any specific meaning behind that?
@Seekers’ link is good. One of my kids attended a progressive school which emphasizes experiential learning, group work, use of technology and out of the box thinking.
MODERATOR’S NOTE:
Let’s keep person biases out out the discussion, please. 3 posts deleted. While the OP asked a broad-based question, the rules of the forum still apply, so I advise against responses that are political and/or debate-inciting.
Maybe the OP should clarify exactly what question is being asked?
Sorry… what I meant is while I understand the theory behind “progressive” school and can google the term, I was wondering what it means in real world… are the classrooms different? Grading system? Does “progressive” translates into politics in any ways? Do kids after those schools have harder time getting into top colleges?
Now I am really curious what was in those deleted comments :))
Schools vary, in some cases widely. In our experience there was more hands-on and cooperative learning. The kids at my child’s school ended up at a range of competitive school, including multiple kids at each of Stanford, Harvard, and Yale over the past few years, as well as a large number of kids at strong LACs like Bowdoin and Middlebury. My kids’ school has a traditional grading system but does not offer APs.
@yuor28, are you looking at a specific school?
I am looking at CAmbridge School of Weston… I didn’t get much feedback about the school so decided to ask about progressive schools in general 
It’s a well regarded school. Here’s their college matriculation list:
https://bbk12e1-cdn.myschoolcdn.com/ftpimages/424/misc/misc_189663.pdf
and college profile:
https://bbk12e1-cdn.myschoolcdn.com/ftpimages/424/misc/misc_189525.pdf
Nice school, quite alternative. A lot of smart but quirky kids. Some love the block system, some hate it. Most in the latter category choose not to matriculate at CSW. Do a good job of making accommodations for kids with LD’s. Applications have some overlap with Concord Academy. I have a friend with a kid there so if you have specific questions I can try to get answers for you.
yes, can you please ask them if my child would be happy there? Just kidding I have no idea what to ask, maybe that’s why I am asking all those weird questions…
Is the school very politics oriented? Our current school became VERY political lately and if you have a different point of view…well, you better keep quiet.
Knowing the student population I would bet it’s pretty liberal and somewhat activist but I think a student who is other than a total hardline conservative would probably be fine. I would say that if your child is an opponent of gay rights it’s probably not the right place for them.
I would not think of gay rights as politics?
MA is all liberal but I would assume having boarding students there would be some kids from republican states, as well? We are neither democrats or republicans… I just want my kid to be exposed to different opinions, and I want teachers expect that there might be kids with different opinions when they talk to class… So I would prefer “let’s discuss if you agree or disagree with this speech” instead of “let’s discuss why we disagree with this speech”.
I am not familiar with CSW but I am with The Putney School which describes itself as progressive. Here’s how it works at Putney:
Students do not receive their grades until mid junior year, hoping to avoid “learning for the test.”
Speaking of which, there aren’t many tests, and there are no finals. They are replaced with projects, experiments, presentations, papers, etc.
The school is less hierarchical than most. Students call teachers by their first names. Students help run the school in many ways including sitting on things like disciplinary committees.
Creativity and artistic endeavors are highly valued.
Graduates attend a full spectrum of colleges including Ivy League, but emphasis is on helping students find the best college to meet their needs and goals. Nobody goes around bragging about how many are going to Harvard.
Schools like this can be perfect for square peg in a round hole kind of kids.
thank you so much for your input! sounds good! hopefully my kid will love it there! Coming from very traditional environment its very hard for me to comprehend “no tests” part, but I’ll manage :))
The teachers know whether the students know the material because classes are small and participatory, and projects are deep and intense. Not much emphasis on rote learning, like spitting out dates or names of climate zones on a test. Thinking is valued over memorization.
A progressive school might not be a good choice for a student who likes structure, likes to know exactly what’s expected of them, and likes knowing if they nail 9 questions out of 10, they’ve got an A.
@your28, I have a kid in a school where they don’t get letter grades and it was an easy transition. I find that I actually get more information about how he is doing than I would with a letter grade.
thank you!
I have worked at and had a child attend two MA schools that subscribe to progressive education, which for the right student I think works wonderfully. That said both schools have an overlapping ideological slant that became somewhat troubling in the last two years. My recommendation is to look at reviews on places like niche and boarding school review, visit and ask questions about how they handle diversity of thought and debate. Look at the speakers they bring to campus, the student code of conduct around speech and debate, etc. The typical Massachusetts slant is one thing and its to be expected, but some of these classrooms and schools are becoming toxic to constructive discourse, and I don’t use that word easily or lightly. If this is already a concern to you, do as much homework as you possibly can.