“Differences must be immediately experienced to be treasured and understood. A school which avoids differences, directly or obliquely, places education outside the context of living.” –Gus Trowbridge, the founder of Manhattan Country School.

“The college-for-all mentality has fostered neglect of a realistic substitute: vocational education. It takes many guises—classroom training, apprenticeships and other types of on-the-job training, and straight-up work experience—but they have much in common. All vocational education teaches specific job skills, and all vocational education revolves around learning by doing, not learning by listening.” - Bryan Caplan, The World Might Be Better Off Without College for Everyone

“When I think about the word community etymologically and within the context of Westland, I am left wondering, What is our common unity? I hope that one of our common unities is how we treasure, celebrate, notice, and utilize (maybe the hardest one) our differences. I believe we can be strong in our collective values and remain open to the different ways we navigate parenting. I believe that we can practice self-focus and confront each other in respectful, open ways.” - Melinda Tsapatsaris

“What it means to be a progressive school is that we are preparing young people to be a full scale member responsible for the society we live in, exercising good judgment personally and for the commonwealth.” - Deborah Meier, Founder Central Park East School - Harlem