What Are the Long-Term Benefits of Progressive Education?

Choosing an elementary school means thinking not just about lessons and curriculum, but about the kind of person your child is becoming.

Here at The Little School (TLS), this question often comes in the form of: “This sounds wonderful, but what are the long-term benefits of a progressive education?” It’s a fair question, especially if the model feels unfamiliar.

As Director of Enrollment Management Regan Wensnahan explains, progressive education offers a profound advantage during the early childhood and elementary years. This is the time when children begin to understand who they are as learners and how they engage with the world around them, and the learning skills  developed during this window last a lifetime.

Our progressive education model doesn’t just prepare children for middle school or high school—it prepares them for life. It nurtures curiosity, resilience, creativity, initiative and a love of learning that stays with them well into adulthood.

Key Insights

• Progressive education builds a strong learner identity early on. Children at The Little School begin to see themselves as capable readers, problem-solvers, creators and thinkers, which shapes how they approach new challenges for years to come.
• Integrated, brain-aligned learning leads to deeper understanding. Thematic, cross-disciplinary projects mirror how the brain actually learns—through connections—helping students retain knowledge, think critically and apply ideas across subjects.
• Choice and curiosity fuel lifelong learning. Regular opportunities for “choice time” and self-directed projects teach children how to follow their interests, take initiative and use unstructured time meaningfully—skills that carry into middle school, high school and adulthood.
• Students leave with human skills that last: confidence, adaptability and a sense of being seen. TLS graduates move forward as self-motivated, empathetic and resilient learners who feel known and valued—ready to navigate new environments, technologies and opportunities with confidence.

A Strong Foundation Begins with Learner Identity

One of the most significant long-term benefits of progressive education is the early development of a strong “learner identity.” As Wensnahan explains: “Particularly at the ages that we see—so 3 years old through 10 or 11—this is the time when they’re really building out their foundation for how they think about themselves as a learner. What is their learner identity? Do they think about themselves as a passionate reader, or a writer with lots of ideas? Are they super into figuring out math problems? They’re beginning to take on, ‘This is part of who I am. This is what I like. This is what I'm good at.’”

These early identities allow children to see themselves as capable and enthusiastic learners. They are more willing to take on challenges, persevere through struggle and stay motivated as academic expectations increase.

Progressive education strengthens this identity because it is rooted in the idea that children are active drivers of their own learning. They are encouraged to engage, question, explore and participate, not simply receive information.

This supports:

• Confidence: “I can figure things out.”
• Curiosity: “I wonder what will happen if…”
• Intrinsic motivation: “I want to understand this.”
• Awareness of strengths and interests: “This is what I’m passionate about.”

When children internalize these messages early, the long-term payoff can be tremendous. They often move into adolescence with a strong sense of self—academically, socially and creatively.

Learning That Mirrors How the Brain Works

Another long-term benefit of progressive education is that it aligns with what modern brain research tells us: deep learning happens when children make connections.

At our school, learning is often thematic or project-based. Instead of separating learning into isolated “puddles” such as math, literacy, science or art, teachers help children explore a central idea through multiple disciplines. 

This approach supports stronger, longer-lasting understanding because it reflects how children naturally process information—through connections between ideas, materials, people and experiences.

“Progressive education really sets the tone… it’s centered in ‘learn yourself.’ You’re the driver of your own learning. Learning is where your brain is engaged… And there’s a sense that you’re in control,” says Wensnahan. “If you have self-motivation to learn, you know how to engage with learning, and you know how to engage others with you in learning—working with peers and working with grown-ups.”

For example, Wensnahan explains how, recently, students had been studying birds and owls in their environmental science class. Those students were then asked to create owl portraits in art class, ensuring that the learning moved fluidly across subjects in ways that felt more meaningful to the students.

This approach builds long-term cognitive benefits, including:

• Stronger memory retention
• Higher engagement and focus
• The ability to make connections across fields
• Comfort with complexity and big ideas

These skills serve students exceptionally well as they enter middle school, where coursework becomes more specialized but still demands integrated thinking.

Joy, Curiosity, and Choice: The Roots of Lifelong Learning

A love of learning must be nurtured, and one of the strengths of our approach here at The Little School is “choice time,” a carefully structured opportunity for children to pursue personal interests, collaborate with peers and engage in hands-on exploration.

For younger children, this might occur at the start of the day. For older students, it can appear throughout the week, ensuring there is always space for meaningful work chosen by the students themselves.

Choice time allows children to:

• Follow their curiosity
• Pursue personal projects
• Build initiative
• Learn how to self-direct
• Explore passions beyond core subjects

Wensnahan describes it as essential preparation for lifelong learning because it teaches children how to fill unstructured time with meaningful work. They learn to ask: “What am I interested in? What can I create? What can I explore?”

These habits translate directly into adolescence and adulthood, when success increasingly depends on initiative, creativity and the ability to direct one’s own learning.

Skills That Prepare Children for a Changing World

Parents today are thinking about the future more than ever, especially as rapid advances in technology and AI reshape learning and work. That’s what makes the long-term benefits of a progressive education—self-motivation, curiosity, creativity, problem-solving and collaboration—so important.

TLS students practice these skills daily:

• During cross-disciplinary projects
• During classroom discussions
• During choice time, and more 

Children routinely navigate open-ended questions, design solutions, work with peers and take intellectual risks. Then, when they transition to middle school, our students often show readiness not only academically but personally: they’re eager to try electives, join new groups, pursue emerging passions and seek out new challenges. 

Many discover interests in areas like robotics, theater or debate, then build on those interests in high school. The pattern is clear: TLS graduates are adaptable, curious and ready to engage with whatever comes next.

Leadership, Initiative, and the Confidence to Try New Things

One of the most important long-term benefits of progressive education is the willingness children develop to try new things…and to try again when things get hard.

Wensnahan shared how older TLS students have recommended starting clubs or activities during choice time, such as chess, writing graphic novels or designing games. This experience can nurture:

• Leadership
• Organization
• Peer collaboration
• Communication
• Follow-through

Later, in middle and high school, these same students are often the ones asking teachers to sponsor projects or clubs, stepping into leadership roles or taking initiative in group work.

Children who grow up in an environment that values experimentation and adaptation learn not to fear failure, and that mindset becomes a lifelong asset.

Feeling Seen: A Lasting Emotional Benefit

As Wensnahan explains, “I think that one of the real benefits of progressive education is that you get to be truly seen. You get to be seen for your strengths, your passions, the things you’re trying out, your learning edges—all of those things. Each one of them is bringing their whole self, and that’s a lot of what we want them to be able to do: that you bring your whole self to school and then you really use it, you thrive in that way.”

Students feel known, valued and respected. They bring their whole selves to school and are encouraged to grow from exactly where they are.

This emotional grounding supports:

• Resilience
• Self-advocacy
• Healthy risk-taking
• Confidence across transitions
• A strong sense of belonging

Children who feel seen are more likely to engage deeply, persist through challenges and trust themselves as learners. That sense of wholeness follows them long after they leave TLS.

Long-Term Benefits That Shape a Lifetime

The long-term benefits of progressive education extend far beyond academic readiness. At The Little School, our students grow into curious, capable, self-directed learners who understand themselves—who they are, what they care about and how they approach new challenges.

They develop:

• Strong learner identities
• Deep intellectual engagement
• Joy in discovery
• Transferable human skills
• Leadership and initiative
• Confidence and emotional resilience

These foundations serve them well in middle school, high school and every chapter beyond.

If you’re exploring whether progressive education is the right path for your child, we invite you to see it in action:

• Schedule a visit
• Learn more about our Mission, Vision, and Values
• Connect with our team