Henry Adams, an American academic, novelist, and historian, memorably stated in his autobiography one hundred years ago that “ a teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops." Our teachers must also affect the present – the vital here and now that is especially critical for boys and girls identified with Nonverbal Learning Differences or diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome.

To positively affect the present and to create prospects for the future – this is the mission of Franklin Academy, the only accredited college preparatory boarding school in the country to focus exclusively on students with NLD and Aspergers. Indeed, we have the largest population of students with NLD and AS in any school setting. And, as a result, no other group of professional educators has logged as many hours serving this population as the Franklin Academy faculty.

Lee, Cindy, Fred, Rebecca, Tom & Mary -- The Management Team	Veteran Educators & Young Professionals

A remarkable strength of Franklin Academy resides in the experienced leadership group that created the school and has managed every aspect of the school’s endeavors since incorporation. These administrators spent an entire year using experience, theory, and ingenuity to plan a truly unique and outstanding college preparatory program. Then they guided the school through its successful opening, directed the institution to fiscal self-sufficiency, and secured accreditation through the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. Each has more than twenty-five years of experience in schools or comparable positions. Collectively, their talents, wisdom, and initiatives are making a huge difference on behalf of students with NLD and Aspergers.

Without a doubt, the most important responsibility of Franklin Academy’s management team is the recruitment, training, and retention of a dedicated group of teachers. The school seeks veteran educators and young professionals who share a passion for serving students with learning differences. We value creativity and collaboration, abundant energy and high professional standards, compassion and commitment, flexibility, initiative, and, of course, a good sense of humor! While we will only consider candidates who demonstrate solid competency in a particular subject area, we place a priority on teachers who are able to deliver the school’s skills-based curriculum and who are eager to embrace the full life of this "round-the-clock" boarding school community.

One educator for every two students -- this is the Franklin ratio	Teachers and Students of Team C

Franklin Academy employs one full-time professional educator for every two students on campus, and we submit that this superb ratio is a prerequisite for fulfilling the school’s mission to serve students with Nonverbal Learning Differences and Asperger’s Syndrome. Yet, no matter how talented a particular teacher might be, Franklin Academy insists that each colleague embrace the philosophical framework of a team-based approach to educating students. A counselor, a learning specialist, and a residential dean, utilizing a collaborative leadership model, guide a team of educators that includes a mathematics teacher, a science teacher, and two humanities teachers. Each team serves between eighteen to twenty-four students.

This team concept is part of the “magic” at Franklin Academy. Together team members design and implement a comprehensive program for their students. They teach the classes, intervene in daily life to provide counsel and advice, sponsor the co-curricular activities, and supervise at night in the dormitory to ensure that students have consistent access to a small group of the same adults who know and understand them in all areas of their life at Franklin Academy. This approach also allows for connections to be made between disciplines and affords the opportunity to foster growth and development – academically, socially, and emotionally.

Counseling in a variety of settings	Individual attention in every classroom

The counselor for each team has a particular awareness of the clinical needs of the students belonging to the team, providing services through the Individual and Community class, other small groups, and individual counseling – all of which are designed for the students’ growth and development. Since the counselor is an integral member of the team, he or she has a significant amount of time – many more hours than a typical counselor – to observe each student in a variety of situations. In addition, as part of the team leadership, the counselor trains and supervises the entire team regarding the clinical issues and best interventions for each student.

The learning specialist assigned to each team is a resource and a conduit of best practices for teaching students with NLD and AS. He or she is responsible for guiding students to develop strategies that first help them efficiently acquire, organize, and retain information, and then increase the quality and quantity of their work production. As part of this process, the learning specialist is involved in the direct supervision of a student’s teaching faculty, ensuring the implementation of sophisticated pedagogical methods as well as a focus on student skill development. In essence, the learning specialist helps the student, as well as team colleagues, to understand how the individual student learns and produces.

The residential dean for each team oversees the residential curriculum for his or her team. This includes creating and implementing a curriculum that promotes students’ acquisition of independent living skills, as well as building and maintaining a healthy and supportive community and culture within the team and throughout the school. The residential deans supervise colleagues on their teams regarding residential policies and procedures, and they are masters at problem solving and finding creative ways to teach life skills. On any given day and according to a rotating schedule, one of the residential deans is in charge of the campus.

Melissa -- one of four Learning Specialists	Franklin Academy -- a "round-the-clock" boarding community

Franklin Academy offers a model program to serve our specific population of students and to meet the expectations expressed in the school’s mission statement. This model is powerful, but only as effective as our faculty members, who we believe are the most prepared and most committed teachers available. Fortified by continual professional development, we have established ourselves as the experts in the field of educating students with Nonverbal Learning Differences and Asperger’s Syndrome.

Teachers as mentors and friends	No other group of teachers has more experience in this work