Valley Entrepreneur Dedicates Scottsdale School to Former Arizona Special Education Advisory Board Chair and Former ASU Dean, Chairman
Dr. Clare B. Jones and Dr. Leonard Gordon Posthumously Shape Special
Education for Valley Students at The Jones-Gordon School
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Herzberg Educational Services, Inc., a rapidly growing Scottsdale
business headed by founder and CEO Dana Stempil Herzberg, M.Ed., today
announces the dedication of its private day school, The Jones-Gordon
School, in honor of Clare B. Jones, Ph.D., former chairperson of the
Arizona Special Education Advisory Board, past president of the Arizona
Council for Exceptional Children and the Arizona School Health
Association, former director of education for the Phoenix Children’s
Hospital, two-term member of the CHADD Professional Advisory Board and
CHADD Hall of Famer; and Leonard Gordon, Ph.D., former Arizona State
University dean, professor, and chairman, and nationally known
sociologist and author.
Throughout twenty years of teaching, tutoring and special education
consulting experience in the Phoenix Metropolitan area, Herzberg was
time and again frustrated by the lack of appropriate educational
opportunities for high-potential students with specific learning
differences (e.g. Dyslexia), developmental learning differences (e.g.
ADHD, Autism), and those who are considered “twice-exceptional”
(intellectually gifted students who also have learning differences). In
2010 she began a private day school in Scottsdale, then called On-Track
Academy, in order to fill the need for an educational environment
dedicated to these diverse learners. This school, now called The
Jones-Gordon School, fosters social, emotional and academic growth and
helps students with learning disabilities in first through 12th grades
shape their strengths, gifts and talents into advantages uniquely suited
for problem solving and critical thinking in the 21st Century.
Diagnosed with learning disabilities in math and reading comprehension
while in the fourth grade, Herzberg knows firsthand the academic, social
and emotional struggles that come with learning differently. “I believe
the kids at our school are heroic; I wanted to recognize my heroes – Dr.
Clare Jones and Dr. Len Gordon – by renaming the school in their honor,”
explains Herzberg, head of school.
“My advisor, mentor and friend, Clare Jones gave me the confidence to be
who I am today and I live my life by her most important principle: make
sure that children know themselves for their strengths and not for their
challenges,” continues Herzberg. “The Jones-Gordon School embodies that
most important aspect of what I learned from Clare—cultivating
strengths!”
“My mother dedicated her entire career to educating, empowering and
advocating for students with learning and attention issues,” says
Lindsay E. Jones, Esq., vice president and chief policy and advocacy
officer for the National Center for Learning Disabilities. “She would be
proud of Dana for the learning environment she has created at The
Jones-Gordon School and thrilled that kids who learn differently have a
school choice in Arizona where they are given the opportunity to learn,
grow and build on their strengths to succeed academically and in life.”
The Jones-Gordon School’s “whole child” approach to education results in
a successful program that provides small class sizes (8 max.) and a 1:3
faculty-to-student ratio; FLEX Hour for acceleration or support;
Strategic Connections executive function programming; STEM, 2e, Field
Studies, and Community Service programs; and daily Mindfulness practice.
Each student’s schedule is customized and therefore uniquely suited to
meet his or her needs and guide them on the path to academic and life
success.
According to Arizona State University President Michael M. Crow, “Having
had the pleasure of knowing and working with Len Gordon, I can’t imagine
a more fitting tribute to Len’s extraordinary legacy as an educator.”
“His work at ASU was dedicated to being a change-agent for education and
for those involved in education. We all admired his innovative style
with respect to tradition and his passion for teaching and writing were
evident in all he did,” continues Crow. “Len was a very special man who
committed more than 45 years to teaching and service and through his
work he touched the lives of so many. It is nice to see his legacy live
on through those he impacted.”
“Beyond his numerous awards and extensive accolades as a professor, dean
and member of the ASU Senate, Len was a phenomenal person. He was
described by everyone who knew him as a ‘beacon of light,’ always seeing
the positive and taking every challenge in stride,” recalls Herzberg.
“He was a lifetime educator, someone I loved and respected immensely,
and a personal hero. Honoring Len was an easy choice,” adds Herzberg.
“He loved life, loved academia, loved students, and loved my
students. Len inspires me to be a better person each and every day.”
For more information on The Jones-Gordon School: http://www.jonesgordon.org
For
more information on On-Track Tutoring: http://www.ottaz.com
About Herzberg Educational Services, Inc.:
Herzberg Educational Services, Inc. (HES) is a rapidly growing
Scottsdale, AZ business that includes On-Track Tutoring and The
Jones-Gordon School. On-Track Tutoring (OTT), established in
1999, provides home- and site-based tutoring and coaching services to
individuals and families. OTT programs are individualized to meet each
client’s needs and empower students to discover their strengths and
achieve results. Founded in 2010, The Jones-Gordon School (then called
On-Track Academy) is a private day school for diverse learners in first
through 12th grades. Both organizations employ Dana Herzberg’s
proprietary programs: Foundations™, a study skills and organization
program that provides students with tools and strategies required
for long-term, independent academic and life success; and Strategic
Connections, a comprehensive executive function skills program.
Contacts
Herzberg Educational Services, Inc.
Mindy Kauppinen, 415-630-0849
Mindy.kauppinen@jonesgordon.org
