Strategic Direction

Welcome from the Head of School

At State College Friends School, we believe education should prepare children not only for the next grade, but for a lifetime of thoughtful learning, meaningful relationships, and responsible citizenship. As our world continues to change, our commitment remains the same: to nurture curious minds, compassionate hearts, and the confidence to engage with complexity with integrity.

Learning with Heart in an Age of Change is our roadmap for the next three years. It builds on the strengths that have long defined our school while providing a clear direction for the future. This plan strengthens our academic program, deepens our commitment to Quaker values, supports faculty growth, enhances our middle school, advances our work in human intelligence and thoughtful AI literacy through the MOON® framework, and reinforces the systems that ensure a strong and sustainable school.

This is not a plan for change for its own sake. It is a commitment to making our educational vision more visible, more coherent, and more intentional for every student and every family. We invite you to explore the pages that follow, learn more about our priorities, and follow our progress as we continue to grow together as a learning community.

In Peace,

Pierre Puget

Head of School

Learning with Heart in an Age of Change reflects how SCFS is strengthening a cohesive, values-guided Pre-K through eighth-grade experience for the years ahead. The plan centers on what students need in order to learn, grow, and participate thoughtfully in a changing world, while also strengthening the teaching, relationships, access, stewardship, and institutional systems that sustain the school. The strategic plan has five focus areas that will become visible across student experience and school life.

5 Pillars of Learning with Heart in an Age of Change

Preparing students for change without losing what matters

Children are growing up in a world shaped by rapid technological, social, and environmental change. They need strong academic foundations, but they also need critical thinking, empathy, resilience, reflection, and the ability to take increasing responsibility for their learning.

A Cohesive Learning Journey

Educational Identity and Program Continuity

State College Friends School is strengthening a cohesive Pre-K through eighth-grade experience in which learning builds purposefully over time. Students develop strong foundations, investigate meaningful questions, reflect on their growth, and share their learning through portfolios, exhibitions, interdisciplinary work, and other visible experiences.

As part of this work, SCFS is aligning curriculum and signature experiences across grade levels while strengthening opportunities for ethical inquiry, systems thinking, reflection, and Quaker practice. Grade 5 is being developed as an intentional bridge year, including a capstone experience, while the Middle School program is being further defined through advisory, extended projects, and structures that support growing independence.

By 2029, the goal is a clearly documented and developmentally coherent Pre-K to eighth grade program, with consistent interdisciplinary project time, all-school exhibitions, student portfolios, a recognized Grade 5 capstone, and aligned expectations across divisions. Together, these elements make the SCFS educational model more visible while supporting students as curious, reflective, compassionate, and increasingly independent learners.

Strong Teaching and Learning

Faculty Capacity and Instructional Systems

State College Friends School is investing in the people and practices that shape each student’s daily experience. Through faculty collaboration, shared expectations, thoughtful reflection, and continued professional learning, teachers are strengthening responsive instruction and helping students grow through meaningful challenge, feedback, and revision.

This work includes clarifying Pre-K to eighth grade progressions in literacy and mathematics, strengthening shared instructional practices, and developing consistent structures for student portfolios, reflection, and metacognition. Faculty will regularly review student work across grade levels to build shared expectations for learning and create greater continuity as students move through the school.

By 2029, the goal is a more coherent instructional system in which academic benchmarks are clear, portfolio and reflection practices are used consistently, and students are increasingly able to explain how they learn and which strategies help them grow. Faculty calibration, observation, professional learning, and the implementation of the MOON framework and certification pathway will help support shared practice and strengthen consistency across classrooms.

Access & Sustainability

Enrollment, Access, and Financial Sustainability

State College Friends School is working to sustain a vibrant and accessible school community through responsible enrollment planning, clearer tuition information, and careful financial stewardship. This work supports the people, programs, learning environments, and relationships at the heart of the SCFS experience.

The school is strengthening the systems that help families plan with greater clarity and help SCFS make thoughtful long-term decisions. This includes more predictable tuition structures, clearer communication about costs, careful enrollment planning, and consistent outreach that supports strong relationships with current and prospective families.

By 2029, the goal is a stable and sustainable model that supports access, strengthens confidence and transparency for families, and helps ensure that school resources remain closely connected to the student experience. Philanthropic support will continue to play an important role in sustaining the programs, people, and learning environments that make an SCFS education possible.

A Safe & Ready Campus

Campus Safety, Facilities, and Operational Readiness

State College Friends School is strengthening the systems and spaces that support a safe, welcoming, and well-prepared school community. Thoughtful planning, regular review, and responsible care for the campus help create a steady environment where students and teachers can focus on learning and relationships.

This work includes updated emergency planning, reliable access systems, clear arrival and visitor procedures, and thoughtful stewardship of school facilities. Sustainability is also being incorporated into campus planning so that operational decisions support both present needs and long-term care of the school environment.

By 2029, SCFS aims to have well-established safety practices, regularly reviewed emergency procedures, and dependable systems that support a secure, well-maintained campus for students, families, and staff.

Middle School Growth

Middle School Program and Adolescent Development

State College Friends School is strengthening a distinct middle school experience designed for the needs of early adolescents. Close relationships, sustained academic work, reflection, leadership opportunities, and increasing independence help students prepare thoughtfully for high school and the next stage of learning.

This work includes a defined advisory structure, longer blocks of time for focused learning, extended projects, and portfolio expectations that make growth, revision, and independence visible. Students will also have clearer opportunities to practice leadership, reflect on their learning, and take increasing responsibility for their work.

By 2029, the goal is a coherent middle school program with strong advisory relationships, meaningful long-term projects, clear expectations for student independence, and documented indicators of high school readiness.