Reply to Talk to me about Katherine Thomas School

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Longtime Diener parent here. The truth is that the school may not be academically strong but that is really a function of the children it serves and not the program. Many kids have to supplement. That would be true for them no matter where they went. In fact I know many parents at KTS who still supplement.

The idea that Diener, KTS and Ivylmount are comparable is difficult to quantify. They’re just different. KTS and ivymount generally serve kids that need somewhat more support than Diener. It’s common for kids ti start at Diener and move to KTS if their needs become more clear, they need more support and structure for high school, etc.

There is no real debate that McLean and Siena are for kids who are far less impacted than these other schools, however. McLean and Siena are very competitive, don’t take kids with “behaviors” and serve respectively special needs “light” and LD without combordibties other than adhd really. Siena is much like Lab but smaller and harder to get into. McLean isn’t sure what it is but is good for kids with mild issues who need some help, but not the type of help needed at KTS or Diener. 
Comparing the academic programs at these schools is really oranges to apples. The kids at Diener could not all handle the curriculm at McLean. Some could, but they have other issues.

Bottom line, when your kid is as impacted as the kids served by the specialty schools, the academic programs are somewhat bespoke. They have to account for many things. We’ve found diener workable but my child needs a very basic academic program and so do most of his fellow students, even if their parents are convinced they could be doing much more. They have other limitations. So we supplement. [/quote]

Thank you for this info. I really do not know much about Diener, but was looking at it as a possible option for my daughter. We will likely apply to Diener, Lan, Siena and McLean, but don't know if she will get into any of these schools or which one really is the best fit for her. [/quote]

I am one of the prior posters whose child had a negative experience at Diener.  I generally agree with this post from a parent of a child for whom Diener worked.

I would add to what this poster says about Diener’s academics.  The poster is correct that you likely have to supplement if your child has a learning disability and that the academic level tracks a lot of the student’s profile.

I think it is helpful to be aware of Diener’s academic deficiencies for a higher iq student who also has learning disabilities that need to be addressed.  A student with such a profile needs academic rigor (for example for a dylslexic student, evidence based phonics provided with fidelity) at a level Diener does not provide.  You could arrange for outside tutoring to provide that instruction but that is lot of additional cost in money and time (ie if you live far from Diener, it is hard to do 2-3 hours of phonics tutoring on top of getting your child to and from school).  I think it is helpful to go into such a decision with open eyes.
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