Academics
Civic Engagement
Every year, Burke students experience a year-long, integrated civics, equity, and leadership curriculum, grounded in social justice pedagogy. We draw inspiration from our founders' vision: a learning environment in which students become active and socially responsible citizen-leaders, committed to advancing social justice in their communities.
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History
With support from an E.E. Ford Grant and resident scholar Dr. Katy Swalwell, who focuses on social justice pedagogy in independent schools, Burke seeks to move beyond traditional models of service, diversity, and leadership in independent schools and to prepare students to become activist allies and leaders in high school and beyond.
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Mission
To graduate students with a sense of social responsibility and the skills necessary to engage in effective allyship and ethical leadership by developing our students’ awareness of injustice in their communities and beyond, understanding of its root causes, and a sense of responsibility for dismantling structural inequities to create a more just and equitable world.
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Service
In 2019-20, Burke consciously moved beyond traditional models of service, diversity, and leadership, and elected to no longer require students to earn service hours outside of school.
Direct service will remain a part of each grade’s experience; however, rather than experiencing service as an endpoint, students will be oriented toward a social change mindset – engaging in critical research, reflection, root cause analysis, and advocacy through long-term institutional partnerships.
Youniss and Yates (2003)
"..it has been demonstrated that youthful activism is a strong predictor of lifetime involvement with outcomes including likelihood of voting and membership in voluntary organizations [...] Although one cannot artificially create historical crises or social movements, policy makers can design programs of service that help youth experience political agency and instill a sense of social obligation."
Middle School Curriculum
List of 3 items.
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6th Grade - Citizenship at the Margins
Students focus on what it means to be a citizen, past and present, and the identities that have forced some groups to exist at the margin vs. the center of American life. Students apply these questions to their comparative study of American identity starting with the first interactions of native communities to today. -
7th Grade - Sustainable Pathways
Across the curriculum, students imagine what a more sustainable future would look like and examine how environmental issues impact some communities differently than others. -
8th Grade - American Civil Rights Movement
Students learn about the cultural, literary, historical and political lives of citizens of the DC area and the southern United States through an interdisciplinary program in history, music, English, values and ethics, and visual arts that explores the Black Freedom Struggle and culminates with a trip to the Deep South. After the trip, students organize and run an all-school assembly program about their learning.
High School Curriculum
List of 4 items.
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9th Grade - Food Justice in Washington, DC
Through a critical lens, 9th graders explore Food Justice in Washington, DC by engaging in direct service, learning, and advocacy at the Capital Area Food Bank, Rosemount Center, Thrive DC, Share Our Strength and within the school curriculum and guest speakers. They also lead a schoolwide food drive, an Empty Bowls fundraiser, and participate in two day-long retreats on leadership equity and inclusion. -
10th Grade - Action Civics in the DMV
Beginning with the question, “What is an important issue facing my community today?,” each student researches, writes, and delivers a soapbox speech on their issue. Students then engage in an oral history project, interviewing individuals directly impacted by their issue and analyzing the intersections of power, people, and places. The year culminates with a “listening party” when they share their learning. The curriculum is delivered in partnership with Mikva Challenge DC, DC Humanities and StoryCorps DC. -
11th Grade - Environmental and Social Justice
A year-long cross curricular examination of environmentalism and conservationism, culminating in a week of guest speakers, service, and advocacy at the DC Council. -
12th Grade - Senior Seminar Program
The Senior Seminar program aims to strengthen research and writing skills in preparation for college level work by requiring seniors to write a sophisticated, substantial, analytical research paper. Student will:- research and analyze their individual topic from various viewpoints
- frame a challenge or opportunity
- conclude their paper with recommendations and plans for actions and policies.
The program also gives seniors the opportunity to pursue a topic that interests them. To that end, each section is broadly organized around an area of social justice and global challenges and opportunities, within which students will choose their individual area of focus. The course is structured so that students both have coaching and guidance from the teacher and spend significant time doing independent research and writing.
Co-ed, progressive, college prep school in Washington, DC featuring a challenging curriculum in an inclusive environment for grades 6-12.
4101 Connecticut Ave NW Washington, DC 20008 | Phone: 202-362-8882 | Fax: 202-362-1914