The Churchill School (NY)
Tuesday, November 9th, 2004
The Churchill School (Grades K-12)
301 East 29th Street
New York, NY 10016
212-722-0610
212-722-1387 (fax)
totis@churchillschool.com
www.churchillschool.com
Sanford Shapiro’s Review of The Churchill School (Grades K-12)
Schools with Services for Language-based Learning Disabilities (LLD)
Schools with Services for Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Perhaps the most supportive and successfull school for the high functioning learning disabled child in the metropolitan region if not nationally.
Thanks Pete, I’ve heard great things about this school.
I would like some information regarding your school.
Thanks
6th grade teacher, Rachael who did work on accomodations for thr LD learner for the writer’s workshop- I missed the lecture you are providing today and tomorrow. Are the conclusions and strategies from your thesis available to the public?
Anita and Margaret,
You should contact the Churchill School directly. Their web address is http://www.churchillschool.org
In response to Pete Halleck — “perhaps” is the operative word in your statement.
Churchill is not a particularly supportive setting if your child has any emotional, sensory or behaviorial challenges — factors that often coexist with LD profiles.
Part of Churchill’s great reputation — sending so many kids to college, etc — comes from the extensive winnowing process that school engages in. If a kid doesn’t fit in, the kid is pushed out.
Cherry-picking the best in advance of the Regents is one of the secrets of the putatively “great” LD schools.
Also, FYI, Pete is on the staff at the school.
First, let me say that I have had no correspondence with Churchill for over 20 years. As a now successful adult with ADD, a former student of Chirchill (and EXTREME behavior challenge), and a professional who has conducted research on and worked extensively with behavior management, I can tell you that problem behavior relative to the LD population is as easily corrected as ABC. On must recognize the specific LD and associated antecedents, provide appropriate supports, and alternatives, (address the problem behavior) and create an environment that promotes success. (success is the “consequence” of an effective system)
HOWEVER, some LDs have additional problem behaviors which are NOT directly related to their LD. Furthermore, it is not unreasonable to select students who will best benefit from a given program. In fact, I would expect any responsible educational institution to consider the potential impact that each prospective student would have on the overall milieu prior to admission. Why would any school compromise the success of its students by introducing new students who don’t compliment the program.
Sadly, the comments posted by “Concerned Parent” sound more like “Angry and Frustrated Parent” who hasn’t yet found his/her child an appropriate program. Good luck, to you and your child.
Duncan, thanks for a thoughtful post. I hope others will find it as useful and uplifting as I did.
Churchill wouldn’t even interview my highly gifted/ADHD son – saying “how many kids with attention issues can we have in one room?” There are so many kids and so few seats, they can hand-pick their students. But isn’t that a bit rude?
How they delivered the message sounds like what bugged you. (Is that right?) On the other hand, be glad your son’s not enrolled in a school where he didn’t really fit.
DOes Churchill also take students that are dyslexic without attention issues?
Deedee,
That’s who they’re geared for. From what I understand however, spaces are pretty limited so applications need to go in early.
hello-does churchill take k students who are speech and language impaired?
Antoinette, I would say that would be based on the nature and severity of the speech and language impairment. Some people with dyslexia have corresponding issues with language processing in general and may also have a diagnosis of a speech and language impairment.
It’s such a broad description that you’d have to ask the school directly and describe the particulars.
Short answer; yes. Longer more thorough reply; who knows; it depends on the details.
Have you asked them directly?
I called the admissions office in October, and I was told they were no longer accepting applications! I was too late. If anyone is interested in this school…call them in September and get your application in by the end of the month. They cut off applications after they receive a target number. This is supposedly the hardest school to get into in Manhattan, but well worth the effort.
I wonder parents if these websites are not really populated with officials from these schools and we should be wary of really relying of the postings here. LD is a big business and these persons are very crafty. How could the same person know so much about every school in this arena? We really should be careful.
Well, I can vouch for the fact that I’m not an official from any school and I own and run this web site. If I find people from schools putting up advertisements I generally take them down.
In some threads its hard to know who’s who (I could dig a bit into IP addresses but I never do, respecting privacy).
Sandy Shapiro is a consultant who used to run a school but he’s independent now. There are a few folks on here who comment who do work in admissions for particular schools but most of them are up front about it and you can read their comments knowing that ahead of time. For the most part I think people are up front about this stuff.
If you ever find a comment that’s passed me by that’s questionable you can bring to my attention and I’ll have a look.
Ale,
“How could the same person know so much about every school in this arena?”
