Raskob Institute and Day School |
Nestled in the serene hills of Holy Names University, Raskob School has quietly ministered to learning-disabled children for more than 50 years, making it the oldest program of its kind in the United States. I met with Executive Director Rachel Wylde to learn why Raskob provides such a unique community resource. |
After working for more than 20 years with severely disabled children who could become aggressive or violent, Wylde became attracted to the idea of working with a different population, children who have average or above-average academic potential but are performing under grade level. Many of Raskob's students have trouble with reading comprehension or math calculations. Or they may have social or behavioral issues secondary to Tourette's or Asperger's Syndrome. As Wylde explains, Raskob takes children who learn differently out of the context of large, chaotic public schools. Raskob serves 100 students, from grades three through nine. Each classroom, staffed by a teacher and an aide, has only ten students. While most of the students come from Oakland and Berkeley, others come from farther away. It's the only school in the East Bay designed especially for learning-disabled kids. Raskob, which until recently didn't have a marketing director, found most of its students by word-of-mouth advertising. Its Web site has been a recent improvement. A lot of psychologists and pediatricians know about Raskob and recommend it to families. It sometimes gets calls from school districts when they are looking for a placement. About ten of Raskob's students are actually paid for by school districts. As Wylde explains, "Raskob is certified by the State Department of Education because we meet certain requirements. We are allowed to have a contract with the public school district if there's no appropriate placement available in the public schools." Recent success stories include a student with dyslexia and ADD. He had begun to feel really different, and his self-esteem had started to suffer. "So he came here, and our goal was to provide him with a smaller setting with less distractions so he could concentrate better in a regular classroom, and just to include the remediation of his reading difficulties in the classroom so that he didn't have to be pulled out," Wylde told us. Another common Raskob student might be a child whose academic problems are minimal but who has a social disorder such as Asperger's Syndrome. In a public school, the child might have a one-to-one aide. The student then feels different and stigmatized; whereas, at a small school like Raskob, the student gets lots of monitoring and supervision. Students are also encouraged to interact socially. "On the playground my staff will encourage kids to get a game going, make sure that someone who feels left out is not rejected during the game." Raskob's instructional techniques distinguish the school from the conventional teaching that many of us grew up with. They are multisensory, while the usual way of teaching is auditory "We try to get the auditory, the visual, and hands-on active learning going all at the same time," Wylde explains. When I observed classes, I witnessed exactly this. In an English class, a teacher engaged in an open discussion with her students. In another class, younger children quietly sat on the floor making collages with myriad items. Ultimately, Raskob's goal is to have students develop into people who think of themselves as learners. Because their approaches have been so successful, parents have been asking Raskob to open a high school, and Holy Names invited Raskob to expand. They began one grade at atime, opening up a ninth grade with 20 students last September. Next year they will open up a tenth grade. But unfortunately, the University will no longer have the resources to provide a facility, so the high school will be discontinued in June 2007. Twenty-five percent of Raskob students receive scholarships, but the school is not able to give all the financial assistance that is needed. "We could certainly use charitable contributions because we really do have a very diverse population, both ethnically and economically." In spite of these financial frustrations, Rachel Wylde loves her job and cheerleads enthusiastically about the school she directs. "Teachers here can really teach. The kids are like sponges. They really want to learn, and the classrooms are very quiet. It's very satisfying to work here." If you'd like to offer a scholarship or learn more about Raskob, call Ms. Wylde at 436-1275, or visit their Web site, www.raskobinstitute.com. |
