Dorothy Goodman (Bruchholz; January 15, 1926 – July 23, 2023) was an American educator closely associated with the charter school movement. She founded and served as Director of the Washington International School; launching the school with three 4-year-olds in the basement of her home in 1966[1] and served as headmistress until 1985, when the school enrolled 530 students, ranging in age from 3 to 18, representing 80 nations.[2]
Dorothy Bruchholz was born in Minneapolis on January 15, 1926.[3] [4] She was educated at Bryn Mawr College and received her Ph.D. from the University of London.
Goodman was a founder of the International Baccalaureate: North America, and has been credited with the success of that program.[5] She has served as Chairwoman of Friends of International Education[6] (FIE) and president of Committee for Public Autonomous Schools (COMPASS), an organization that supports the founding of public charter schools.[7] She advocated the teaching of Chinese and Russian to American students, saying she was inspired in this by Lee Kuan Yew, long-time prime minister of Singapore.[8] She has also been a trustee of the UWC-USA, and a visible and vocal spokesperson for educational causes globally.[9]
Dorothy Goodman died of congestive heart failure at her home in Washington, D.C., on July 23, 2023, at the age of 97.[4]