The following is a list of skills The New School considers essential for our students to master before graduating. In compiling this list, we have consulted members of the Coalition of Essential Schools, college professors and business people to make it as meaningful as possible.

They include the ability to:

1. Act in the benefit of the community

   a. Recognize you are part of a community and/or communities

   b. Understand the needs of the community

   c. Decide how you can fulfill the needs of the community

   d. Compromise if the needs of the community are different than yours

   e. See your actions through to the end


2. Think and act ethically

  a. Recognize others and the community

  b. Consider and understand your actions before you act

  c. Perceive positive and negative consequences for others,
      yourself and the environment for all actions

  d. Accept and deal with consequences

3. Work collaboratively

  a. Listen and respond appropriately

  b. Construct and follow group guidelines

  c. Assign, understand and complete tasks on time

  d. Follow class guidelines

  e. Contribute individually to the goals of the group or class

The person's ability to express him or herself:

4. Communicate effectively

  a. Understand subject matter

  b. Conceptualize or outline the subject to be communicated

  c. Translate the concept into a meaningful visual, oral, written, or musical form

  d. Transmit the concept clearly, concisely and appropriately


5. Work creatively

  a. Recognize habits and methods of yourself and others in the field of study
      and community

  b. Understand the purpose of the habits and methods of yourself and others
      in the field of study and community

  c. Experiment with different materials, concepts and purposes in relation to
      the context of those habits and methods

  d. Design new methods by combining elements from different habits and
      methods


6. Solve problems

  a. Recognize the opportunity to solve problems

  b. Define or formulate the problem or question

  c. Brainstorm possible solutions

  d. Test and evaluate solutions

  e. Verify the process 

The person's ability to discover and construct answers:

7. Persist in achieving quality

  a. Identify quality work

  b. Integrate feedback appropriately

  c. Redo or rework projects/work/papers/experiments 

8. Apply effective research methods

  a. Find information

  b. Formulate question

  c. Collect appropriate information

  d. Organize information

  e. Make information meaningful


9. Manage materials and time to accomplish goals

  a. Organize sub-tasks of projects

  b. Determine materials needed for each sub-task

  c. Establish the time needed for each sub-task

  d. Set a realistic plan and timeline

  e. Stick to the plan and timeline

The person's ability to think critically:

10. Work independently 

  a. Complete homework and class work

  b. Work without supervision

  c. Be prepared for class/task/project/etc.

  d. Take chances by making choices

11. Appreciate and understand different perspectives

  a. Suspend your judgment, open your mind and receive the whole perspective

  b. Put yourself in another person's shoes

  c. Be able to argue the other person's perspective

  d. Evaluate the perspective's authenticity

  e. Respond and react to evaluation ethically 

12. Make connections and be aware of context

  a. Recognize the importance of information you already know

  b. Look at the subject in relationship to its context

  c. Recognize similarities and differences between what you already know
     about the subject and new information learned about the subject

  d. Analyze the significance of those similarities and differences

  e. Synthesize the information to gain new knowledge