NSU University School Viewpoint Fall/Winter 2017

6 n NSU UNIVERSITY SCHOOL LOWER SCHOOL NSU University School’s associate head of academic affairs, Elizabeth Brennan, Ed.D., previously held the title of Lower School director for 19 years. During that time, she didn’t want to turn away students who needed special resources in order to be successful. “We admitted children who had the learning profiles of average, above average, and gifted,” Brennan recalled, “so when a family would have two children, for example, and one child needed specialized instruction in reading or math, I had to turn that child away.” But, with an uncanny ability to invent new programs when there is a need or desire, Brennan developed a prospectus for an intervention program that provided unique academic services. “The purpose and intent of the program was to eventually enable students to work independently in the mainstream or with minimal support,” Brennan said. “Taking the program from concept to imple- mentation would be a challenge, but I knew we could be successful. We had the best resources, faculty, and administrators.” And she was right. Word got out in the community that USchool was piloting this program, and enrollment was full before the planned advertising postcards arrived from the printer. Initially, the program served students in kindergarten through third grade. Students would spend up to half of their school day in a special- ized learning environment. Once they mastered the necessary con- cepts within the curriculum, the students would be mainstreamed, or mainstreamed with resource, into the Lower School. After fifth grade, students would advance to the Middle School, where extra support would be available to them for one period a day. BRIDGES, TLC Programs Promote Students’ Success “Teaching and learning are my passion.” —Elizabeth Brennan ELIZABETH BRENNAN LEAVING A LEGACY THROUGH THE GIFT OF EDUCATION continued on page 8