The New Commons
A discussion-based reading program for high school students to practice deep reading and collaborative dialogue together by engaging in core literary texts.
OUR MISSION
At a time when reading practices are dramatically changing, and literacy is declining, our mission is to offer a space where students from all backgrounds and skill-levels become more fearless readers, collaborative learners, and empowered speakers through discussions on core literary texts. By using research-backed frameworks and a highly personalized approach, The New Commons helps students read full books and analyze them through play, exploration, and respectful group discussion.
Explore our 2026 Cohorts and Apply to join one today!
WHO WE’RE FOR
The New Commons was designed as a supportive extracurricular program for high school students to read core texts and practice structured, collaborative dialogue in tandem with their classwork.
During the school year, we hold small, short-term online cohorts on weekends and outside of exam season. In the summertime, online cohorts are held in three-week intensives. Each cohort is capped at six students. Learn more about our Program Structure!
Throughout the course of the program, we support every student in their intellectual, creative, and academic pursuits, from the very first mentorship meeting to the last group session.
The core texts we teach at The New Commons consistently appear on upcoming AP®, SAT®, and ACT® exams, and are often required texts in college literature classes. We always work to ensure that the reading assignments are supportive and transferable to future academic success. Beyond the choice of text, our discussion-based teaching philosophy is not exam-centric in the traditional sense! Instead, the focus is on asking questions and seeking answers together through dialogue, not on writing or rote memorization. While we always cover well-studied concepts, themes, and interpretations of the texts, we learn to do so by making statements and observations, reading closely, and taking risks to express ourselves in new and creative ways. The experiential knowledge is aimed at growing the whole person as a reader and learner through the work of investigation, listening, and discovery.
OUR APPROACH AND PHILOSOPHY
A Curriculum for Exam Prep and a Reading Practice for Life
Core Texts Meet Living Artists
In the final session, we will put the core text into conversation with a contemporary text or artifact. It’s a fun, bite-sized assignment that students should always find manageable. Whether it’s watching a film, reading a shorter second text (such as a poem or an article), or studying a painting, photograph, or geographical map, these contemporary “texts” will help us see the core text in a new way—and appreciate the foundational knowledge we collectively worked to built. You can read all about our Program Structure to learn more about this flow!
Small Cohorts by Design
Trusted and Guided Dialogue
Each cohort is a tight group, capped at six students! Cohorts are designed to be small to make sure the space is truly inclusive for everyone who enrolls. This more intimate learning environment is also necessary for building trust and relationship with each other. It’s our goal that each student feels free to express their thoughts, participate in the discussion multiple times, take risks, and work collaboratively—with dignity, respect, curiosity, and joy.
Learning can be a vulnerable process, especially in a group of new peers. As in a choir, when each person learns to use their voice, it can create incredibly powerful, magical moments of collective revelation. Our aim is to help students build the skills and capacity to use their voices together, and this can only happen through dedicated participation. In highly structured and careful ways, the tutor will guide the students in asking questions, making observations, and stating our opinions and arguments about the text. Each student has a very important role to play! As the tutor for each cohort and session, the founder Lauren will always provide frameworks to guide a successful small-group discussion from beginning to end. You can preview our Discussion Guide to learn more about this approach.
Beyond the cohort sessions, we provide an ongoing 1:1 support for each student’s unique questions, experiences, and challenges. Office Hours are 20-minute, one-on-one guided meetings with the founder, Lauren, for supportive and focused conversations. During these mentorship meetings, we’ll check in on reading progress, develop strategies for participation, explore themes and topics that have been interesting or challenging, and—if helpful—discuss resources and pathways for academic and career ambitions. We aim to help students feel more confident in navigating what comes next—in the cohort, in their high school classes, in exam prep, and beyond.
Mentorship Every Step of the Way
Certificate of Completion
We will celebrate and recognize the accomplishment of completing this program by awarding a non-accredited Certificate of Completion to students who fully participate. No writing or exams are involved. The only requirement—and the most important goal of your participation—is that you deeply read and study the text! If you’ve done that, you’ve not only done very well, but you truly have prepared yourself to become a more fluent reader, skillful writer, and critical thinker in your classes, come exam season and beyond. Please see our Program Policies for more details on all the participation requirements.
