John Dewey Academy
Encyclopedia
The John Dewey Academy is a therapeutic
college preparatory boarding school
in Great Barrington
, Massachusetts
, housed in Searles Castle
.
It is coeducational and enrolls about 25 high school
students, ages 15 to 21, typically in grades 10 to postgraduate. The student body is largely made up of self-destructive adolescents who have not responded well to traditional educational and behavioral treatment. Psychiatric drugs and diagnoses
are avoided; instead the school provides a structured environment and encourages positive peer pressure to help students gain control of their lives. Program duration is 18 months or longer.
According to the school, the student-teacher ratio is 3-1 and classes typically average about six students. All graduates attend college.
The school was founded by Dr. Thomas E. Bratter in 1985. It is currently attempting to transition to non-profit operation as the John Dewey Academy, Inc. The school is fully accredited
by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges
and is a member of the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs
.
Therapeutic boarding school
A therapeutic boarding school , alternatively known as an emotional growth boarding school, is a boarding school based on the therapeutic community model that offers an educational program together with specialized structure and supervision for students with emotional and behavioral problems,...
college preparatory boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
in Great Barrington
Great Barrington, Massachusetts
Great Barrington is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,104 at the 2010 census. Both a summer resort and home to Ski Butternut, Great Barrington includes the villages of Van...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, housed in Searles Castle
Searles Castle (Massachusetts)
The Searles Castle is a romantically imagined castle-style house in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Built in the 1880s, and in the French chateau-style, it has seven stories and includes a "dungeon" basement. There are 40 rooms containing over of floor space, as well as 36 fireplaces.It was...
.
It is coeducational and enrolls about 25 high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
students, ages 15 to 21, typically in grades 10 to postgraduate. The student body is largely made up of self-destructive adolescents who have not responded well to traditional educational and behavioral treatment. Psychiatric drugs and diagnoses
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is published by the American Psychiatric Association and provides a common language and standard criteria for the classification of mental disorders...
are avoided; instead the school provides a structured environment and encourages positive peer pressure to help students gain control of their lives. Program duration is 18 months or longer.
According to the school, the student-teacher ratio is 3-1 and classes typically average about six students. All graduates attend college.
The school was founded by Dr. Thomas E. Bratter in 1985. It is currently attempting to transition to non-profit operation as the John Dewey Academy, Inc. The school is fully accredited
Educational accreditation
Educational accreditation is a type of quality assurance process under which services and operations of educational institutions or programs are evaluated by an external body to determine if applicable standards are met...
by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges
New England Association of Schools and Colleges
The New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. is the U.S. regional accreditation association providing educational accreditation for all levels of education, from pre-kindergarten to the doctoral level, in the six-state New England region. It also provides accreditation for some...
and is a member of the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs
National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs
The National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs is a United States organization of therapeutic schools, residential treatment programs, wilderness programs, outdoor therapeutic programs, young adult programs and home-based residential programs for adolescents and young adults with...
.