I’m a person who’s written about lots of schools. The way I know about so many schools for kids with learning disabilities is that I’ve visited them. In the last few years I’ve logged over 16,000 air miles and over 8000 driving miles. I’ve seen some great country and lots of schools. Over the past couple years I was funded by a anonymous parent to do just that; so that we could write about and catalogue schools like these. His purpose (and ditto for me and LD Resources) is to benefit parents searching for schools for their kids. He wanted a way that was independent of the schools or consultants and that serves as a resource for parents. Richard and LD Resources has provided a great helpful forum for this type of service/information for a lot of years.
You shouldn’t follow one type of reference, expecially when it comes to kids. I’ll agree with the sentiment that parents should become saavy consumers.
Sanford (Sandy) Shapiro
Hi, I will be going to an open house soon. What should I look for? Any helpful tips to get even consideration?
C.A. Assuming that you’re choosing Churchill because you think it will be the right place for your child, you need to ask questions and poke around to make sure that it really is.
Many times schools paint pictures in their marketing that sound overly optimistic. One can hardly blame them.
Many times parents look to schools to do things that are unrealistic. One can hardly blame them.
Your job is to make sure that what the school offers and what your child needs are in line with one another.
Try to sit in on classes, talk with faculty and students, and get a sense of what it’s like at the school day to day.
Landmark carroll school curtis blake day school all good schools to look in to
As a current parent at the Churchill School (our daughter was admitted in K and is now in the high school). We were told (at the time) that they look at the makeup of the emerging class your child would be entering. It’s all about a good fit. When our daughter entered they were actively trying to recruit more girls, as LD boys were more easily identified. (Her Kindergarten class had 3 girls and 5 boys.) Now in the high school it’s more balanced.
My advice to anyone wanting to apply, recognize early that your child needs help. Don’t take a we’ll wait and see stance. Seats fill up quickly in the early years and students STAY. Although there is some movement (not alot) in those transition years (elementary-middle school and middle to high school).
We offered our daughter the opportunity to leave Churchill to attend a high school with LD support. After looking at, applying to and being accepted she opted to remain at Churchill. I am so happy she did.
Does anyone who why Rush Lymberg is targeting the Churchill school on the radio today? I caught a few brief sentences while I was working. He was mostly discussing how the Churchill school has pupils who’s parents read like a society list, and that celebs kids are attending this school in NY with the TAX payer footing most of the tuition. Can someone shed some light on this?
Georgie: Do you mean Rush Limbaugh? If so, you can get in touch with his media folks and ask about this by scouting around his web site:
rushlimbaugh dot com
I am very interested in the book that Mr. Shapiro mentioned about the LD schools across the country. I’m looking for a school for my dtr. for children with ADHD and lang. disorders.
Ginger,
I don’t know that I mentioned a book in particular. This site itself has info about schools across the country. Is that what you mean?
Sanford
I am interested in if this, or any other school that you know of, is appropriate for my son, who is gifted with Tourette’s. It is a very fine distinctions whether or not he has a some hyperactivity related to ADHD, Tourette’s only or gifted type over excitability. Does churchill accommodte such a student? He needs and wants to be engrossed in content above his age level.
Meg,
Churchill is geared for the dyslexic learner. Is your son dyslexic?
Does the school generally accept students going into high school?
Loretta,
If the fit is right and there’s room, I’m sure they would consider enrollment. You should go to an open house and start the process.
Good luck,
Sanford
My child has been professionally diagnosied:
Specfic Reading Diasability Reading
Disorder of Written Expression
Attention Defict Hyperactivity Disorder-Inattentive Type
Poor Independent task persistence, organization, and planning deficits
and mild inattentioln. My child has no behavior problems.
My child is a high functioning student.
Can my child be a canidate to the churchhill?
Do you have space only for the lower grade students?
Leah: You’ll want to get in touch with Churchill school directly, this is just a listing for them.
As a student who entered Churchill in 3rd grade and is now graduating this year as a senior, I can vouche it does not weed out the emtional challanging students. Children often soley have behavioral and emtional problems that can be mistaken for LD. Though they effect a childs learning, they are not a regonized learning disability. I have seen one kid who were diagnoised incorrectly (as in not actually possessing a learning disability) who had been asked to leave but many of my classmates have ADD, Aspegers, etc. Churchill is not primarily for these issues but if your child really has a learning disability (dyslexia, autory processing, dysgraphia, motor skills and so on) they will absolutely accept them and help them cope with these issues.
btw, have any of you considered, I dont know, checking the website or contacting the school instead of posting important questions on a random site?
reincarnant: Not sure quite what you mean by “random site.” Sometimes discussion on a popular site that’s not run by a school can be useful for parents and students. That’s the kind of environment we’re attempting to maintain here.