Flying home from vacationing in Spain, I was sitting in an aisle seat when someone tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Your husband just told me you work for the Pathways Schools and I wanted to tell you what a difference it made in a child's life." After getting over whiplash, I asked who the child was and her experience with our schools. For the next half hour, the folks on the plane had plenty of entertainment because the woman proceeded to tell me about visiting the Pathways Northwood program and how successful the student placed there has now become. She noted how caring and compassionate the Pathways staff were, as an example citing the Thanksgiving luncheon and how proud the students were about how they helped prepare the food. By now, our advocate was standing in the aisle gesturing to other passengers and telling them that all kids can learn and just need the right programs and people to work with them. Soon everyone in that section of the airplane knew about a young man who came to Pathways without social skills and is now a successful electrician, with a home and good friends. She was about to do questions and answers for the other passengers, but I asked if she was interested in the arts and whether she would like to attend our student art show in April. She promised to come, having just given our school an endorsement money can't buy!

We in the Pathways community are convinced every day that our students are thriving because at our school they receive educational programming and therapy tailored to their individual needs. We believe that as a result they are faring far better than they would have otherwise and that we are giving them the best possible chance of success after graduation. Now a study commissioned by the Maryland Association of Nonpublic Special Education Facilities (MANSEF) supports our experience. The study followed students for two years after graduation and found that MANSEF students had higher rates of post-secondary education, employment and independence compared to similar students being served in public schools nationwide. The study was conducted by a professor in the School of Education at Johns Hopkins University using interviewers from the State University of New York's Potsdam Institute of Applied Research, who contacted 210 MANSEF school students, including Pathways, at yearly intervals. The results were compared against published findings of the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2, a national study which followed students who received special education services, including those served within a public school setting. Click here to read more.

Mike Collins (center) and Chris Trumbauer (right) with Pathways-AA students post discussion

This election year, with campaigns and debates so prominent throughout the fall, it seemed a good time for students at Pathways-Anne Arundel to experience first-hand what inspires individuals to enter politics and what keeps them there through the ups and downs of what can be a challenging career. Thanks to Leadership Anne Arundel, Pathways-Anne Arundel was able to host a discussion with two politicians from different political parties who together spoke about their backgrounds and work. The speakers were Anne Arundel County councilman Chris Trumbauer (a Democrat representing District 6) and Mike Collins, a lobbyist and former Republican National Committee press secretary who writes a political column for the Capital Gazette. Both men shared stories of growing up and developing political views that were different from those of their families, yet how each felt compelled to enter politics as a way to broaden dialogue and engage with issues that affected their local communities in concrete ways. Both strongly encouraged the young people to educate themselves on issues they care about and to stay involved in the political process. Anne Arundel students got ready for the discussion by researching basic information about the speakers and preparing questions sparked by what they read.  The speakers answered everything in detail and honestly, inspiring in the students a sense of confidence in their ability to engage in discussion now and to approach politicians in the future. That confidence may be called for when Pathways staff and possibly some students participate in a MANSEF organized lobby day in Annapolis on February 12, 2013.