Schools Attuned to learning differences: teachers can learn how to understand and manage student differences in learning in the regular classroom

Leadership, Sept-Oct, 2002 by Gail Rubin

Peter Ford used to throw an entire equation at his eighth-grade Algebra One class at Foshay Learning Center in Los Angeles, and then talk it through with his students. He explained, "I'm not a segmented, sequential, analytical thinker. I'm one of those spatial thinkers who likes to see the end result first and fill in the details later."

However, not everyone thinks that way, and he has changed his approach to accommodate the different kinds of minds in his classroom. Now he segments instruction into steps, and checks to make sure each student grasps the portion that builds into the next step.

Ford also uses a rainbow of colored markers to highlight the most important concepts within the streams of numbers he writes on the board. He encourages his students to make their notes in color as well.

Welcome to Schools Attuned in action. This professional development and service program from the nonprofit All Kinds of Minds Institute is helping hundreds of teachers in California and thousands more across the country to understand, recognize and manage differences in learning in the regular classroom.

Schools Attuned provides K-12 educators with a framework to understand how brain functions impact learning, a common language to accurately identify learning difficulties, and strategies to address problem areas with a positive outlook. Nationally renowned pediatrician Dr. Mel Levine pioneered this neurodevelopmental approach, synthesized from the last 25 years of research on brain function and learning. The program focuses on variations in attention, memory, language, problem-solving, idea generation, motor skills, social skills and behavior, and working with students' individual slates of strengths and weaknesses.

The program has existed since 1987, and more than 6,500 educators across the country have taken Schools Attuned training. The program's refinement over the past two years enables many more teachers to be trained through regional training sites, on-demand institutes and state-supported initiatives. California has two Schools Attuned regional training sites located at Etta Israel Center in Los Angeles and the Children's Health Council in Palo Alto.

Since 1999, when the program was introduced into self-selected California public schools, administrators in both inner-city and suburban schools have been noticing reduced referrals for special education assessments, and improved student engagement and behavior. It also reduces frustration for teachers and improves teacher retention.

A study conducted last year by the School of Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill confirms that Schools Attuned training generates improvements in these important areas (see box at right).

"I think it has a lot of merit in helping teachers better understand the impact of their teaching," said Joe Nardo, assistant superintendent of education with Las Virgenes Unified School District. "If we look at the strengths and weaknesses of kids in the classroom more individually, with a better understanding, I'm sure it's going to improve teaching for everyone."

"Teachers are always looking for techniques that can help the most number of students as best we can," said teacher Peter Ford. "I see Schools Attuned as something that can help a lot of students."

Mary-Dean Barringer, National Director of Schools Attuned, said, "Teachers are professional practitioners, and Schools Attuned hones their expertise. The more educators understand about learning differences, the more effective they become."

How it started in California

The non-profit Etta Israel Center in Los Angeles became the first Schools Attuned regional training site in California in July 1998. The Children's Health Council in Palo Alto became California's second site in August 1999. With the support of foundations and interested school districts, growing numbers of teachers in both Southern California and Bay Area schools are learning this method of providing differentiated instruction.

The Eisner Foundation supports Schools Attuned training for teachers, school administrators and educational leaders in the Los Angeles and Orange County areas of Southern California. Over the past few years, the foundation has funded training and mentoring for more than 140 teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

The Foundation is now looking at supporting the development and implementation of pre-service teacher training curriculum at state colleges of education in California.

Program costs

Other school districts have found their own funding, including Las Virgenes Unified, La Canada, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Montecito Union and Santa Barbara. It costs $1,200 per person to take the 35-hour course, plus 10 hours of follow-up that includes extensive materials, online support and reunion/networking meetings. Several schools have added on-site individualized mentoring during the school year that further tailors the program to the specific needs of the institution, staff and students.

In the Bay area, the Health Trust's BrainWise initiative funds Schools Attuned and other programs to foster differentiated instruction. They started with a group of 58 teachers in six schools in the Campbell Union, Whisman-Mountain View and Berryessa districts, providing teacher training, on-site mentoring, strength-based assessments and student programs such as "The Mind That's Mine" at each site. Parent education presentations help parents integrate school and home approaches.