Schools strive to meet needs of special pupils

"You may not have the [financial] resources, but you can tap into the gifts and talents of your staff," said James Simone, associate superintendent of schools for the Archdiocese of New York, who spoke recently to Catholic school principals of the Albany Diocese. "Use the resources you already have."

While Catholic schools might not be able to effectively teach all students with special needs, with some creativity, they can teach many students with learning disabilities, he said.

Experience

He explained that learning disabled students can get negative messages that affect not only their classroom success but also their self-esteem.

"Forty-six percent of persons today who are incarcerated are learning disabled or could be labeled learning disabled," he said. "Anti-social behaviors are secondary [problems]; the learning disability is primary."

Adapting

Learning disabled students, Mr. Simone explained, have the ability to learn; they just learn differently from their peers.

"Difference in our society is seen as negative," he said. "Difference is just different. Children internalize it as something negative."

He encouraged educators to look for alternative terms to describe behaviors. "Negative labeling causes negative expectations," he said.

"We need to examine ourselves as educators," he said. "When a child has a problem in the classroom, we see the child as having the problem, not us."

Services in Diocese

Catholic school students are entitled to services from their public school districts, Mr. Simone said, including testing for learning disabilities, speech and language services, and remediation. Recent Supreme Court decisions allow many of these services to be provided in Catholic schools.

Several Catholic schools in the Diocese, in addition to using the public school services, now have programs in place that provide learning disabled students, as well as those who just need extra help, with specialized attention at school.

At St. Mary's School in Ballston Spa, for example, technology teacher Sister Toni Murphy, CSJ, and physical education teacher Jake Stomieroski work with students who need something extra, such as remediation or enrichment.

The school, Mr. Stomieroski explained, is particularly poised to work with students with different learning styles since several members of the faculty have master's degrees in special education and one has a master's degree in speech.

Success stories

Sister Toni and Mr. Stomieroski try to utilize students strengths in order to help them succeed in school. "There are a variety of learning styles," Mr. Stomieroski said. "There is no magic formula."

The two have seen improvements in students from year to year. "A girl I had for spelling help last year is passing this year," Sister Toni said. "When I asked her how she's doing it, she said: `I do the things we learned last year.'"

Catholic schools can be a good place for some students with special needs because of the Catholic school belief in the value and dignity of each person, Mr. Stomieroski and Sister Toni said.

Taking care

Finding the right learning environment needs to be a priority, Mr. Stomieroski said.

"We like to use the least restrictive environment," he said. "If it's a kid we can't help here, then the public school is their least restrictive environment. You have to realize where the kid will do best -- here, the public school or a combination."

He added that the Ballston Spa Central School District has been very cooperative in providing needed services for students with special needs. This is often an important component for Catholic schools having success in educating learning disabled students.

Working with local districts can be a challenge for Catholic schools, which often serve students from many school districts. "It's very difficult to get public school help in a regional school," said Patricia Eldridge, principal at St. Brigid's Regional Catholic School in Watervliet. She explained that the local district must provide the same services for Catholic school students as they provide for the students in the public school. Since each district might provide different services, it is hard to coordinate what a Catholic school student needs in a way that is beneficial for the child.

Adjustments

Mrs. Eldridge's experience as an educator and as a mother of two boys with learning disabilities has made her aware of the different learning styles and needs of students. In some cases, she said, Catholic schools can service students with special needs.

"We're making an attempt," she said. "It depends on the willingness of the teacher and the parent's willingness."

As an administrator, she has tried to encourage teaching styles and strategies that can benefit students with learning disabilities. Intergrade activities, like scheduling reading time for all grades at the same time, can be beneficial, she said. That way, students can go to the appropriate classroom for reading without disrupting the rest of their schedule.

Providing lab time for students to get extra help in a subject area, adjusting the way tests are administered, and finding appropriate reading materials can also benefit a learning disabled child.

Aid from aides

St. Clement's Regional Catholic School in Saratoga Springs has developed a program that is working well for its students. The school has three remedial resource aides who work with a range of students, from those with learning disabilities to those who just need extra help.

The program is in its third year and principal Mike Dillon is pleased with the results. "We're really proud of it," he said. "We can help kids who might have fallen through the cracks."

The remedial resource aides work with students on math, reading and other skills, and also offer a homework lab. "The kids love it," Mr. Dillon said. "Parents and teachers see results right away."

Increasing needs

Mr. Dillon and other educators are seeing more students with special needs. "We are seeing more learning disabilities than before," Mrs. Eldridge said, who has spent 20 years in education.

After 26 years in the field, Mr. Dillon said: "The needs are increasing as the population of kids is changing. Kids and parents are so busy they lose time for homework."

While Mr. Stomieroski and Sister Toni are seeing many students with needs, they aren't sure if there are really more children with learning disabilities.

"Educators are more aware of different learning styles and testing is being utilized more," Sister Toni said. Mr. Stomieroski agreed, saying: "Tests are more valid and more specific. We can now pinpoint areas where kids need special help."

(03-19-98) [[In-content Ad]]