From our very beginnings, Kennedy Krieger has pioneered specialized education for children with developmental disabilities and conditions affecting the nervous system.
Today, through our network of five schools, we’ve developed and refined approaches that enable students to reach their potential academically, socially and behaviorally—with the goal of enhancing each child’s learning trajectory and fueling independence.
Bold plans
In our exciting next chapter, we will amplify our impact by creating the Center for Specialized Education Innovation. This center will be the first of its kind in the nation, revolutionizing not only how one in six children is educated, but also advancing precision education practices to benefit all students—every child—while in school and beyond.
This bold initiative will:
- Identify and inform best practices by harnessing the wealth of data we’ve collected from decades of Kennedy Krieger’s special education practice with our complex, diverse student population.
- Launch an education innovation hub that leverages technology, bringing together educators, researchers, therapists, behavioral scientists and technologists.
- Rapidly design, test and refine evidence-based learning strategies from our unique triad position as an education/medical-clinical/research institution.
- Craft replicable pre-K to 21 educational models that are customizable to meet the unique needs of students across a spectrum of abilities and challenges.
- Share these proven approaches with school partners countrywide, setting new standards, scaling excellence in special education and enhancing lifelong outcomes.
The urgency is clear. Despite decades of progress in special education, a critical gap in evidence-based research for children with learning disabilities remains.
With our specialized schools, clinical expertise and research capabilities, no other institution is better positioned to bridge this gap. Our impact could benefit every student nationwide.
Just as precision medicine is revolutionizing healthcare, precision education, with approaches tailored to each student’s unique needs, is the future of transformative learning.
Within five years, we believe this center will:
- Transform educational policy and practice nationwide.
- Influence guidelines across the country, reshape teacher preparation programs, and set new standards for special and general education.
- Most importantly, ensure that time in school delivers the greatest impact on children’s future independence, work and community participation, and quality of life.