The Gateway Difference
Gateway’s program develops a student’s capabilities. This leads to success in mainstream classrooms and in life, thereby transforming the lives of its students and their families.
Students become skilled, strategic learners and confident self-advocates, who are able to produce academic work that is truly reflective of their intellectual potential. Skilled in direct, explicit, multisensory instruction, and attuned to the individual needs of its students, Gateway helps its students grow academically and socially and transition to mainstream settings when they can do so successfully.
Independent, Integrated, Individualized Curriculum
Our independent school curriculum weaves together the skills and strategies necessary for learning academic content that students require to successfully participate in general classrooms, including college preparatory high schools.
The Program
Gateway takes all aspects of a student’s development into consideration, in particular how language affects the student’s learning, thinking, and feeling. Students participate in small classes led by faculty skilled in direct, explicit, and multisensory instruction and able to individualize instruction in response to a student’s needs.
- The Orton-Gillingham-based reading program begins with Preventing Academic Failure (PAF) by Phyllis Bertin and Eileen Perlman and is followed by a structured program for teaching reading comprehension.
- Writing according to the Hochman Method by Judith C. Hochman, Ed.D. is employed in all subjects with students learning to write in a dedicated writing class and reinforced by writing in the subject classes.
- Singapore Math has been adapted for our students and is augmented by math enrichment.
- Classroom Language Dynamics, developed by Lydia H. Soifer, Ph.D., guides our faculty in how to use language to teach students with language impairment and attention deficit.
- A team of therapists provides in-class and small-group instruction in language, occupational therapy, and social development.
- In social development, students learn how to overcome the impact of their difficulties with language and attention by addressing hurdles in their social communications and interactions with peers and adults.
- In the arts program, students participate in visual arts, music, and movement classes.
- An after-school program features athletics and a selection of extracurricular activities.
Gateway at a Glance
Gateway enrolls approximately 160 students. Those ages 5 to 11 are in our ungraded Lower School; those ages 11 to 14 are in grades 6th through 8th in our Middle School.
Students from throughout Greater New York come to Gateway. While the majority of Gateway students live in Manhattan and Brooklyn, many travel to our West 61st Street campus from Northern New Jersey and Westchester.
- 8:00 a.m. - 3:15 p.m. for regular classes
- 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. for after-school activities and athletics (athletics often run later)
In the Lower School, the typical homeroom has 10 to 11 students with two teachers (a head teacher and an assistant teacher). In the Middle School, the average advisory has 8 to 10 students, with two advisors sharing a homeroom.
In both divisions, students regroup into smaller classes ranging in size from 2 to 8 students for instruction in reading, writing, and math. Led by one teacher, a language therapist or learning specialist is often present to support instruction.
Gateway’s placement process finds the right match for every student and supports families throughout the year-long application process for ongoing education. Gateway students are known for their work ethic, skill in self-advocacy, and the very positive contributions they make to the school communities they join.
The Gateway School is accredited by the New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS) Commission on Accreditation, approved by the NYSAIS Board of Trustees. Gateway completed its decennial accreditation in 2022. Discover more about the process in the Gateway Newsletter.
A NYSAIS accreditation represents the culmination of an in-depth self-study that includes an exhaustive internal and external examination of all aspects of the school community including mission and culture, governance, educational program, student and student services, finance and school operations, parents, faculty, and non-teaching personnel, community relations, and communications. The NYSAIS accreditation process also verifies that the school’s educational program complies with all requirements established by the New York State Board of Regents.
Excellence in Teaching
Gateway’s teachers participate in an ongoing professional development program that focuses on the practical application of contemporary research in child development, language, literacy, and learning for the purpose of realizing the potential within each student to navigate school and life successfully.
Most teachers hold a master’s degree in special education and/or an advanced degree in a subject domain. Our Literacy and Learning Specialists, Language Therapists, Psychologists, and Occupational Therapists hold advanced degrees in their respective fields and the required certifications.
Alumni
Alumni are a vital part of Gateway’s community. In a very real sense, their lives are a tribute to Gateway’s program and to their parents. Our oldest graduates were the earliest beneficiaries of what was once a little-known concept: early intervention. Today, Gateway graduates number over 600, are spread across the United States, and are engaged in every aspect of life.
They are doctors, lawyers, health aides, bankers, firemen, dancers, actors, musicians, college and high school students, and much more. Gateway is very proud to have partnered with their parents and—through our program and our reliance on the most effective instructional approaches for teaching bright students who learn differently—empowered these young people to join communities, create their own families, find satisfying work, and lead rich, fulfilling lives.