Woodbury Reports Archives

strugglingteens.com 

The Internet's leading source of information on emotional growth schools & programs


Archives Contents

Archives Home
Contents by Year
      1989 - Present
Contents by Topic
      Industry News
      Schools & Visits
      Opinions & Essays

Archives Search

The easiest way to find information is by using our search function. Just type in the words you would like to search for and you'll get a list of articles related to your topic.

Site Index

Home
Schools & Programs
Chat Board
Resources
Newsletter
Online Store
Contact Us

Opinion & Essays - Feb, 1998 Issue #50

THE REQUIREMENTS OF ACADEMIC SUCCESS 
By: Lon Woodbury 
(Reprinted from Woodbury Reports, Issue #2, January, 1990) 

There are three conditions that must be met before a student can succeed in school. First, a student must know the fundamentals a subject is based on. For example, the student must master math before having any hope of succeeding in algebra. Second, a student’s brain must be able to properly process the information it receives from the senses. When a child has dyslexia, for example, he or she actually does not see what is written, at least in a way they can make sense of. A child with a learning disability must learn how to compensate in order to succeed in school. Third, a child must have the emotional strength to believe he or she can succeed. When a child has a low self-esteem and feels it is no use to make the effort, it is very likely he or she will fail in school. 

The above is the order of priorities of traditional education, both public and private. Although it seems to work for most students, the high drop-out rate and number of students identified as “at-risk”, shows these priorities are not working for many, many other students. 

The Emotional Growth/Special Purpose schools and programs I work with, including those reviewed in this Report and the previous Report, reverse the emphasis. They are specifically designed for those students who are failing because of emotional immaturity and the resultant behavior problems. Because emotional immaturity and behavior problems often arise out of learning disabilities, most emotional growth/special purpose schools also have expertise in special education. Academics is then approached in ways the student can learn to succeed. 

The goal of an Emotional Growth/Special Purpose school is not to replace traditional education, but to prepare the child with special needs so he or she can succeed in the traditional classroom. Emotional Growth/Special Purpose schools and programs play a vital supplemental role in American education, and are currently succeeding with young people who had been failing all other attempts to work with them. I think the existing network of Emotional Growth/Special Purpose schools is a little known national resource. In the new national spirit of education reform, these schools can not only be used directly to help students, but can serve as models of what really works. What is called for is for educators to be open to learn from them, and be creative in their own school systems with the knowledge that now exists in Emotional Growth/Special Purpose schools. 

Copyright © 1998, Woodbury Reports, Inc. (This article may be reproduced without prior approval if the copyright notice and proper publication and author attribution accompanies the copy.)

Site and content copyright © 1998 by Woodbury Reports Inc. All rights reserved.