CHARTWELL SCHOOL
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Mission Statement
Founded in 1983, Chartwell is an independent, coeducational day school that specializes in educating children and teens with specific language-related learning disabilities (LD), including dyslexia. Our research-based programs are designed to serve students with mild-to-moderate learning challenges who are intelligent and capable but have had difficulty succeeding in mainstream education due to their learning differences. . Chartwell School serves grades K-8, while The New High School Project (TNHSP), founded in 2009, provides a college-preparatory education to grades 9-12. Both schools are accredited at the highest levels by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. In offering a full mainstream curriculum, our programs meet or exceed California state standards while placing special emphasis on language and skills development, project-based learning, and character education, while employing research-based best practices in diagnostic education.
About This Cause
About Chartwell School Founded in 1983, Chartwell School is an independent, coeducational day school that specializes in educating children and teens with specific language-related learning disabilities (LD), including dyslexia. Our research-based programs are designed to serve students with mild-to-moderate learning challenges who are intelligent and capable but have had difficulty succeeding in mainstream education due to their learning differences. By providing the proper education and support, we help unique learners overcome their past struggles to address their deficits, develop their strengths, and take command of their individual learning styles. The greater outcome is that students can improve academically, return to mainstream education – including colleges and universities – and chart a successful path in school and in life. Chartwell School serves grades K-8, while The New High School Project (TNHSP), founded in 2009, provides a diagnostic, college-preparatory education to grades 9-12. Both schools are accredited at the highest levels by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. In offering a full mainstream curriculum, our programs meet or exceed California state standards while placing special emphasis on language and skills development, project-based learning, and character education. Both programs employ research-based best practices in diagnostic education, which enable us to identify and address the root challenges faced by each young learner. Students benefit from structured, sequential programming in core and elective subjects; diverse hands-on learning opportunities; assistive technologies; rich field experiences; self-advocacy training; and small class sizes that allow for ample individual attention from our expert faculty. We also provide on-site access to tutoring services, speech and language therapy, counseling, and occupational therapy to address coexisting conditions that impede student achievement. As the outreach component of our educational programs, Chartwell’s Center for the Advancement of Language and Literacy (CALL) provides an array of services designed to enhance public knowledge about learning differences and share best practices in diagnostic education. Through our Teacher Training Institute and Free Community Workshop series, CALL provides expert advice in educating and supporting LD students and helps build collaborative relationships with fellow educators, schools, and organizations, thereby extending our reach to more young learners in communities both near and far. Chartwell’s educational and outreach programs are delivered at our award-winning LEED Platinum certified campus, which is designed to enhance student outcomes, protect health, and conserve resources. Opened in 2006, our campus serves as a resource for students and a wide range of visitors who come to Chartwell to learn about the educational, environmental, and economic benefits of integrated design. Our staff currently comprises 36 dedicated professionals, including 27 full-time employees, 7 part-time employees, and 3 independent contractors. All faculty members are trained education professionals. Thirteen of 19 classroom teachers have advanced degrees, and several teachers and administrators have more than 20 years of experience in working with unique learners. Chartwell also greatly benefits from the annual support of 100+ volunteers, including our Board of Trustees, which comprises 13 volunteer members, plus our Executive Director. Chartwell does not receive government support for operations. Rather, it is the caring financial support of many foundations, corporations, and individual donors that makes our efforts possible. After 31 years, Chartwell remains the only fully accredited school between the San Francisco Bay Area and Southern California to specialize in reaching this historically underserved population of bright K-12 students with learning differences. In our three decades of service, we have directly served more than 1000 students and reached countless more unique learners, families, and educators through our outreach programs. Through the combined efforts of our remarkable community of students, families, educators, and supporters, we are proud to serve as a model for diagnostic education in California and beyond. Population Served All students at Chartwell and TNHSP enter with one or more specific learning disabilities, as diagnosed via formal testing and documented in student records. Common diagnoses include dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, auditory