Pathways Program

Pathways is a program that helps Wooster students develop the skills to be independent, lifelong learners. In a world of accelerating change, there is no more valuable skill than being an adaptive learner.

Everything is designed using the latest learning science research. We are calling these our Lifelong Learning Skills. In the education world, they are sometimes called Executive Function. Regardless of name, these skills allow us to plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks. Essential to our design is the focus on turning these skills into action, with “real world” application: what we at Wooster refer to as Agency.

Your child is a bright, talented individual who would benefit from learning how to better:

• Organize their time, especially for longer-term projects
• Organize their  physical  belongings (e.g The Messy Backpack!)
• Focus and control their attention and memory
• Seek help when needed and self-advocate
• Recognize they’re not alone and that the challenges they face are shared in our  tech-driven, fast-paced world
• Create relationships and trust teachers to show them how to get and stay organized, and why that matters not just for school, but for life

Three times per week — with an optional fourth session — students will convene in a small grade-level cohort with their Wooster Pathways Program teacher. Using the 9th grade curriculum, the group will build lifelong learning skills as they prepare for and complete their current school work. Note that there is flexibility in our schedule to allow for students to receive content support (math, writing) at a separate time and additional cost.

Pathways Program teachers are experienced educators who have taught across many contexts and worked with many students on developing lifelong learning skills. Essential to our design, Pathways Program teachers are Wooster teachers and fully plugged into our grade level teams, collaborating with them to understand curriculum and share information on how to help students. They are an essential relationship touchstone in students’ school lives: someone students turn to for advice who they know will listen and deliver.

Students learn best in a small, flexible group setting, where they feel safe to take risks, collaborate, and build perspective and relationships with other students.

Full-tuition for a student in the Pathways Program in 2024-2025 is $56,080.