I am so grateful for the Philanthropic Investment in Arkansas Kids (PIAK) scholarship, which two of my children, both with disabilities, currently receive to attend Compass Academy. I have other children with different needs in different schools, including public school.
I discovered the PIAK as my son Shawn began ninth grade. Not every child learns the same way, and this is especially true for children with disabilities. Finding out how a child learns is the most important thing. It takes time and patience to understand every child, but when you group all children in the same boat, you set them up for failure.
That is what was happening with Shawn as he moved from middle school to junior high in public school. In an IEP meeting, the school said they did not think he qualified for the smaller, self-contained classes because they use those specifically for “behaviors” and not for academic purposes. Despite struggling in almost every subject, they planned on keeping him in regular classes with no supports in place.
I did not want him to move to this bigger school, get lost in the shuffle and keep failing all of his classes. Shawn has struggled with academics, but once enrolled at Compass, we found out how far behind he actually was. He was barely performing on a first-grade level in all subjects
Now Shawn gets more one-on-one attention. His IEP was adjusted to his needs. He has also improved his grades from failing to A’s and Bs! He has adjusted well socially, making friends and forming a bond with his teachers.
This is the result of having the PIAK scholarship and access to different environments through school choice. We are a large, low-income family. We’ve had to make a lot of adjustments for tuition. The scholarship helps tremendously!
As a parent, you spend a lot of time advocating for your kids. When you find what works for them as far as education goes, you pivot to forming relationships versus fighting and arguing. Individualizing education caters to each child’s specific needs and gives them the freedom to love learning and not simply tolerate it or hate school.
Erica Boucher
Conway