processing disorder, visual processing disorder, ADD/ADHD, pragmatic language impairment, and/or others. Students may also face challenges with oral language, motor coordination, and/or attitudinal issues arising from past failure and frustration in traditional academic settings. At the same time, our students typically have average or above-average cognitive ability and have no primary emotional or behavioral issues that would preclude them from constructively engaging in our programs. At entry, most students have experienced limited success in mainstream classrooms, despite their intelligence and desire to achieve. Many come here believing that they are unintelligent and will never be able to succeed in school or other arenas. Yet well-structured, research-based intervention can transform the life of a young dyslexic learner. Many students who learn differently possess strengths or even superior abilities in math, science, art, visual-spatial thinking, creative problem solving, entrepreneurship, and/or other areas. With the right training and support, these students can overcome their learning challenges to unlock their potential and find true strengths in their differences. Typically, about 50% of our students come from Monterey County, 35% from Santa Cruz County, and the rest from Santa Clara County, San Benito County, and other regions of California. Our admissions policy is non-discriminatory in regard to race, creed, color, gender, ethnic or national origin, religion, or sexual orientation. Our student body is ethnically diverse and includes African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Hispanics, and multiracial students. With the generous help of many donors and charitable organizations like CFMC, Chartwell maintains a substantial financial aid and tuition assistance program that allows us to serve students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. The Need for Chartwell As a unique provider of specialized educational services, Chartwell meets a vital community need in Monterey County and the greater Central Coast region. Broadly, the need for diagnostic education is significant, as it is estimated that as much as 15% or more of all people have language-related learning disabilities such as dyslexia. Without ready access to language, this population faces daunting challenges in today’s increasingly competitive, information-based society. Illiteracy greatly enhances an individual’s exposure to poverty, ill health, substance abuse, crime, and incarceration – trends that carry immense social and economic costs. As the World Literacy Foundation estimated in 2012, the annual cost of illiteracy in the U.S. alone is over $300 billion when accounting for lost earnings and productivity and expenses related to health care, social services, crime, incarceration, and other factors. Each individual’s education serves as a critical opportunity to combat illiteracy and its consequences. Yet mainstream schools often fail to meet the needs of unique learners, either by not recognizing dyslexia as an inherent, physically-based learning difference and/or not acknowledging those differences, and their many attendant strengths, via the appropriate instructional methods, accommodations, and general treatment of students. Unfortunately, without effective intervention, 20-40% of this population is at risk of dropping out of school, falling far short of their potential, and leading greatly diminished lives. By providing effective intervention that acknowledges both the deficits and strengths of each student, our programs help children and teens within this at-risk population develop their abilities, stay in school, and set goals for the future. In doing so, our programs not only help improve the lives of individuals and families in need; they help strengthen our community by harnessing human potential, raising public awareness, and countering the negative trends that correspond with low literacy and education levels. Measuring Success: Student Outcomes Chartwell provides a comprehensive, research-based diagnostic program to evaluate and attend to each student’s educational and special needs. This student-centered, research-driven approach carefully and compassionately considers each individual’s unique and evolving learning profile, making our programs highly effective and reflecting our fundamental belief in the potential of children and teens who learn differently. Results from formal testing and assessments of classroom performance show that, even after years of falling behind in mainstream schools, our students commonly achieve more than one full year of progress for each year in our programs. Many demonstrate multiple years of progress in certain skill or subject areas in just a single year. The greater outcome of our programs is that students can use the skills, knowledge, and self-esteem they gain at Chartwell to return to traditional educational settings as capable, confident learners. This is not just a common outcome but an institutional goal that distinguishes Chartwell from the many independent schools that seek to retain students for their full educational careers. These achievements reflect the Chartwell mission to not only help young learners meet their immediate academic goals but more fully realize their potential for learning and success throughout life. Our records indicate that more than 90% of Chartwell alumni graduate from high school and 70-80% attend college, with many pursuing graduate studies. Today, Chartwell alumni are college students, successful business owners or employees, Chartwell Trustees and so much more!