Redefining success in education | Stephen Thomas | TEDxNapaValley

Stephen Thomas shares the idea behind The Oxbow School and how art helps the learning process as part of the TEDxNapaValley 2015 "Redefining Success: changing direction mid-stream" event.




The Oxbow School is a unique interdisciplinary semester program for high school students based in downtown Napa. Combining rigorous studio art practice with innovative academics, its mission is to strengthen students’ abilities in creative and critical inquiry. Stephen came to Oxbow from his position as the chair of the art department at The Urban School of San Francisco, where he taught and served in several administrative positions from 1984 to1998. In 1990, he became instrumental in the development of the Aim High summer program at the Urban School site and headed the school through two cycles of the WASC (Western Association of Schools and Colleges) accreditation process. In 1994 to 1995, he was awarded a Klingenstein Fellowship for a year of study at Teachers College Columbia University. Stephen’s career in art began the late 1970’s when he worked at Crown Point Press, printing intaglio editions for artists; he ran his own printmaking business from 1980 to 1992.