Ann Arbor Open draws families from the entire Ann Arbor school district. The community extends beyond the classroom walls to other classes, to our urban community, and out into the world. Classes run on a continuum. Each class has two or more grades and students remain in the same class for more than one year. Curriculum is developed by the teacher in concert with the children.
Emphasis is on learning through experience using ever-developing problem solving skills.
Academic goals are achieved through an integrated approach linked with the children s interests and needs. The teacher supports the learning environment as well as the learning style of each student. Attention is paid to the variable ways in which children learn. The idea is not what children should do at a given age or time, but what the child needs to help them develop to their full potential. Democracy is practiced in the classroom by the students with the teachers and extends throughout the school.