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9. EDUCATION
A. PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM
In Bennington, a centrally-located high school and junior high school, as well as eight neighborhood elementary schools offer sound education to over 3700 area young people. The school's philosophy is to meet the individual needs of students; they offer a full range of programs to meet that goal, from programs for the handicapped to programs for the gifted. The school's Superintendent's office can be reached at (802) 447-7501. Also, a Career Development Center offering practical and current vocational and technical training in a variety of areas is physically attached to the high school, and serves both students and adults. The Adult Services Coordinator at the Career Development Center is Robert Mazur. He can be reached at (802) 447-3596.
Schools in Bennington are under the umbrella of the Southwest Vermont Supervisory Union, which stretches past the Town's borders. The high school and junior high school are in Bennington. Enrollments are as follows:
High School (Grades 9-12). . . . . . .1284
Junior High (Grades 7-8). . . . . . . . 624
Elementary Schools (Grades K-6) . . . . . . .2047
Total. . . . . . . .3955
Faculty . . . . . . 409
High School Graduates (1999). . . . . . . . . . . 266
B. PRIVATE SCHOOLS
Sacred Heart is a parochial K-8 school operated by the Sacred Heart - St. Francis de Sales Parish of the Roman Catholic Church. It has a current enrollment of 216 students and 15 faculty. They can reached at (802) 442-2446.
Bennington School, Inc. is a residential treatment facility serving 100 students in grades 7-12 with a faculty of 33 and a support staff of 70. They can be reached at (802) 447-1557.
Grace Christian is a parochial K-7 school with a current enrollment of 98 students and 14 faculty. They can reached at (802) 447-2233.
Southshire Community School has a current enrollment of 30 students in a K-6 un-graded environment with 2 full time and 3 part time faculty. They can be reached at (802) 442-4601.
Hiland Hall is a K-8 school with 25 students (in a non-graded environment) and 3 full time faculty, 1 part time. They can be reached at (802) 442-3868.
Bennington College offers an Early Childhood Center with a Kindergarten program that currently has 12 children enrolled. There are 2 full time teachers, and year round student teachers. They can be reached at (802) 440-4504.
Forrest Ward Memorial School is a parochial grades 1-6 school run under the auspices of the local Seventh Day Adventist Church. They currently 9 students and one teacher. They can be reached at (802) 442-4579.
There are a number of other private schools in the area around Bennington including Long Trail in Dorset, Pine Cobble in Williamstown, St. Mary's in Hoosick Falls, and the Stratton Mountain School.
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Note 1 - A program of Vermont Technical College
Note 2 - External Degree Program
Antioch New England Graduate School
Antioch New England Graduate School is a private, independent graduate school offering practitioner-oriented master's programs in management, applied psychology, education, and environmental studies; and doctoral programs in clinical psychology and environmental studies. The main campus is in Keene, New Hampshire. The Department of Organization & Management has permanent satellites, one of which is in Bennington, Vermont.
Students at the Bennington Site can earn master's degrees in business, education, or human services management. Classes are offered on Tuesday evenings with occasional weekend courses in Keene during the semester.
Full-time enrollment at the site is 25; the average age of the students is 38. An equal number of students come from New York, Massachusetts, and Vermont. Students have an average of five to seven years of professional experience when entering a program. Most continue their part- or full-time work while pursuing their degree.
A fundamental aspect of all Antioch New England programs is an intensive, supervised internship or practicum, usually at the student's work site. Faculty are seasoned academicians and practicing professionals. They are skilled in teaching adult learners and have a commitment to the value of integrating work and study in the preparation of adult learners for professional careers.
Bennington College
Bennington College, a liberal arts school founded in 1932, began as and remains an invitation to learn. The principle of learning by practice underlies every major feature of a Bennington education: the close working relationship between student and teacher, the insistence on self-determination, the commitment to learning across the discipline, and the Field Work Term, which gives students work experience and connects them to the greater community. Also key to Bennington's philosophy is the conviction that a college education should be an experience valuable in itself and the model for lifelong learning.
At Bennington, students work closely with teachers who are themselves practitioners and learners actively pursuing that which, in the words of one, "keeps them awake at night." In consultation with faculty advisors, students design their own curriculum, course work specific to their interest, questions, goals, and needs.
A Bennington education demands of its students a commitment to self-governance and an understanding of the balance between freedom and responsibility. Bennington seeks resourceful, inventive students with a particular commitment to the challenges and joys of independent work, who will share their personal and academic strengths with this community.
Community College of Vermont
The Community College of Vermont (CCV) is a two-year, open admissions college providing quality, affordable, post-secondary education in local Vermont communities. At CCV, students can earn an Associate Degree or take courses to meet transfer, occupational, or continuing education opportunities. One-year Certificate programs are available in some fields of study. Over 40 percent of CCV students continue their education beyond the Associate Degree.
CCV provides a wide variety of educational opportunities, including traditional classroom learning and field experiences, on-line courses, individual course challenges, and the Assessment of Prior Learning (APL) Program. In the APL Program, transfer credit is earned through the Vermont State Colleges for college-level learning acquired outside the classroom through employment, the military, and volunteer service.
CCV has the lowest tuition of any college in Vermont. State and federal aid are available to students who qualify. Local employers may also provide assistance. In addition, CCV and the Vermont State Colleges award numerous scholarships based on need and academic excellence each semester.
