You could have heard a pin drop during Mariah’s graduation speech last June. Mariah, a recent Dearborn Academy graduate, spoke about her struggles in school leading up to admission to Dearborn Academy – and how, with the programming and services at Dearborn, she went from being a student who was fighting for her life to living on campus at an out-of-state college with plans to study in London in the fall. The graduates listening with bated breath were heading off to UVM, UMass Boston, MassArt, and Lesley University.
In the past five years, the team at Dearborn Academy has added services to support students with mental health and/or learning disabilities to be better prepared to both apply for and graduate from demanding four year colleges. In 2022, the National Honor Society approved Dearborn’s 
application, and since then, twelve of our students have become NHS members. In 2019, Dearborn’s teaching team created Honors-option classes, offering students who want an increased academic challenge – and the distinction of Honors classes on their transcripts – that opportunity. This year, in line with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE)’s recommendation for facilitation of the My Career and Academic Plan (MyCAP), our Guidance Counselors are using the MEFA Pathway* to ensure that all students are accessing the highest quality transition curriculum in order to set and reach ambitious goals upon high school graduation.
Providing students at a therapeutic school with the kind of academic rigor found in public schools takes a team. Clinicians work with students and their families to reinforce the executive functioning skills taught in the classroom that are necessary for high achievement. Guidance Counselors collaborate with caregivers and the rest of the Dearborn team to create transition plans that support continued growth for lifelong learning. Teachers work with clinicians and guidance counselors to translate transitional skills into real life application through interactive lessons, embedded executive function training, and rigorous curriculum. Through this multifaceted approach, students are provided opportunities for goal setting and self advocacy both in and out of the classroom. Dearborn students attend college fairs and college tours. They interact with guest speakers and have internships or jobs where they integrate their learning through engaging and relevant experiences.
One of the earliest pioneers in the field of reading was Walter Fenno Dearborn, for whom the school is named. Dearborn, a Harvard University researcher in psychology and education, was the first scientist to realize that children with what we now call dyslexia were as intelligent and capable as children who had no trouble reading. What these students needed were simply different strategies for learning to read. Founded in 1949 to serve these students, today Dearborn Academy continues to teach and raise the bar for students with learning disabilities. The specialized interventions and supports that help them access the state curriculum standards and prepare them for college include:
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Language-based classrooms designed to help every student meet or exceed grade-level expectations
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Wilson Reading System trained teachers provide 1:1 and small group instruction and push into classes to help students generalize skills
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A multidisciplinary team offering specialized therapies (SLP/OT) and executive functioning coaching
Not every high school graduate chooses college. Dearborn Academy prepares every student to be ready for college if and when they choose to attend. The combination of expert teaching, options for extra academic challenge, and clinical and transition skill building set students like Mariah up for success.
