Independent-Minded
As a grassroots enterprise, Clark Fork Prep believes in the power of independent thinking and local control. CFP is grounded in educational best practice and led by classroom teachers with firsthand knowledge of their students and subject matter. Free to make informed decisions to support students, these experienced teachers stay above the ideological fray and instead concentrate on connecting students with their community.
Another name for this idea? An independent school.
Independent schools have been around a long time, and cities like Bozeman, Bend, and Jackson Hole also support thriving private independent high schools. One of their hallmarks is the emphasis on critical thinking rather than on a prescribed set of curricula handed down from a removed governing body.
We start with fundamental principles of learning rather than a single model of instruction, and we craft our curriculum, course sequencing, and graduation requirements around these basic principles. Regardless of the subject matter, CFP teachers know students learn best when:
The learning is active, purposeful, and experiential.
They are motivated, especially by a desire for mastery.
They interact with a community of learners in shared, meaningful work.
Using these fundamental characteristics of student-centered learning, CFP teachers–not textbook and ed tech companies–design rigorous, engaging, and varied courses that allow our students to develop the critical thinking skills and persistent work habits necessary for academic success.
In practice, this student-centered approach looks like Creative Writing students workshopping their poetry outside on the grass while a group of AP Environmental Science kids heads to Rattlesnake Creek to gather stream data with Watershed Education Network. Inside, English seminar students discuss the magical realism of Fools Crow, and the sophomore chemistry class completes an inquiry-based lab into titrations in the science room.
At Clark Fork Prep, we pride ourselves on our independence–it gives us room for autonomy, creativity, and flexibility. Private independent schools offer families another choice in their children’s high school options. We’re happy to be part of Missoula’s educational landscape.
