Strategic Plan 2024-2029
In 1968, Edmund Burke School's co-founders Dick Roth and Jean Mooskin took a bold step.
Amid the social and cultural upheaval of the 1960s, in our nation's capital, they began to build a small progressive school, rooted in ethical citizenship and social justice. They hired dynamic, passionate teachers, some of whom remain on the Burke faculty to this day, and drew in creative, curious students from around the region. Crucial to this founding was a strong balance among academic rigor, civic engagement, and community wellness.
Over the last five decades, Burke has adapted and evolved amid rapid changes in the District and the nation and has welcomed new teachers, new leadership, and every year, a cohort of new students and families – who are drawn to Burke's close-knit and vibrant community, where young people can bring their full selves to school. Today, Burke is poised to take another bold step forward with this strategic plan to ensure that our school is well positioned to meet the challenges of the next 3-5 years.
Amid the social and cultural upheaval of the 1960s, in our nation's capital, they began to build a small progressive school, rooted in ethical citizenship and social justice. They hired dynamic, passionate teachers, some of whom remain on the Burke faculty to this day, and drew in creative, curious students from around the region. Crucial to this founding was a strong balance among academic rigor, civic engagement, and community wellness.
Over the last five decades, Burke has adapted and evolved amid rapid changes in the District and the nation and has welcomed new teachers, new leadership, and every year, a cohort of new students and families – who are drawn to Burke's close-knit and vibrant community, where young people can bring their full selves to school. Today, Burke is poised to take another bold step forward with this strategic plan to ensure that our school is well positioned to meet the challenges of the next 3-5 years.
Bold + Balanced: Burke’s Bridge to the Future
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OUR ACADEMIC NORTH STAR
Challenging, Experiential, Civically Engaged Program
Our identity as an urban school in Washington DC has provided inspiration and opportunities to engage students in experiential education. Not only do hands-on experiences lead to deeper and more enduring learning, they also epitomize the purpose of a Burke education: to provide a strong academic foundation while practicing the skills of ethical citizens and community members. Woven together, these three threads – academic challenge, experiential learning, civic engagement – form the fabric of the Burke student experience.
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OUR FACULTY + STAFF
Innovation and Sustained Excellence in the Workplace
Our core strength has always been the ability to attract and retain diverse faculty and staff who are experts in their fields, motivated and inspired by working with young people, and nourished by the relationships that they develop with students and colleagues. Today, the school must be proactive and intentional about supporting and sustaining our faculty and staff, so that they can deliver a challenging and inspiring educational experience and maintain the joy and balance at the heart of working in schools.
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OUR STUDENTS + COMMUNITY
Student Wellbeing and Balance
Burke has become known as a school where students can achieve excellence, while maintaining a sense of well-being and balance. The alarming rise in anxiety, depression, and mental health challenges among young people in the last decade only makes this priority more urgent. Moreover, we believe that an experiential, civically-inspired program itself promotes balance, connectedness, and emotional resilience within our students.
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OUR FUTURE
Financial Resilience and Environmental Sustainability
In order to further secure Burke financially, and to deliver on the initiatives and ambitions laid out in this strategic plan, the school must be both creative and pragmatic (bold and balanced) in its approach to operating costs, fundraising, capital projects, and environmental stewardship.
Related Events
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On Community Design
"On February 10, more than fifty Burke community members came together for Community Design Day, an essential part of this year's Strategic Planning Process. Representing current and past faculty and staff, parents, trustees, and one intrepid student, the group engaged in a series of creative discussions around imagining the Burke of tomorrow. Topics included refining our educational philosophy, defining our school culture, creating the best possible working environment, and preparing to be more financially and environmentally sustainable. The full strategic plan will be shared with the community later this year."Read More
2023-24 Strategic Planning Task Force
Hadley Boyd P'21, '28, Co-Chair of the Strategic Planning Task Force, Trustee
Caitlin Oppenheimer P'23, Co-Chair of the Strategic Planning Task Force, Trustee
Sharielle Applewhite, Director of Equity, Inclusion, and Civic Engagement | Kristin Arndt P'31, Assistant Head of School for Program
Dawn Chism P'21, '24, Chair of the Board of Trustees and Parent | Sean Felix, MS Dean of 6th Grade / 6th Grade Core
Kai-Anasa George P'12, '21, Director of Enrollment Management & Financial Aid | Steve McManus, Head of School
Michelle Musgrove P'28, Trustee | David Panush, Director of Innovative Learning and Technology
Jennifer Rawlings, Director of Development and Alumni Relations | Elizabeth Sislen, English Department Chair / HS English
Danny Spelta, Associate Dean of College Counseling | Aimée Weil, Assistant Head of School for Finance and Operations
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