Education at its best

I have two wonderful daughters, and my first was an easy child, leading me to the spurious belief that my superior parenting was responsible for her charming and easygoing personality. Then came daughter #2, who knocked me right off my high horse. I eventually discovered that she has mental health issues, primarily anxiety, ADHD, and executive function deficits. With severe anxiety and little impulse control, this normally sweet child can do the fight or flight reaction equally well. She was expelled from her first daycare at age two and regularly ended up in school situations that increased her anxiety and aggressive behavior. Mental health support for children is sketchy at best, and finally I made the decision to send her to Wright School. Sending my child to a state-run, residential mental health treatment center was one of the hardest decisions I have made in my life. It was also one of the best.

Wright School (www.wrightschool.org) is in Durham, NC, and works with 24 (at a time) of the state's most violent and troubled children, ages 6-12, for six to eight months. They go home every weekend to practice what they have learned during the week. The school is based on the principles of reeducation and their long-term success with a difficult demographic is nothing less than phenomenal. They serve about 55 kids a year at a low cost to the state and no cost to the parent, and they are a national model for a program that works. So how do they do it? Here is MY theory:

1) The staff is, across the board and without exception, both competent and passionate about their work. There are not only guiding principles, but a deep-rooted culture around those principles. For instance, they don't yell at children. Never. And they don't make those children or their parents feel like failures.

2) Following the principles of reeducation, the staff doesn't assume something is wrong with the child. The presumption is that the ecology of the child's environment is out of balance, and all elements have to change. I had to change, daughter #1 had to change, the structure of day to day living had to change, and the school had to change, all along with D#2. We had a parent-teacher liaison who worked with me in a very pragmatic way. I had SO much to learn and adjust, and she was there to help me do it. What worked with D#1 didn't with this child and I had to find new ways to parent. We also had a unit coordinator who inspired me by the stories he told me (which you will hear at some point) and who infused me with hope.

3) Structure and clear expectations are key. She got constant feedback about her behavior and constant praise for the things she did well. We continue to do these things at home. We now have schedules and posted expectations.

4) All kinds of competencies were addressed: tying shoes, table manners, hygiene, social skills, and academics. As a child became more confident in these areas, she became less anxious about her performance. She knew what was expected of her.

5) They address a troubled child's academic problems directly. I'll quote director Debbie Simmers on this:

Children in a clinical population, like those at Wright School, often have co-occurring learning and language delays and/or disorders, as well as significant deficits with processing speed and/or working memory. A thorough academic assessment for children with mental health needs can illuminate learning issues that suggest to trained educators needed positive academic supports, in addition to positive behavioral supports. Individual and small group remedial instruction that accommodates and supports learning needs with direct instruction and a reinforcement system that initially rewards effort, in addition to results, is an empowering formula to increase learner engagement. A pattern of celebrated success often brings the child sufficient confidence to use the strategies s/he has learned to take academic risks that they formerly refused. Successfully using a strategy to independently sound out an unknown word lights up a child's face with hope for the future!

Wright School uses the Wilson Reading System to teach reading and Saxon Math for the spiral drill that brings math proficiency. They follow the NC Standard Course of Study but in a way that is accessible for learners with special needs.

Many of the things done at Wright School are transferable to the home and other school settings. In fact, staff will do trainings for teachers and other groups. I wish that all children could have the chance to be taught by teachers who are this good.

D#2 graduated from Wright School in May, 2009. She is mainstreamed in our districted public school; it's the first time in three years she has not been in a self-contained classroom. She regularly points out kids who could be helped by Wright School, and she often asks to go back to visit the staff. Life is not perfect, but we all have strategies to deal with our difficulties. We have hope once again.