| New
& Views
- Apr, 1992 Issue |
John Dewey Academy Enrollment
Philosophy
(413) 528-9800
Statement released April 1, 1992
Dr. Thomas Bratter, President
of John Dewey Academy in Western Massachusetts, explains the reason
he decided to start the school was to "Prove to credentialed mental
health professionals and educators that the most effective way to work
with alienated, acting-out, and angry adolescents, was to provide a
confrontative, safe, secure, supportive environment which has high expectations
for immediate, improved behavior."
To this end, the school offers
generous scholarships to those who can convince the staff they have
exceptional intellectual and intuitive potential and can demonstrate
financial need. Dr. Henry T Radda, Ph.D., Dean of Students, asserts,
"Since we view our mission to prove to the Psychiatric-Psychological
and Educational Bureaucracies that when placed in an uncompromising
and unrelenting environment with high expectations, adolescents can
achieve the greatness of which they are capable, we will make financial
concessions to get the 'brightest and the best.'" "When the decision
is between a student who could pay the full tuition and a student who
needs a full scholarship" Radda continued, "The decision is to admit
the one who has the most potential." "Even though an individual decision
like this can cost the school $38,000, this integrity is the key to
our success because we can admit those few whom we believe we can help
to help themselves achieve greatness," Radda concluded.
Bratter added that "50% of
our graduates have made the Dean's List and have distinguished themselves
by becoming campus leaders. Since 33% of our students had been referred
by psychiatric inpatient programs and 40% arrived on psychotropic medicine,
any objective criteria of the changes the students have made must conclude
their achievement at college is a miracle." Kenneth Steiner, Ph.D.,
M.S.W., Dean of studies, says "We want to work with students whose potential
places them in the top 10%. We want the symbolic diamond in the rough."
Copyright
© 1992, Woodbury Reports, Inc. (This article may be reproduced without
prior approval if the copyright notice and proper publication and author
attribution accompanies the copy.) |
