In recognition of the millions of American schoolchildren and their families that struggle with learning disabilities (LD), the Tremaine Foundation has continued to play a leading grantmaking role in this area. A look at the past two years provides a glimpse of some recent accomplishments, but also provides a bookend for over a decade of grantmaking to promote public awareness. As we move toward a different focus, one that looks at what our classrooms must do to meet the needs of those with LD, one thing remains unchanged. We will continue to be a positive force for change, and for improving the education system in a way that helps all students, particularly those with LD.
Raising Public Awareness
The most important element of the foundation’s recent public awareness campaign was a long-standing partnership between the Tremaine Foundation, the Ad Council, and the Coordinated Campaign for Learning Disabilities (CCLD), a consortium that consists of the major LD organizations in the United States. The public service advertisements (PSAs) produced through this partnership generated over $250 million of free media placements over the past 10 years through print, radio and television ads. All of these ads encouraged parents and the general public to understand that there should not be a stigma associated with learning disabilities. The ads also underscored the importance of early intervention.
By early 2003, a sixth version of the ads had been generated and a new round of distribution began. The New York Times selected the issue of learning differences as a part of their social issue campaign and ran one page ads that reached millions of readers and represented $700,000 worth of free media.
In addition to developing and placing the PSAs, the CCLD partners and the Communications Consortium Media Center (CCMC) have made many other contributions to public awareness efforts over the life of this campaign. These efforts include direct media placements, media “tours” and timely responses to media inquiries on LD issues. The Foundation is grateful that we were able to partner with these organizations to affect change in this area. We recognize that without their excellent participation and dedication, the campaign would not have been successful.
Promising Approaches to Teaching and Technology
While most of the LD funding has been focused on the public awareness campaign, the Foundation has also provided grants to support new ways of teaching which will help educate children with a diversity of learning styles.
One of the pioneering efforts in this regard is the work of Dr. Mel Levine and the organization he founded, All Kinds of Minds (AKOM), a long-standing grantee of the Tremaine Foundation. Over the past two years, Dr. Levine and AKOM’s chief executive, Mark Grayson, have made a tremendous leap forward in the scope and financial viability of the AKOM model. This is evidenced in their recently signed contract to train New York City’s teachers, and their public awareness achievements including the WGBH documentary, “Misunderstood Minds”, that aired in 2002.
In addition to focusing on teaching methods, the Foundation also chose to focus on teaching tools. Through the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST), the Foundation examined the potential role of assistive technology in the classroom. CAST reached several milestones over the course of our multi-year partnership particularly with regard to the development and initial marketing of the Universal Learning Center (ULC). The ULC is one of the premier Internet based enterprises designed to provide access to digital curriculum materials. Through our grantmaking, CAST undertook a major marketing effort on behalf of this important program that now makes them well poised to take this, and other promising technologies to key states and school districts across the U.S.
Policy and Assessment
Aware of the importance of national policy and assessment tools to the learning disabilities field, the Foundation provided two sources of grant support to the National Center for Learning Disabilities over the past two years. The first was a grant to complete Phase II of the Get Ready to Read program, an early childhood initiative that allows for assessing children who may be at risk for having learning disabilities. The second grant allowed NCLD to convene a policy roundtable, which involved the nation’s leading LD organizations. The result was a much more cohesive community response to LD issues considered as part of the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
Looking Ahead
As successful as the public awareness campaign has been, the Tremaine Foundation knows that other leaders have emerged that are now engaged in efforts to educate the American public about learning disabilities and the need for early intervention. Using results from a Tremaine funded study conducted in 2003 by the Harvard Family Research Project and consulting advice from the TCC group, we have begun to identify some emerging priorities that will help guide our future grantmaking. No doubt we will learn a great deal as we move forward, and we continue to marvel at the individuals and organizations that serve as leaders in the LD community. We are honored to have our previous work recognized through awards provided to the Tremaine Foundation by groups such as CAST, and the Distinguished Leadership in Philanthropy Award presented to us by the National Center for Learning Disabilities. Finally, we appreciate the efforts that our grantees and others have made to serve children with LD and their families, and we are excited about developing partnerships with an equally talented array of leaders in the future.
For a listing of the grants in 2002-2003, please click here.
Return to the 2002-2003 Biennial Report Table of Contents.
