The O’Neal School is dedicated to progressive education. This process of education has as its core a comprehensive understanding of child development which recognizes:

 

• The importance of each child’s self-esteem and self-confidence
• The cognitive, social, emotional, creative and physical needs of children
• The need to respect children as individuals and to acknowledge variations in their growth patterns and learning styles
• The value of helping children discover their own strengths, weaknesses and preferences

 We are committed to providing a nurturing learning environment with teaching that supports: 

• The excitement and joy of learning
• Challenges for children to achieve their best
• The developing ability to think critically, assess risks, experiment, test ideas, meet challenges and solve problems creatively
• A small student-teacher ratio
• The learning of core skills
• The integration of subject matter
• A curriculum with multicultural implications that acknowledges and includes varying viewpoints
• Creative expression through the arts and development of a sense of aesthetics
• Variety in teaching and learning strategies, with emphasis on both cooperative and independent learning using a hands-on approach
• Teachers as role models, and the utilization of their individual strengths and interests
• Appropriate student input in decision making
• The importance of constructive, supportive and honest feedback
• Social responsibility
• The ability to adapt to a changing world 

We value a school community that believes in: 

• Parents, students and staff working together for the benefit of the child
• Respect, thoughtfulness and empathy for others
• Open communication between home and school
• The importance of a compatible match between our school and both students and their families
• A broad diversity of backgrounds among students and staff
• The concepts of democracy in the governance of the school
• An awareness of our role in the larger community
• Lifelong learning for students and adults  

Therefore we serve:  

• Families who share these values
• Children who can manage grade-level curriculum as determined by the teachers and administration
• Children with an age-appropriate range of inner controls and adequate organizational skills, who can cope with transitions and can function successfully in a stimulating, activity-oriented environment 

Core Curriculum

The O’Neal School is one of a select few in the world to be named as a Core Knowledge National Visitation Site — and one of the only ones in North Carolina — by The Core Knowledge Foundation.