The educational program at Lafayette School provides K-12 instruction for students age 6-21. Each student’s course of study matches his or her Individualized Education Plan (IEP) goals, the Virginia Standards of Learning, and the curriculum taught in his or her home school. The teachers are skilled at building therapeutic relationships with their students, and help students develop positive attitudes toward school and learning through repeated academic success.

Teaching Methodology
Once a student is admitted, Lafayette School will provide academic and therapeutic services as defined by the IEP/IIP. Individualized instruction is based on the strengths, needs, and learning styles of each student. Lessons are designed with the following goals in mind:

• Gain the attention of students and motivate them to learn.
• Offer opportunities for success in the classroom in order to build self-confidence.
• Teach new content using a variety of presentation and learning styles.
• Model the skill or concept being taught through varied and specific examples.
• Provide active learning experiences for the students.
• Provide ample opportunities for guided practice and feedback.
• Assess mastery of new material.
• Teach material in context with the end goals of maintenance, generalization, and application of learned material.
• Offer needed accommodations and other support to facilitate achievement in the classroom setting.
• Providing frequent opportunities for success and achievement.

Lafayette School classrooms are multi-age and grade, with students working at varied paces and different instructional levels. As a result, the majority of instruction is conducted individually or in small groups. The student to teacher ratio is 10 to 2 (one teacher and one aide for every ten students). There is an average of five and a half hours of academic instruction in the daily schedule.

The therapy component is designed to improve student functioning in multiple areas, including social, psychological, emotional, behavioral, and family functioning. Students receive daily group therapy and have regular individual and family therapy sessions. Parents attend family meetings to discuss issues at home and in the community. Most families work on ways to make their family closer. Students learn a variety of coping skills that are reinforced throughout the program day. These include anger management, fair fighting, conflict resolution, values clarification, relaxation training, assertive communication, drug and alcohol education, problem solving and decision making, and social skills training. These are taught individually and in focus groups. Students talk about problems routinely during the program day with staff. Verbal processing of problems and events as they occur is a good way to learn. Students receive immediate feedback, support, and praise from staff.   There are many therapeutic activities and opportunities throughout the day that will help students achieve their goals.

The program is highly structured, with a level system consisting of rewards, privileges, and responsibilities. The program has many incentives built in to keep students motivated and to recognize their successes, such as shopping in the school store, student council participation, and field trip participation. Lafayette staff regularly seeks student and parent input on the incentives provided to make them more valuable to the students.

Trusting, therapeutic relationships between students and staff are important. Staff uses frequent praise and positive reinforcement to help build students’ self-esteem, and models problem solving and other interpersonal skills for students. Students are treated with dignity and respect, and are expected to treat others with dignity and respect, as well. Staff encourages students to express their feelings, thoughts and needs. Lafayette School emphasizes a positive peer culture, where students use assertiveness, supportive confrontation, and regular praise with each other to create an atmosphere of acceptance and respect. Community meetings provide students with a voice in policies and procedures of the school. Recreational activities focus on both competitive and cooperative games, emphasize teamwork, and build healthy leisure skills. Recreational, art, and other therapeutic activities provide an outlet for emotional expression and opportunities to excel in areas of interest.