"How we choose to believe and speak and treat others, how we choose a civic role for ourselves, is the deepest purpose of education, and of the art of teaching."
A. Bartlett Giamatti
...
As a psychiatric social worker employed by a state institution in the late 1950's,
Lorraine D. Foster became increasingly frustrated and troubled watching children
suffer the dramatic consequences of what she called "the tragedy that comes with a sense
of failure." She felt strongly about the kind of education these children needed to succeed:
classes of no more than six students; highly creative teachers; and a flexible school program
where each child could progress according to his or her own ability. Unfortunately, schools
like this just did not exist in Connecticut.
Motivated by the strength of purpose that so often accompanies clarity of vision, Ms. Foster
secured both the encouragement and assistance of friends within the Yale and New Haven
psychiatric communities and in 1961 established The Foster School.
Located in the former Foote School building on Saint Ronan Street in New Haven,
the Foster School was dedicated to teaching elementary grade children who had
experienced difficulty learning in the typical school setting, and it quickly became a
prototype of progressive co-educational day schooling for children with special needs.
The school's mission was to rescue emotionally or educationally impaired children from
a self-perpetuating pattern of failure and to prepare them, where possible, for return to
the conventional classroom.
Today, the Foster School
remains true to the original goals of Lorraine D. Foster, and continues to be a pioneer
and leader in programming for special need students.
