Contemporary education faces mounting pressures from technological disruption, social polarization, and economic uncertainty. Many schools respond by doubling down on test preparation while prioritizing measurable outcomes over holistic development. Brooklyn Friends School pursues a different path under Head of School Crissy Cáceres, who has developed what she describes as a "human-centric" pedagogical framework that addresses both academic rigor and character formation through integrated programming.
Values-Driven Professional Development Across All Staff
Brooklyn Friends School's educational philosophy extends far beyond classroom instruction, encompassing every aspect of institutional operations. Maintenance staff, administrative personnel, and teaching faculty all participate in professional development programs designed to support student growth and development.
"Every curricular decision that is made within the school, every professional development that is infused into the core of the colleague body. And by colleague body, I don't mean the teaching colleague body. I mean everybody gets exposed to the professional development at BFS because everybody is in service to the needs of children," explains Crissy Cáceres.
Educational theorists have long recognized that children learn from every adult interaction and environmental encounter, making it essential that all community members understand and support the school's educational mission.
Responsive Teaching Methods for Complex Student Needs
Traditional educational models assume predictable learning progressions and standardized developmental timelines. Brooklyn Friends School's methodology acknowledges that children arrive each day with different emotional states, family circumstances, and immediate needs that affect their capacity for learning.
"There could be a math lesson that's happening and the next day there might be a test. But if a child comes in really despondent and in need of attention, the teacher will absolutely pause, prioritize that, perhaps call the student aside and have a conversation," describes Crissy Cáceres.
Flexibility requires considerable pedagogical skill and institutional support. Teachers must balance academic objectives with immediate student needs while maintaining curricular coherence and creating structured learning environments that remain adaptable to changing circumstances.
Growth-Oriented Faculty Evaluation Systems
Brooklyn Friends School developed what Crissy Cáceres describes as a "beautiful and tender" evaluation system that prioritizes professional growth over traditional performance metrics. Rather than focusing solely on quantitative measures, the framework reflects a commitment to treating all community members with dignity while maintaining high expectations for continuous improvement.
"Number one, they had to be values informed. So if somebody is thinking about their growth and development and their teaching, or they're leading an enrollment office, or an advancement, or the dining team, or in security, it needed to be around the Quaker values, peace, integrity, community, simplicity, stewardship," she explains.
Multiple observations followed by reflection conversations and peer consultations form the evaluation framework. Contemporary educational research indicates that effective teaching requires more than technical instructional skills, demanding that educators understand child development, maintain cultural competency, demonstrate emotional intelligence, and commit to continuous learning about best practices.
Recent research on Quaker pedagogy and teacher evaluation, published in Religion & Education, demonstrates that "action research as a form of teacher evaluation" can incorporate Quaker principles while maintaining professional rigor. Faculty members report higher levels of engagement and professional fulfillment when they participate in growth-oriented rather than punitive evaluation processes.
Technology Integration Through Ethical Reasoning
Brooklyn Friends School's methodology for educational technology reflects its broader pedagogical philosophy, emphasizing ethical reasoning and values alignment over blanket restrictions or uncritical adoption. Students learn to evaluate technological tools through the lens of Quaker values and community impact.
"So long as it is not in violation of the values that we hold as a school, is developmentally minded and guided, and is in service to the growth and development of their learning, then we merit to make way for that to be utilized," explains Crissy Cáceres regarding the school's technology policies.
Critical thinking skills about technology use develop through the framework rather than through predetermined rules. Students learn to evaluate whether specific applications support or undermine their academic goals, community relationships, and personal development.
Community Engagement as Academic Preparation
Local engagement serves as preparation for global citizenship at Brooklyn Friends School. Rather than treating global awareness as an abstract study, the school connects students with community organizations and social justice initiatives that provide concrete opportunities for civic participation.
"The measure of our success is who they are as 30, 40, 50, 60-year-olds in the world, it's who they are and continue to be in relation to the privileges that they hold. All of us hold privileges in different ways, the question is, how are they utilizing it?" asks Crissy Cáceres, emphasizing the school's long-term perspective on educational effectiveness.
Individual academic achievement connects to broader social responsibility through the framework, preparing students to understand their roles as privileged members of society who bear responsibility for addressing systemic inequities and global issues.
Institutional Mission in Practice
Current educational discussions often focus on either academic achievement or social-emotional learning, treating these domains as competing priorities rather than complementary aspects of human development. Brooklyn Friends School's pedagogy demonstrates how schools can integrate both dimensions through coherent programming that addresses contemporary issues including student mental health concerns, social media impacts, political polarization, and economic inequality.
"We are not passive observers of points of difficulty and challenge in the world. That would actually go against the living of our mission," states Crissy Cáceres.