Individual attention is important at CCV. Class size is limited to 15 students, and a range of services are available to assist students in meeting their goals. Degree planning and career workshops, Learning Skills Center, math labs, and general and Internet access are just a few of the service available to all students. Individualized degree plans, convenient course scheduling and an adult learning environment all make CCV the choice for over 9,000 Vermonters each year.
Johnson State College (External Degree Program)
The Johnson State College External Degree Program (EDP) invites adult learners who have at least 60 college credits to complete their bachelor's degrees through a flexible program in convenient studies in their own communities. No campus residency is required. Credit may be earned through weekend, interactive television, or weekly evening classes sponsored by Johnson State College around the state, through courses at other colleges available to the student, or through independent study.
Tuition for EDP is the same as all the four-year campuses of the Vermont State Colleges. There is no admission fee for students who transfer to EDP from another Vermont State College.
EDP students who meet appropriate income guidelines are eligible for the same financial aid programs that benefit other college students.
Each student has a mentor, an EDP staff member who lives in the student's community, who helps the student design a degree plan, select individual studies, and locate tutors and learning materials for independent studies.
Flexibility is a key reason why nearly 300 adult learners are enrolled in the External Degree Program. They carry on with the challenges and opportunities of work and family life while enrolled part time or full time.
The Learning Institute
The Learning Institute emphasizes customized education. The primary objective of all programs and courses is to match educational needs with the employment needs of the students and with local employers. A strong partnership with local businesses facilitates an understanding of the required skills necessary for success in today and tomorrow's workplace.
At the Learning Institute, certification courses are 50 hours per semester with a Certificate of Competency awarded after 100 hours. The Corporate Training Program is an 18 month program with several levels of certification. Apprenticeship programs follow specific guidelines with a certificate of credit awarded after each course and apprenticeshipcompleted when courses and training requirements are fulfilled.
Why choose The Learning Institute?
* A worker must be up-to-date to interest a new employer.
* Competition is critical in today's world markets; problem solving and critical thinking are important skills to keep a company strong.
* When a plant closes, a current employer may not provide adequate retraining or job placement.
* At a job interview, certification is an excellent demonstration of ability and motivation.
Putnam Memorial School of Practical Nursing (Vermont Technical College)
Vermont Technical College (VTC), a residential two- and four-year institution, is the only public technical college in Vermont. VTC's curriculum is as varied as Vermont's economy. The programs in Engineering Technology produce skilled technicians needed in engineering, architecture, design, and manufacturing. Agriculture programs teach today's approach to a traditional Vermont industry. Business Technology & Management offers skills in demand among employers of all kinds. And other majors focus on careers from Automotive Technology to Veterinary Technology. Some classes are taught via Vermont Interactive Television (VTI), a Vermont State Colleges project with sites in twelve Vermont communities.
VTC offers a credit-bearing Practical Nursing program at its three practical nursing schools - Thompson School in Brattleboro, Putnam Memorial in Bennington, and Fanny Allen in Colchester - and on the main campus in Randolph Center. Students who complete the one-year Practical Nursing diploma can apply for licensure as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN). An associate's degree program in Nursing on the main campus is open to a limited number of Practical Nursing graduates and can be completed in one additional year. VTC enrolls traditional-age students and adults who need to keep pace with a technology-driven or change careers. With state-of-the-art facilities, outstanding faculty, a challenging curriculum, and high demand for graduates throughout the Northeast, Vermont Technical College is one of the nation's premier technical colleges.
Southern Vermont College
The philosophy of Southern Vermont College (SVC) begins with a deep belief in the potential of every individual. With a special emphasis on serving individuals who have yet to fulfill their potential, we seek to create "an aristocracy of achievement arising out of a democracy of opportunity." We attain this Jeffersonian concept by keeping our college accessible to all students with extra needs, financial and academic, who are serious about bettering their lives through education.
Southern Vermont College offers fifteen bachelor's and eleven associate degrees. The academic programs at SVC challenge students to think independently and creatively. The blend of liberal arts and career skills provides the depth of learning necessary to succeed in the workplace and throughout life.
Southern Vermont College is committed to meeting the demonstrated financial need of students who are unable to meet college costs with their own or their families' earnings, savings, or assets. SVC participates in a variety of federal, state, and local financial aid programs. Total financial aid awarded for all students for the 1995-96 academic year was $3.5 million.
In keeping with our commitment to make education attainable to all individuals, SVC offers many courses in the evening and on weekends. We offer an individualized degree program, a second degree program, and credit for life experience.
Southwest Vermont Career Development Center (Adult Education)
The mission of the Career Development Center Adult Education Program is to provide technical skill training that prepares adults for employment and career changes. Lifelong learning is encouraged, for the workplace and personal and professional growth.
Certificate programs are offered in computers, desktop publishing, business and medical office fields, along with training in child care, CDL, and daytime technical programs.
As part of Vermont's system of Technical Centers, adult education courses are low cost, to make quality skill training accessible to adults. Tuition for most courses is in the range of $100 to $150. Financial aid is available.
Services include career planning, assessment, tutorials, and support services such as child care and transportation for single parents and displaced homemakers.
Why choose the Career Development Center? Build or upgrade computer skills, learn rapidly changing new technology. Prepare for business, medical, and other careers, or learn to start your own business. Certificate programs according to Vermont Department of Education and employer standards are available as well. Low-cost, quality technical training; small classes with hands-on and practical approaches to learning; personalized service for the individual adult and their needs; training tailored to business and industry, education, and other customers; and satisfied lifelong learners.
The Tutorial Center