TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — A private school specializing in education for students with learning differences has opened a new campus on Tucson's east side, bringing specialized curriculum and individualized support to families seeking alternatives to traditional public education.
Pathways School, which has operated for 13 years in Arizona and about 9 years in Tucson, serves students from kindergarten through 12th grade. They recently expanded with a new location at Pantano and Fifth Street. The new campus will serve students in kindergarten through sixth grades.
The school caters to students with a range of learning differences, from ADHD to autism, offering what the founders say is a unique educational approach focused on individual student needs.
"Pathways creates a really comfortable environment for the children and a comfortable environment they can learn and feel safe," said Kory Gray, whose daughter Greta is a senior at the school.
Greta has speech and hearing impairments, epilepsy, and developmental and intellectual delays. Before Pathways opened in Tucson, Gray and and his partner Lara Scott rented a second home in Chandler so Greta could attend the school's Mesa location.
"Pathways really had the unique approach that would work for her," Scott said.
The family encouraged school founders Debra and Todd Delabio to open the Tucson location.
"The quicker you can provide the intervention, the better the outcomes are," Debra Delabio said.
The Delabios say their education model focuses on individual student needs by teaching social skills led by therapeutic specialists.
"We figure out where the student is and we start there and move forward," Todd Delabio said.
Their curriculum includes small and large groups for core subjects and separate groups that help students with their disabilities. Their teacher to student ratio ratios range from 1:1 to 1:7 depending on the subjects and grades.
Pathways School also partners with the University of Arizona to give older students work experience. The school hopes to expand to include preschool programs in the future.
"We use a lot of specialized curriculum that's research based," Debra Delabio said.
This approach contrasts with local public school districts. The Vail and Catalina Foothills school districts said students with disabilities learn alongside their peers using the same curriculum, with some accommodations. Some Tucson Unified School District students can get assignments and tests modified, while others learn with peers.
For Scott and Gray, watching their daughter's progress has been rewarding.
"We get so much out of watching not just our daughter learn and grow, but seeing the changes in all the other children," Scott said.
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