THE COHORTS
Our 2026 Spring & Summer Cohorts
Spring — Hamlet
Cohort I — 9th and 10th Grade: Saturdays, March 14, 21, 28, and April 4, 2026 | 🌀 Online
Cohort II — 11th and 12th Grade: Sundays, March 15, 22, 29, and April 5, 2026 | 🌀 Online
Spring — Frankenstein
Cohort III — 9th and 10th Grade: Saturdays, April 11, 18, 25, and May 2, 2026 | 🌀 Online
Cohort IV — 11th and 12th Grade: Sundays, April 12, 19, 26, and May 3, 2026 | 🌀 Online
Summer — Their Eyes Were Watching God & The Harlem Renaissance
Cohort V — Incoming 9th and 10th Grade: Mondays and Thursdays, June 8, 11, 15, 18, 22, and 25, 2026 | 🌀 Online
Cohort VI — Incoming 11th and 12th Grade: Tuesdays and Fridays, June 9, 12, 16, 19, 23, 26, 2026 | 🌀 Online
Six Sessions, Mondays & Thursdays, or Tuesdays and Fridays for Three Weeks
Learn More Soon!
Summer — Hamlet in Performance and Global Contexts
Cohort VII — Incoming 9th and 10th Grade: Mondays and Thursdays, July 9, 13, 16, 20, 23, and 27, 2026 | 🌀 Online*
Cohort VIII — Incoming 11th and 12th Grade: Tuesdays and Fridays, July 10, 14, 17, 21, 24, and 28, 2026 | 🌀 Online*
Six Sessions, Mondays & Thursdays, or Tuesdays and Fridays for Three Weeks
**These two cohorts uniquely begin on Thursday/Friday, and end on a Monday/Tuesday
Learn More Soon!
Summer — The Iliad Seminar
Cohort IX — Incoming 11th and 12th Grade + Pre-College: Mondays and Thursdays, August 3, 6, 10, 13, 17, and 20, 2026 | 🌀 Online*
Cohort X — Incoming 11th and 12th Grade + Pre-College: Tuesdays and Fridays, August 4, 7, 11, 14, 18, and 21, 2026 | 🌀 Online*
Six Sessions, Mondays & Thursdays, or Tuesdays and Fridays for Three Weeks
*The Iliad Seminar is only open to 11th and 12th Graders + Pre-College Students.
Learn More Soon!
AS A MEMBER OF A COHORT, YOUR JOB WILL BE TO BRING…
…your presence to each session we meet
…your commitment to read the whole book and complete each session’s reading assignment
…your notebook with 1-2 pages of pre-class notes, with observations, ideas, arguments, and questions
…an open mind with a willingness to listen, discuss, and learn!
—and that’s it! No writing, essays, or exams. For writing, it’s strongly encouraged that you take notes before class. And optional prompts will be given at the end of each session.
The only requirement and the goal of your participation is that you deeply read the entire text! If you’ve done that, you’ve not only done very well, but you truly have prepared yourself to become a more fluent reader, skillful writer, and critical thinker in your classes, come exam season and beyond.
JOIN THE PROGRAM!
Apply to Join!
15% discounts are available for Early Bird applicants! Check out each cohort page for specific deadlines.
SPRING & FALL COHORTS
4
1
3
10-12
7+
$349
sessions, one day a week for a month
text & a film/poetry
mentorship meetings
hours of individual reading time
hours of personalized teaching & mentorship
Student’s Time Commitment:
Solo Reading: 10 hours of focused reading + watching (50-100 pages/week)
Sessions: 6 hours of session discussion time
Mentorship: Attend three 1:1 mentorship meetings for ongoing support, and conversation
Value:
7+ hours of personalized teaching, facilitated dialogue, and mentorship
Dozens of new tools on how to have constructive and critical dialogue with peers
Direct support, prompts, and strategies for how to apply our discussion to AP®, SAT® and ACT® and general English class exam prep
Certificate of Completion for resumes and CVs
Ongoing 1:1 mentorship opportunities for students who have completed the program
SUMMER COHORT INTENSIVES
6
1-2
4
15-20
11+
$549
sessions, two days a week for three weeks
texts & a film/poetry
mentorship meetings
hours of individual reading time
hours of personalized teaching & mentorship
Student’s Time Commitment:
Solo Reading: 15-20 hours of focused reading + watching (100-250 pages/week)
Sessions: 9 hours of session discussion time
Mentorship: Attend four 1:1 mentorship meetings for ongoing support, and conversation
Value:
11+ hours of personalized teaching, facilitated dialogue, and mentorship
Dozens of new tools on how to have constructive and critical dialogue with peers
Direct support, prompts, and strategies for how to apply our discussion to AP®, SAT® and ACT® and general English class exam prep
Certificate of Completion for resumes and CVs
Ongoing 1:1 mentorship opportunities for students who have completed the program
“When I look back, I am so impressed again with the life-giving power of literature. If I were a young person today, trying to gain a sense of myself in the world, I would do that again by reading, just as I did when I was young."
— Maya Angelou
Learn more about our 2026 Cohorts.