Society of Friends Schools

The Society of Friends (Quakers) originated in the 1650s in the context of the English Revolution. Like the Puritans, Quakers were viewed as dissenters and were not allowed access to many schools. Quakers viewed most schools as teaching false understandings of religion and therefore in need of reform. George Fox, founder of the Society of Friends, established schools for both boys and girls as early as 1668. Quaker schools emphasized a religiously guarded education, creating a context for each student to experience the leadings of the Inner Light, especially as those are manifested in community. The schools practiced and taught Quaker testimonies, especially equality, simplicity, honesty, and peace, with the aim of helping students develop knowledge, skills, and moral understanding to live in the world, not simply as it is, but as it ought to be. These religious commitments and practices led to reforms in education, including the adoption of the Lancasterian (also Lancastrian) method, a commitment to the education of women, a stress on equality in education, and dissent from common practices of corporal punishment and competition. Quakers in England and the United States eventually developed schools at all levels from elementary through college and adult education. Many of these schools retain their Quaker affiliation and commitments.

The primary teaching of the Society of Friends is that each person can experience the Inner Light, that of God within. This presence of God within has the power to guide each person, but there is a discipline required to experience the leading of that Light. Friends' schools were established to provide a religiously guarded education, one that protects children from influences that might lead them astray. In the early period of Quakerism, this meant guarding children from the influence of certain books and teachers. They were also kept from activities such as music, drama, and visual arts. School, however, was not a place of religious indoctrination, but rather an environment in which students were more likely to be able to have direct experience of the Inner Light. Over time, Friends have become more accepting of music and art, seeing the spiritual merits of these forms of experience.

The Society of Friends is made up of small groups that meet regularly for worship and business. Consensus decision making guides the meetings for business. The community must be united in the leading of the Spirit before any action is taken. Social testimonies arise out of the worship and business practices. Testimonies take the form of queries, questions for reflection and meditation that guide the lives and practices of Quakers. The focus and structure of Friends' schools are guided by testimonies, especially the aforementioned.

The early schools in Philadelphia illustrate the importance of community. William Penn envisioned a society with universal public education and founded Friends Public School in Philadelphia in 1689. Schools provided Quaker and non-Quaker children with opportunities to grow and develop their own inner conscience as well as practical skills. Competition, prizes, and awards were discouraged. Early Quaker schools in Philadelphia were modeled on the monitorial system developed in England by Joseph Lancaster (1778–1839). Students were grouped according to ability and were taught by means of simultaneous instruction rather than individual recitation. Students were promoted to more advanced groups as they developed individually. The entire system was guided by a set of rules that set out behavioral expectations for students, monitors, and managers. These schools continued until a general public school system was established in the 1800s.

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