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FACT SHEET
The Problem:
It is estimated that 20% of children in any classroom exhibit serious indications of learning struggles - a total of 10 million students in the United States alone. Often ineligible for special education services or other interventions, they remain at risk of falling through the cracks of our education system.
Many of the those who struggle to learn and are unsuccessful in school go on to suffer even larger, more devastating problems such as illiteracy, unemployment, incarceration, juvenile delinquency, dropping out of school, and substance abuse. The wasted economic output they represent, and the price society pays for failure to educate these misunderstood minds, is staggering.
Mission Statement:
All Kinds of Minds helps students who struggle needlessly with learning measurably improve their success in school and life by providing programs that integrate educational and scientific expertise.
Our Vision:
We are committed to creating a renewed sense of urgency that we can rescue the mind of the struggling learner with the knowledge now available from neuroscience and other research. We have translated this knowledge to fit with the art of teaching. We want a greater number of educators to have this scientific approach to learning expertise.
In the decade ahead, we are committed to fostering an educational environment where patterns of defeat and frustration are replaced by habits of success-and where all children vulnerable to self doubt as learners can reclaim hope, confidence and a strong vision for their successful future.
The All Kinds of Minds Neurodevelopmental Framework for Learning:
Every learner's neurodevelopmental profile is comprised of specific strengths and weaknesses. We believe every mind is unique and that we should help educators and students understand their differences. The framework that guides our work stems from the theory that the human brain is made up of a network of neurodevelopmental functions. A subgroup of these brain functions is responsible for learning and academic performance. And, at any point, the strength of these functions can directly influence learning in and out of school.
Organizational Overview:
Since AKOM was founded in 1995, more than 43,000 educators around the world-from more than 5,000 schools-have participated in Schools Attuned® -- our flagship five-day professional development program - and used our resources. To date, more than two dozen independent research studies, along with a decade of program evaluation data, parent and teacher interviews tell us our work is the success we set out to achieve.
We offer a variety of programs and services that provide professional development opportunities of individual educators and schools. Keeping with our philosophy that everyone learns differently, we have developed a variety of offerings that include:
- Professional development delivered by a team of hand selected and All Kinds of Minds trained educators in a face-to-face learning experience
- A variety of learning opportunities that ranges from introductory sessions to advanced study and application
- Access to expertise through blogs, podcasts, Wikipedia entries, events and www.allkindsofminds.org
- A library of classroom strategies
- Observational tools and protocols for use with students
- Coursework of varied length and price
Research Based:
Research guides every aspect of our work:
- The content of our program is based on the latest advances validated from educational, clinical and medical research on brain function and school learning
- The design and delivery of our programs is based on the most current research on professional development that changes teaching practice and has a positive impact on student outcomes
- Our comprehensive research agenda includes internally conducted evaluation as well as rigorous independent research designed to examine the impact of our programs on students, teachers, families, schools and educational policies
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