S R , GA h S d 2020 - Carney Sandoe & AssociatesSwift’S five-Point PRomiSe 1. Students are...

Swift School

RoSwell, GAheAd of School

StARt dAte: July 2020www.theSwiftSchool.oRG

oveRview

Swift School is a unique school that has had a transformational impact on the lives of thousands of students with dyslexia in the Metro-Atlanta region. Students with dyslexia and other language-based learning differences come to Swift because of its immersive, intensive, and nurturing academic program. Specialized instruction effectively and efficiently builds language skills while also helping students restore confidence, develop self-advocacy, discover strengths, and gain the tools necessary for success in their next educational placement.

Swift currently serves approximately 200 students in first through eighth grade. For many, Swift is not a destination school, but is a major stepping-stone for success with dyslexia. The impact Swift has on the lives of students and families is enormous and long-lasting. Swift is the pivot point that turns academic struggles into success stories.

Swift utilizes proven instructional methods such as the Orton-Gillingham approach as well as innovative programming emerging from new scientific research. The caliber of the Swift faculty sets it apart. In the 2019-2020 school year, Swift School anticipates that its Orton-Gillingham training program will receive accreditation from the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practioners and Educators, making it one of only 17 schools in the country with such a distinction.

Swift School is seeking a new head of school to build on its core strengths and deepen its commitment to ensuring success for dyslexic students. Strong candidates should possess excellent leadership and communication skills and value professional development, community outreach, and the role technology can play in an academic curriculum.

2The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates [email protected] | www.carneysandoe.com

MissionSwift School prepares students with dyslexia and related language-based learning differences to be successful in school andin life.

Fast FactsSchool type: grades 1-8, for students with dyslexia and language-based learning differencesTotal student enrollment: 185Total number of faculty members: 63Percent of faculty who hold an advanced degree: 27%Average teacher to student ratio: 1:4Total acres of campus: 5Annual operating budget: $6MYear founded: 1998

Swift’S five-Point PRomiSe

1. Students are embraced for who they are and the potential they possess.2. Dyslexia is viewed through the lens of leading-edge brain-science and seen as a brain-type with

great advantages.3. Teachers use multi-sensory methods, customized to each student’s learning style and proven to

achieve success with dyslexia.4. Swift is a collaborative community of nurturing teachers, therapists and families working together

to guide each student’s journey.5. Students emerge as academically prepared and confident individuals, enthusiastic about learning

and skilled in self-advocacy.

the Swift effect

Swift is a unique school that was designed to teach dyslexic students the way they learn. At Swift, students learn effectively and efficiently because the program uses techniques and tools intuitive to the students’ innate learning style. Dyslexic students are bright, creative, and possess immense potential. Because many students’ potential is unrealized elsewhere, they often arrive at Swift as frustrated learners with low-self-esteem.

Within a short time at Swift, students and families will see an amazing transformation, which the school calls the Swift Effect. Students enjoy coming to school because they are understood and appreciated for who they are, how they learn, and for their rich, untapped talents. Students become confident learners and this positive energy is palpable.



School hiStoRy

Gail Swift, a talented, passionate educator of dyslexic students, founded Swift School in 1998. She was encouraged to start the school by Josie Redwine, an adoption lawyer and mother of a dyslexic daughter, who became Gail’s partner in the enterprise.

Swift School opened with Gail teaching five students in a rented basement room in a church in Marietta, GA. While Gail taught, Josie worked to expand enrollment and formed the corporate structure that Swift operates by today.

Word spread quickly about what this extraordinary school was doing, and other teachers and students came to join Gail. The school grew quickly—from five students in 1998-99 to 20 students in 2001-2002. In 2006, Swift School relocated to its current location in Roswell, GA in order to keep pace with the growing numbers of students Swift School was serving.

In 2011, under the leadership of current Head of School Rich Wendlek, Swift School was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS); in the same year, it gained membership in the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS).


the School

From its founding, Swift School has been dedicated to the mission of teaching students with dyslexia and language-based learning differences. Swift’s educational philosophies are rooted in the Orton-Gillingham approach, an instruction that involves a multi-sensory framework. All of Swift’s programming encourages the development of the whole child—academically, socially, emotionally, and physically. This holistic approach includes a comprehensive learning environment that systematically addresses each student’s individual language needs within a stimulating academic program that identifies and develops strengths.

