anyone know info on the vincent smith school in port washington NY?

Students who attend a small private school versus a large public school aren't any more isolated than a family who attends a small church as opposed to a mega church you see on television. You go with what works best for your family. Vincent Smith School works best for my child and my family. Apparently it works better for many families than public school settings. I would be interested to know if the Long Island average for special education graduates in public schools comes anywhere close to Vincent Smith School's 85% going on to college. It's okay to learn differently, especially when the positive results can be quantified, as they can be for Vincent Smith School students and graduates. These kids aren't isolated, they have partnerships with local schools and community organizations. They also serve as ambassadors for the school in their local communities.

Our society spends too much money on special needs schools rather than teaching people to learn to live together. Special needs schools seriously need to go. The children at Vincent Smith School aren't SEVERELY disabled so why should these kids be isolated? The only kids that should be isolated are severely disabled kids.

I know plenty about the Vincent Smith School in Port Washington and I can’t say enough about the wonderful job the school is doing. The school’s track record speaks for itself: its kids are happy, they are learning, well-adjusted and a huge majority of them go off to college (many on scholarship). Unlike a public school, a private school doesn’t enjoy 85 years of existence if it isn’t doing a great job. There is a much higher level of accountability. The school is accredited by the New York State Association for Independent Schools and its teachers are NYS certified.
My son has attended Vincent Smith School for four years now and I can’t tell you what a difference it has made in the lives of our entire family. Before attending VSS, my son hated going to school, he wasn’t focused in class, other students didn’t get along with him and academically he had hit a roadblock. Initially when our school district placed him in an inclusion class we thought it would be the best thing for him. After all, inclusion was supposed to mean mainstreaming him and giving him the same type of environment as all the other students. It sounded nice in principle, but inclusion doesn’t mean that a student is going to learn any better; it doesn’t mean that child and his special needs will be accepted any better; it doesn’t mean that child will be prepared for college; and it certainly doesn’t mean that child’s needs are being met. My child is living proof. Once he began classes at Vincent Smith School, he became a different person and the changes were phenomenal. He is currently a high school honor roll student at VSS, who has plenty of friends. Four years ago, the thought of college never even entered our minds. We would have been happy with a high school diploma and a low-paying job prospect. Over the summer, we are going to begin our college tour, because thanks to Vincent Smith School and the dedication of its staff, our son’s future is bright and he is looking forward to life on a college campus as a freshman in September 2010.

I personally wouldn't send any kid to this school as I am not a fan of small schools. I think large schools are better. They send the message to kids about cooperation among people who are different. Small schools don't teach that important lesson. All they do is isolate people in a tiny school and expect them to cooperate. Minors need to see the whole picture of everyone learning to live together. In our society do we isolate people? No, we think of them as a member of the world. Of course if they behaved inappropriately they should be isolated in prisons. The point is we never isolate them first without a good reason. Parents are isolating their special needs children first at the Vincent Smith School. They don't allow these children to interact with mainstream people in the regular school. Honestly, I feel that this school needs to go. It's a horrible school that spends money for useless services that doesn't allow "our children" to learn to live together. They think isolating special needs children is good when it has been proven not. Special needs children need to interact with typically developing peers as part of their development. I would never support a school like this one that encourages separating "our children".