We assess for and then build skills necessary for academic learning.

We like to refer to these skills as foundation skills because they directly impact learning in school. When students who have weak or missing foundations begin to falter at school, a bevy of professionals step in to  keep that student on schedule.

Consider the following analogy between a struggling student’s  learning career and the building of the Leaning Tower of Pizza.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa

By the 3rd level of the Tower of Pisa’s construction, medieval engineers already knew the tower was leaning.

Over the centuries of time construction was halted and restarted; each time different ideas were used to try to balance the building.

The leaning tower of Pisa is actually curved, higher levels are built increasingly off-center to compensate for the degree of the tilt. Remarkably, the bell-tower survived through the centuries until fears of a collapse closed the tower in the early 1990’s.

Recently the foundation was addressed by leveling the sand under the tower until the tower could safely stand without danger of falling over.

The Tower's History

Just as the bell-tower at Pisa was in danger of collapsing before its foundation was  fixed; students with missing foundational skills will continue to struggle  at school until those foundations are in place.

In both cases, we find effort expended to keep building the structure without time given to strengthen the foundation. Unless the techniques used will increase the surety of the foundation, then the struggle continues. However, when foundation skills are directly strengthened, academic learning can take place successfully.