60 First Graders, 4 Teachers, One Loud New Way to Learn

Instead of assigning one teacher to roughly 25 children, the New American Academy in Brooklyn began the school year with four teachers in large, open classrooms of 60 students. The school stresses student independence over teacher-led lessons, scientific inquiry over rote memorization and freedom and self-expression over strict structure and discipline. Sharon Otterman, The New York Times, Jan. 10, 2011