clift". [[National Board of Review.
31. LaGuardia, Robert. (1977). "Monty: A Biography of Montgomery Clift". Avon Books via Arbor House Publishing Co., Inc..
32. Watson, Stephanie. (2007). "Anderson Cooper: Profile of a TV Journalist". The Rosen Publishing Group.
33. (November 24, 2011). "Stagedoor Manor to Kick Off 2011 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade". Broadway World.
34. Rebecca Flint. (2007). "Claire Danes - Biography". [[The New York Times]].
35. "Edgar de Evia".
36. Alger Drew, Bernard. (2007). "100 Most Popular African American Authors". Libraries Unlimited.
37. "Blu DeTiger".
38. Kolbert, Elizabeth. (1985-09-30). "Junior Chess Champion Takes His Title in Stride". [[The New York Times]].
39. (11 February 2016). "'Broad City' Writer and Comedian Naomi Ekperigin Is Your New Favorite Human". Marie Claire.
40. [http://www.jewishjournal.com/the_ticket/item/noah_emmerich_of_the_americans_emmy_awards_watch Noah Emmerich of ‘The Americans:’ Emmy Awards watch. The Ticket]. Jewish Journal (2013-06-29). Retrieved on 2014-06-05.
41. Bloom, Nate. (October 31, 2008). "Jewish Stars".
42. Pfefferman, Naomi. (2008-02-07). "Theater: Mark Feuerstein is the "Some Girls" guy | Arts".
43. [http://web.dalton.org/hs/daltonian/archives/'04-'05/Issue2.pdf]{{dead link. (October 2013)
44. "Barrett Foa". Barrett Foa.
45. "Helen Frankenthaler (American painter) - Encyclopædia Britannica".
46. "Laura Geller | Jewish Women's Archive".
47. link. (February 10, 2007)
48. (March 2017). "The Experimentalist on Broadway". The New York Times.
49. Eric Homberger. (2003-08-11). "Obituary: Carol Matthau | Film". The Guardian.
50. Harmetz, Aljean. (1987-08-28). "New Face; Moving Up To 'Pretty' Roles: Jennifer Grey". The New York Times.
51. (3 August 2023). "Barbie's Dream House and NYC's Private School Nightmare".
52. "This is the future of computing!". Rediff.com.
53. "hannah higgins".
54. (25 March 2015). "Marni Hodgkin obituary". The Guardian.
55. Joe Queenan. (2004-10-03). "'The Know-It-All': A Little Learning Is a Dangerous Thing". [[The New York Times]].
56. Amy Kaufman. (2015-09-05). "'After Nev Schulman, 'Catfish's' Max Joseph knew how to handle Zac Efron". [[Zap2it]].
57. Sam Roberts. (2018-05-09). "Brooks Kerr, Piano Prodigy and Ellington Expert, Dies at 66". [[The New York Times]].
58. "U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Questionnaire". United States Senate.
59. Finn, Robin. (2001-11-30). "PUBLIC LIVES - Confections of an Enterprising Candy Lover". [[The New York Times]].
60. "Alumni News Detail (2017-01-11) - Gracie and Clyde of "Lawrence" Return to Perform for High School Assembly".
61. [http://www.brokenlizard.com/home/steve.html] {{webarchive. link. (April 19, 2008)
62. "Sean Lennon".
63. Tisch-Sidney, Lacey. (5 May 2009). "Man of Steel".
64. "Dalton 100-1998". The Dalton School.
65. Vermillion, Allecia. (2022-02-24). "The Scientific Methods of J. Kenji López-Alt".
66. (10 March 1986). "Pressure Points: Frazzled Students at the City's Top Schools". [[New York (magazine).
67. Andrea LeVasseur. (2008). "Mary Stuart Masterson - Biography". [[The New York Times]].
68. (May 16, 2013). "Case Casts Harsh Light on Family Art Business". The New York Times.
69. [http://jenniferoneill.com/pages/biography.php] {{webarchive. link. (September 12, 2008)
70. "GUEST OP-ED – Bobby Fischer and me".
71. "Tracy Pollan: Actress - Most Beautiful, Tracy Pollan".
72. "Dalton 100-1996". The Dalton School.
73. Zuckerman, Esther. (July 7, 2010). "Simon Rich's Scary New York".
74. "The Distressed-Debt Detectives". Forbes.
75. "website biography".
76. Garner, Dwight. (2012-09-18). "A Son Searches for His Father's Truth". The New York Times.
77. link. (September 28, 2007)
78. "By Robert S. Boynton". The New New Journalism.
79. Smith, Dinitia. (1995-08-08). "Finally, the Role Marian Seldes Was Born For". The New York Times.
80. (2002). "Show and Tell: New Yorker Profiles - John Lahr - Google Books". University of California Press.
81. "photo".
82. Sandra Brennan. (2008). "Christian Slater - Biography". [[The New York Times]].
83. (21 October 2023). "Marina Squerciati: Chicago TV's Finest".
84. "The Dalton School | Alumni News and Media Archive".
85. "Stuart, Jill".
86. (2014-09-03). "Emma Sulkowicz: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know".
87. Lipinksi, Jed. (2012-04-11). "Electronic Music's Own Archaeologist". The New York Times.
88. [http://www.joshwaitzkin.com/bio.html] {{webarchive. link. (October 14, 2008)
89. Liz Phair. (2008-04-06). "Frontman". [[The New York Times]].
90. [http://www.sonypictures.com/tv/shows/familylaw/thestars/julie.html] {{webarchive. link. (March 26, 2008)
91. "Biography for Bokeem Woodbine".
92. (2004-06-12). "The Washington Monthly". The Washington Monthly.
93. "Meet Andrew Zimmern". Travelchannel.com.
94. Gordon, Amanda L.. (2021-11-07). "Dalton Names New Head After Tumult of Pandemic and Politics".
95. Bellafante, Ginia. (2021-04-23). "Private Schools Brought In Diversity Consultants. Outrage Ensued.". The New York Times.
96. Barr, Donald. (February 20, 1974). "Barr Quits Dalton School Post, Charging Trustees' Interference". [[The New York Times]].
97. (19 December 2013). "North American Women Artists of the Twentieth Century: A Biographical Dictionary". Taylor & Francis.
98. Thomas, Landon Jr.. (28 October 2002). "Jeffrey Epstein: International Moneyman of Mystery".
99. Vales, Leinz. (January 11, 2018). "Anderson Cooper: People of Haiti have withstood more than our President ever has". [[CNN]].
100. "C.V.".