Center for Academic Potential

Upper School

The Upper School Learning Specialist wears many hats. First and foremost, he meets the needs of the girls on Hathaway Brown School Educational Plans. The Upper School Learning Specialist keeps abreast of the laws and guidelines regarding accommodations for students with disabilities, as well as works with faculty and administration to improve the delivery of accommodations to the girls on Hathaway Brown School Educational Plans. He also serves as a rich resource to all the Upper School girls who might benefit from additional academic coaching and girls who may need a referral for a psychoeducational evaluation. The Specialist is the liaison between the school and outside evaluators. He plays a critical role in planning for the girls on Hathaway Brown School Educational Plans when it comes to providing accommodations for mid-term and final exams, as well as all standardized testing.

The Specialist’s role has evolved into being a knowledgeable resource to the entire Upper School regarding various areas of learning including learning disabilities and attention disorders, as well as the emotional and social side of adolescence. The Director of the Center works closely with the Specialist to facilitate the implementation of Excellence by Design in the Upper School, primarily through helping to support and/or individualize academic learning within the core curriculum for all the Upper School girls, and especially for girls on Hathaway Brown School Educational Plans.

In the Upper School, the Mentor Program helps to provide the framework for facilitating the close interaction of faculty and students. The Mentor Program connects each girl with her mentor and a group of about 10 girls who remain together for their four years in the Upper School. The mentor becomes the person girls and their parents can turn to with confidence during the duration of a girl’s time at Hathaway Brown School. Weekly grade level mentor meetings foster communication between mentors and their mentees’ teachers in order to continually update the mentors. The Grade Level Deans organize these critical weekly grade level meetings that are so important in fostering and maintaining communication regarding the Upper School girls. The Department Chairs also play a critical role regarding knowledge of each student pertaining to each academic discipline, helping to guide the girls in their journey through math, science or any of the disciplines.

The Center for Academic Potential and the Excellence by Design framework help girls to flourish within the core curriculum and , thus, facilitate having the girls access the various centers of the Institute for the 21st Century. The girls are guided to seek out and develop those critical areas of passion and expertise that allow for transformative experiences. Opportunities such as participation in the award winning and nationally recognized Science Research and Engineering Program, award winning athletic program, as well the Center for Service and Leadership, that take girls beyond themselves and their own environment and into the role of positively impacting the greater community. Such enriching opportunities truly make Hathaway Brown School a school “like no other.”

Contact the Upper School Learning Specialist.