News From John Dewey Academy

We have recently celebrated our thirtieth anniversary, and as we begin 2016 we are continuing our evolution with many exciting changes. As we make these transitions, we also remain grounded in our history as a very successful therapeutic college preparatory school, and we have made two major additions to our staff in the past month. Dr. David Baum has joined our History and Social Science faculty. David comes to us with a PhD from Yale, and extensive teaching experience at NYU Gallatin College, Skidmore College, Norwich University, Union College, American University in Iraq, and West Texas A&M. Secondly, we are very happy to announce the hiring of Matthew Morse as our Dean of Students and a Primary Clinician. Matthew is an LMSW from SUNY Albany with extensive experience in the field working with a wide variety of populations.

And finally, many of you know that after twenty-seven years Ken Steiner plans to retire from full time involvement at John Dewey in the summer of 2016. We have been working on this transition for two years. The next Head will be the return of Dr. Andrea Esperat Lien. Andrea held various clinical and administrative positions at JDA from 2007 to 2013, and is bringing with her two decades of experience in the mental health field, along with 15 years of experience meeting the cognitive, social, and affective needs of high-ability students. In addition to her clinical work, she has worked as a researcher at the National Research Center for the Gifted and Talented, and has presented at national and regional conferences on the special needs of high ability students. Most recently, she has been working with dual-diagnosis clients at the Center for Motivation and Change (CMC: Berkshires), a substance abuse residential treatment center informed by evidence-based treatments. Andrea earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Old Dominion University. She then went on to earn a Master of Education in Educational Psychology, as well as a dual-degree Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical and School Psychology, from the University of Virginia. She has worked with individuals of all ages in a variety of inpatient and outpatient settings: public and private schools, university settings, clinics, hospitals, and residential treatment settings. Andrea combines her training in evidence-based treatments with a forward-thinking and creative therapeutic approach. She is excited to return to John Dewey Academy as Head of School, stating, "Returning to JDA feels very much like coming home. I'm honored and thrilled to have the opportunity to take the dream into the future." And as for my part I am so happy that the program will be in such solid, capable, and experienced hands.

The John Dewey Academy is a non-traditional, peer based therapeutic boarding school for troubled*, college bound adolescents and young adults, age 15 to 21, founded in 1985. At JDA, we believe the key to change is to respect students' inherent, but unrealized, capabilities by setting high expectations As a result, 100% of our graduates attend excellent four year institutions of higher learning despite patchy academic histories.

The John Dewey approach stresses the pursuit of excellence in all aspects of life-academics, personal integrity, and interpersonal relationships. We achieve this by integrating a rigorous academic program with intensive, coordinated therapeutic services in the context of a peer-based environment. Our program instills a vital sense of responsibility and agency in our students while helping them reclaim a love of learning and a collegiate future.

*Although we do not employ diagnoses or traditional mental health labels, our prospective students have often been diagnosed with mild-to-moderate co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders.

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