Phillips Exeter Academy Partnership Programs

The Noble Academy

Exeter is collaborating with Noble Academy to implement the Harkness method in the urban Chicago charter school.  The Harkness Method is a unique teaching technique that creates student-directed and discussion based learning. You can read more about it here. 

The collaboration is intended to provide initial and ongoing teacher training and mentoring in the Harkness method. As such, the faculty of Noble Academy attends one of the many summer professional development opportunities at Exeter to learn about the Harkness method and develop the necessary strategies to implement the teaching technique in their school.  Then, throughout the year, Exeter teachers and administrators serve as mentors to the faculty: visiting their school, providing feedback both in person and online and also inviting them back to Exeter for further professional development.  Pablo Sierra, principal of Noble Academy believes that this collaboration and the implementation of the Harkness method will be a game changer in urban public schools allowing the students to develop advanced critical thinking skills, academic independence and intellectual maturity.