November 2005

I have been so appreciative of how our district has been able to benefit from the training opportunities provided in Huron and in Minneapolis these past few years.   The on site consultation/coaching that A Chance To Grow/New Visions School has been such a strong model for introducing our people and supporting them in the implementation (as well as maintaining) the strategies we have gained from everyone at A Chance To Grow.   It has been such a positive experience for our staff to read in a Newsweek magazine, an educational publication (e.g., "Education Week"), or to flip to a television documentary (e.g., local news editorial, 60 Minutes) about the very things we have heard about "ahead of time" from your people.

Learning about how we could help students to be better prepared to learn through more stimulation of the neurological system by using Boost-Up/SMART activities was our first big step, but the addition of the HSAS (Hemisphere Specific Auditory Stimulation) and AVE (Audio-Visual Entrainment) pieces have put our students (that have struggled in the past) to a level of success they may have never realized without your help.   Our people that have been trained and have received the support from the onsite consultations have become real believers in what this can and does do for students in their classrooms.   The additional pieces we are continuing to pursue [e.g., importance of nutrition in preparing better learners, Athena Oden's READY BODIES/READY MINDS (how reflex integration improves student behaviors/learning), the pieces from Garth Christiansen's visual training techniques], thanks to your support, are being researched by our people and integrated into our school district as we move forward.

You have made us believers in realizing we can do things differently and take risks in helping our students... you truly have helped us be on the cutting edge of what can be done to help students individually and as whole classes to improve the learning potential.     The most recent Stanford Achievement Test results substantiate what many of us were hoping we would start to see from "the data" this year...for the first time our third graders in our Title I schools are now achieving at similar levels to our non-Title schools in all areas of curriculum assessed.   What's important to realize is that this is the first group of students to reach third grade that had participated in Boost-Up.   The AVE and HSAS data is more specific in that it is related to individual student growth and was comparing the growth of their peers as a group...but that data is just as revealing in terms of what's happening for the students of our district.   Thanks to everyone at A Chance To Grow.

            Bruce Willer, Director of Special Education, Huron Public Schools, Huron, SD

July 2004

The 2003-2004 school year brought seven students qualifying for Title 1 services to my third grade classroom. We implemented the S.M.A.R.T. program at that time also. I was concerned as I assessed their skills and deficits. Reading levels were .1-1.9. Comprehension was poor. Decoding meant guessing. Reading was hard work to be avoided at all cost. My appetite for brain research and learning had been aroused through my Master's Degree program. As I attended the S.M.A.R.T. training I felt reconnected to basic beliefs about how I need to teach. So-o-o-o, I confidently worked toward the 80 hours goal. Month-by-month I saw barriers breaking down and slowly emerging self-confidence sprouting. By March and April five of the seven students were enjoying third and fourth grade literature and comprehending at an 85% or better rate. The other two students enjoyed a 1-1.5 gain. To be privileged to help the reading windows open for these children was a wonder to behold. All shared the energy, the excitement and self-satisfaction. I attribute S.M.A.R.T. training to be an integral part of their success. Thank you for sharing these insights.

Lexi Cunings, Teacher
South Elementary School
Atwater, Cosmos, Grove City District ( Minnesota )

February 2002

Dear Bob,
Thanks again!! We brought back another group of people to Huron that realized- "This CAN HAPPEN in our schools!" This was our second wave of people and I truly believe that there was just as much positiveness returning to Huron as we did last year. The effort that you, Nancy, and Michael put forth to make our visit so worthwhile was much appreciated. I, personally, appreciated how you were able to reach out to the questions we sent ahead of the visit as well as the spot questions. Visiting your site first has been an excellent process for us to follow-- understanding the basics related to theory/philosophy into practice and then seeing it again the next day in the public school setting. I wish, as Jerry said on Friday, it's so nice to have your expertise so near-- thanks to reaching out to all of us -- we're going to make a difference for all of these students. Please express our appreciation to Nancy, Michael, and the rest of your personnel -- enthusiasm, creativeness, and hard facts are the words that best describe what we have gained from your efforts. You are truly creating exemplary centers for teaching and learning. Thanks again for sharing and please know how much we appreciate working with you and your people.

Sincerely,
Bruce & all