be taught to recognize and repair relational breakdowns themselves. Faculty, parents, advisors, and students engaged in this work through a series of campus visits, presentations, and collaborative conversations that explored accountability from psychological, relational, and developmental perspectives.
This inquiry culminated in Saint David’ s first school-wide collaborative action research project: the Saint David’ s School Collaborative Self-Study on Accountability. Twelve faculty members conducted and analyzed qualitative data across grade levels using grounded theory methods. The multi-year study has identified clear, research-informed practices that foster boys’ accountability and will continue to expand to include parent and student perspectives, further refining accountability as a core element of moral formation.
Reflective practice also deepened through the continued partnership with Dr. Ric Campbell. The Reflective Practice Program strengthens teacher inquiry across onboarding, supervision, and evaluation, reinforcing a shared language and coherent framework for professional growth. Teachers have defined problems of practice, applied learning science research, tested instructional designs, and analyzed classroom evidence. Many original participants have advanced in their reflective practice work, ensuring sustained inquiry and continued professional momentum, with future plans for university partnerships and advanced certification.
We also saw significant dissemination of TBI’ s work beyond Saint David’ s. Faculty and administrators published articles, book chapters, and blog essays, and led conference presentations( nationally and internationally) that shared insights on reflective practice, action research, curriculum design, and boys’ learning. These contributions amplified Saint David’ s voice in the broader educational community while reinforcing its role as a center of professional inquiry.
Together, these efforts demonstrate that TBI has moved beyond a discrete initiative to become a defining feature of Saint David’ s professional culture. By integrating research, reflective practice, and collaborative inquiry across faculty life, the Teaching Boys Initiative continues to advance teaching excellence, deepen moral formation, and ensure that Saint David’ s remains at the forefront of educating boys with purpose and integrity.
Today, a majority of faculty participate in reflective practice, research engagement has grown dramatically, and teachers regularly document their learning through structured reflective writing. By aligning compensation, professional development, and research-driven inquiry with its mission, Saint David’ s has revitalized its faculty community and strengthened its ability to educate boys optimally.
The Teaching Boys Initiative demonstrates that when schools invest intentionally in teachers as learners and researchers, professional growth becomes continuous, collaborative, and mission-driven— benefiting educators, students, and the broader field alike.
As fate would have it, right when the school was ready to launch the TBI strategic initiative along with an increased commitment to socioeconomic diversity, 15 East 88th Street( the contiguous and adjacent fourth of the Cutting townhouses) came on the market. The school was again
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