Fort Worth Academy is a private, independent school serving 245 students in grades K-8. The faculty is dedicated to providing a collaborative environment of academic challenge and individual attention so students prosper as learners and citizens.
Since 2001, participation in the All Kinds of Minds courses has been a condition of employment for teachers. Head of School Bill Broderick and one of his associate heads serve as members of All Kinds of Minds’ national faculty, and the school hosts most of the All Kinds of Minds courses offered in northern Texas each summer.
“Every decision made at Fort Worth Academy is student-centered and based on the following question: ‘What is best for this child at this time?'” Mr. Broderick notes. “Going through the All Kinds of Minds courses gives our teachers a sense of compassion and understanding for all students, which is central to our school values, and the confidence that there really are tools out there to help them work with those students with more complex learning needs.”
Understanding of the neurodevelopmental framework drove the school’s decision to become a one-to-one laptop school in 2007. Mr. Broderick explains that he and the faculty view technology as an essential supplement to their efforts to accommodate and intervene with students struggling with learning breakdowns. “Kids who struggle with graphomotor issues can take notes on the computer tablet, which translates their handwriting into computer text. For kids who struggle with organization, the laptops auto-save documents so they don’t lose things and provide other tools to keep them organized. With technology, these issues are no longer barriers to learning and these students find success in the classroom.”
