To the best of our knowledge, Franklin Academy is the first and only college preparatory boarding school to serve exclusively students diagnosed with nonverbal learning disorder.  From time-to-time, our administrators, counselors, and faculty address in writing a variety of issues affecting our students and their parents.  We believe that our practical experiences and the perspectives we gain in this setting will benefit a larger audience of parents, special education teachers, psychologists, and educational consultants seeking additional insight. We hope that the letters and articles that appear in this section of the Franklin Academy website prove to be helpful.

The following letter was jointly written by Franklin Academy's three staff psychologists -- Gina McCall, Rebecca Hays, and Suzanne Gregory -- in December of 2005

Gina, Rebecca and Suzanne

Dear Parents:

As the counseling professionals of Franklin, we try to offer information and guidance to parents as they make important decisions for their children and negotiate new relationships as their students change and grow. We are often asked to clarify what Franklin is "all about" and how might it differ from other educational settings and experiences that they have had. Franklin Academy is an independent, college preparatory, boarding school developed specifically to serve students with nonverbal learning differences. We are not a residential therapeutic program, yet we serve students with specific special needs. For Franklin to fulfill its mission and for students to be successful here, we must be clear about what we are and what we are not. Truly, a successful outcome is contingent on a good fit between our students and our program.

This is what we offer:

• A small, psychologically safe community that is committed to the development of tolerance and the celebration of individual differences
• A daily and annual schedule with intentional breaks to meet the needs of NLD students
• A low faculty to student ratio of 1:7 in the classroom, and an adult to student ratio of 1:3 across campus
• Classroom instructional models geared towards an auditory learning preference
• Integrated instruction, supervision, and support by a coordinated teaching team that includes a team leader who is a learning specialist, a counselor, and classroom faculty; the same members of the teaching team also serve as dormitory parents
• Individual academic accommodations for students within each class
• A social and independent skills program as a major part of the curriculum
• Residential living that allows for continued practice of skills and the development of peer relationships under the supervision of the classroom faculty
• Weekly counseling
• Psychiatric consultation and medication management

Our philosophy, staffing patterns, and range of services do not allow for:

• 1-to-1 tutoring on a regular basis
• 1-to-1 supervision during unstructured time periods
• Sustained therapeutic interventions to address emotional upset or dysfunction
• Sustained implementation of complex behavior modification systems

Certain students need and deserve 1-to-1 tutoring and supervision, as well as sustained interventions, and some of our students move from Franklin to a more therapeutic program. Such an outcome should not be seen as a failure by the school or a failure by the student. Indeed, enrollment at Franklin Academy and participation in our program are part of the on-going diagnostic assessment of each student. If it becomes evident that the school does not offer the level of structure and range of therapeutic services that a student requires in his or her life to make developmental progress, then we will work with the family to secure a more appropriate placement. Toward that end, Franklin Academy does not impose on any family an unconditional obligation in the enrollment contract to pay tuition, room, and board for the entire school year. Instead, a family is only required to pay for the term in which the child is enrolled.

Throughout their time at Franklin Academy, all of our students are likely to run into at least one social or academic "roadblock" at some point in their adolescence. These obstacles can range from difficulty in getting up in the morning or making new friends, to completing an extended research paper, to coping with a change in medication. This time of life is not smooth or easy, and our students can also be challenged by other complicating factors in their lives.

At Franklin, we love the opportunity to work with our students to address these issues and to devise creative plans to overcome whatever obstacle may be in the way. Our goal is always to forge a plan in partnership with each student - a plan that the student comes to "own" - helping our students develop executive functioning and problem-solving skills, self-advocacy, emotional self-regulation, and personal responsibility. We want them to take charge of their lives. While our students may be lacking in certain academic, social, and life skills, they need to be ready for and interested in developing a full range of important skills and moving towards more independent functioning. If a student eschews ownership in the plan or is unable to "step up" to meet the objectives of the plan, then it becomes appropriate to ask whether Franklin can offer the level of structure or services needed to assist that student in making the behavioral changes necessary to be truly successful. It is our hope and expectation, however, that most students who matriculate at Franklin Academy will successfully meet these challenges, grow and develop, earn a diploma and then advance to college.

Sincerely,

Rebecca C. Hays, PhD

Suzanne Gregory, MA

Gina McCall, MSEd