The Craig School

The Craig School was established as an independent school in 1980 for children with language-based learning disabilities — the types of learning deficits that cause children to struggle with decoding, reading comprehension and written expression. Yet the majority of the children at Craig have at least average or above average ability and with the proper intervention are capable of meeting or exceeding traditional educational benchmarks. It is for this reason that the textbooks and material covered at different grade levels at Craig are consistent with the New Jersey State Core Curriculum Standards. However, the school's instructional methods extend far beyond the state guidelines. Craig draws upon a wealth of strategies that educators have been developing and refining since Samuel Orton and Anna Gillingham first began collaborating in the 1920s to address the needs of dyslexic children. These two individuals were the first to promote learning as a multisensory experience and to devise teaching methods that engaged all sensory modalities. The following is a description of the many strategies in use at The Craig Lower School beginning with those that are firmly imbedded in the multisensory methods of Samuel Orton and Anna Gillingham.