What’s in a Name? 

The Bergson-Shilcock family have been leaders in the field of Partnership Education and the progressive education movement since the 1970’s. In addition to working with hundreds of young people over the decades, in the 1980’s Peter Bergson and Susan Shilcock helped to write the homeschool law in Pennsylvania.

The name, Cupola Academy, pays tribute to the one-room schoolhouse on the property where CA co-director, Julia Bergson-Shilcock, grew up with her parents and siblings. The schoolhouse had a distinctive cupola on the roof, a recognizable image for the many youth who worked with Peter and Susan there throughout the years.

While the Bergson-Shilcock family no longer owns this property, the family has the original cupola that once sat atop the schoolhouse and will be installed at Cupola Academy’s new campus.

Cupola Academy honors the history of the progressive education movement while looking to the future of Partnership Education with excitement.