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DECEMBER 2004

The Stephen Gaynor School: Providing a Warm and Enriching Environment to Children with Special Needs
By Liza Young

Dr. Scott Gaynor, Head of the Stephen Gaynor School, recently shared his dedication, passion and vision for his school. Housed in a landmarked townhouse on the Upper West Side, Dr. Scott Gaynor, whose grandmother founded the school which bears the namesake of his uncle, helps children with learning disabilities overcome the challenges they face so that they can ultimately transition to a mainstream environment. The school's mission is based on the idea that there are intelligent children with learning disabilities who can potentially thrive in a mainstream environment through proper social and academic support.

Woven throughout the endeavors of the Stephen Gaynor School is a nurturing and caring environment. The school itself contains a relatively small population, only 120 students, divided into small class sizes, with two skilled teachers per class. Every member of the educational staff knows the student population personally, being familiar with the specific strengths and needs of each child. Teachers are highly dedicated and intricately involved in the education of their students. Dr. Gaynor describes the approach at the school as being one of “multiple lenses, with all teachers involved, looking at the child and how can they can best address their needs.”

An important feature of the Gaynor School is that classes are not based strictly on chronological age, but all relevant factors are weighed in creating classes. They are generally based on academic and social needs. Further homogenization is created through breaking up classes into groups. The goal is to create as homogenous a group as possible.  At the same time, the school contains a “student driven curriculum,” where students are provided with “Diagnostic Prescriptive Instruction, a term coined by Yvette Siegal, one of the School's Founders and current Director of Education, where each child is provided with support and instruction specific to their needs. This approach involves the idea of taking a child who is intelligent but has a disability in an area, and allowing them to learn about the topic through overcoming the barrier. This can involve, for example, teaching a child with decoding problems—who is capable of understanding a complex, abstract story—through making the story accessible to them using tools and resources to overcome the decoding barrier.

Technological resources are readily available and used to help students learn in a way that meets their needs. Software such as Kidspiration and Inspiration, are used, which are excellent resources that employ visual tools into the learning process in an interactive fashion. Note-taking programs are also available for children who are dysgraphic.

The curriculum at the Steven Gaynor School is comprehensive, covering areas that are part of a mainstream program, such as history, science, music, art and physical education. Speech and language pathologists as well as occupational therapists meet regularly with students to help develop speech skills and organizational skills. The program is also cross-categorical, enriching a child's knowledge of a subject through multiple approaches.

Additional means of preparing the student towards the future of transitioning to a mainstream environment are through the learning of organizational skills, having the opportunity to learn from social studies textbooks, learning research skills, and for the older student, interview skills.

Recently, Dr. Gaynor has embarked on the most ambitious undertaking in the history of his school: a $19 million capital campaign for a new school to be opened in the fall of 2006 and located at 90th Street between Amsterdam and Columbus Avenue. The new state-of-the art-facility will be able to accommodate 45 additional students. Further, each of 18 classrooms will contain a breakout room, which can be used when classes are divided to create further homogenized groups. There is an additional plan of launching a Community Learning Center, providing special education support to children outside of the enrolled population. Dr. Gaynor's wish is for this state-of-the art-facility to remain true to the mission of the Stephen Gaynor School, providing an individualized approach within the context of a warm and nurturing environment.#
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