When Sarah Phillips and David Friedman couldn't find a school that suited the needs of their daughter, now 8, they decided to start one.



The Portland School Project is set to open in September 2011 in Northeast Portland with 35 students in grades kindergarten through fifth. The school will feature small, mixed-age classes, individual learning plans and a project-based curriculum.



While the school will rent space from Bethany Lutheran Church near Wilshire Park, it will have no religious affiliation.



Phillips, a sociology professor at Pacific University, and Friedman, a graphic and fine artist, looked at various options for their daughter, including public schools, private institutions and home schooling.



"We realized in our research and investigation that there are so many families that are struggling to find a school that's a good fit their kids," Friedman said. "It seems like a lot of schools are pretty set in their ways."



Phillips added: "One of the primary reasons for trying to start a new school is our belief that children develop and learn differently and at different paces. The Portland School Project accepts that this unevenness is natural and tailors teaching to match each child rather than asking the children to match a set of curriculum."



The name reflects the school's flexible approach. Rather than basing the curriculum on a specific philosophy or teaching method, administrators will adopt "best practices" as defined by leading education researchers, which currently include hands-on learning, small classes and collaboration among students, teachers and parents.



Sliding-scale tuition will be based on family income. Learn more at portlandschoolproject.org.



--Anne Laufe, Special to The Oregonian