Swift School’s tremendous growth over the past two decades stems from both an increased awareness of dyslexia, which affects up to 20% of students and is the most common language-related learning difference, as well as an increased awareness of how a school solely dedicated to teaching students with this difference can improve academic outcomes. Swift educators understand and appreciate the struggles and challenges of dyslexia. They are trained to unlock the mysteries of language while also recognizing the unique strengths of the dyslexic mind.

In 2018, the Board of Trustees of Swift School approved a $2 million campaign for the continued growth and development of the institution. The Paving the Path campaign will enable Swift to improve educational opportunities, logistics, and facilities for current and future generations of students.

Providing community outreach programs that help parents gain a deeper understanding of dyslexia is also an essential component of Swift School’s growth as a leader in dyslexic education. The North Star Plan describes how Swift will collaborate locally and nationally with other schools like Swift on thought leadership and best practices. In addition, Swift strives to partner with local universities and


colleges to improve teacher preparation programs at the graduate and undergraduate levels.

Notably, Swift School has trained at least one hundred public and private school elementary teachers around Atlanta in the Orton-Gillingham approach. To facilitate Swift’s growing outreach into the community, the school has created the Swift Institute for Learning that provides education and training about dyslexia, social-emotional learning, executive function, mathematics, and language differences for teachers, specialists, professionals, and the general public.

AcAdemicS

Swift offers a dynamic, holistic academic program that addresses the needs of the whole child. Swift’s highly trained staff members promote inquiry-based learning to allow students to immerse themselves in their academic studies. In addition to the two-week Orton-Gillingham Course that is required of all teachers at Swift, 52% of teachers are accepted members of the Orton-Gillingham Academy of Practitioners and Educators. While each classroom is unique, all teachers commit to foster student-centered learning in a safe, challenging setting.

Lower Division (Grades 1-5)Lower Division instructional programming is built on the Orton-Gillingham approach, which is language-based and success-oriented; it is infused into every subject area and incorporates multi-sensory strategies with immediate feedback. Each class benefits from two highly-qualified teachers who utilize a data-driven model to instruct students in both small and large groups in all subject areas. In addition to traditional content areas, academic programming is enriched by direct teaching of executive function skills as well as by physical education, art, and music.


Lower Division teachers utilize technology throughout their day with the use of iPads, Chromebooks, laptops, and Smartboards. The overarching goal of technology use in the Lower Division is to help students cultivate and expand their knowledge, while learning 21st-century skills. Swift’s Lower Division offers social-emotional instruction, which reinforces the bridge between academic success and social development.

Middle Division (Grades 6-8)When students reach the Middle Division, Swift shifts its emphasis to honing executive function and problem-solving skills. Middle Division teachers, many of whom are Orton-Gillingham trained, seek to prepare students to enter high school with effective, personal strategies to be successful.

Executive function (e.g., study skills, planning, and task strategies) is a fundamental precept of learning at Swift School that is essential for effective and successful scholarship. Specific areas of instruction include note-taking, outlining, test taking techniques and preparation, SSAT preparation, locating information in texts and digitally, stress management, time management, self-expression, self-advocacy, communication and effectively listening, and organization of materials. Additionally, students will learn keyboarding, research techniques, and the use of technological applications for study.

Middle Division students participate in several electives so they are exposed to a diverse, enriched curriculum. Music, visual arts, physical education, broadcast production and other exploratory courses are offered on a cycle to seventh and eighth grade students.

ARtS And AthleticS

Swift School’s Visual Arts Program develops self-confidence, fosters creativity, and promotes higher-level thinking in all students. In the Lower Division, students are exposed to a wide array of studio arts, such as drawing, painting, sculpture, weaving, and printmaking. They learn about various artists and periods of art history, as well as other cultures. Cross-curricular projects are created in each grade to provide a link between the arts and the academic classroom. In Middle Division, students continue to build upon their artistic knowledge of both two-dimensional and three-dimensional art.

Swift students learn music through experiencing it. That is, students learn critical musical concepts while singing, dancing, and playing. Students in chorus perform songs that are drawn from a variety of musical genres so that fluency and proper vocal technique are in constant development. Emphasis is placed on performance skills, concert etiquette, and citizenship.

In the Middle Division, all sixth-grade students participate in the music program. The focus is for students to learn technically challenging pieces and to be expressive musically. Students play pieces with multiple parts, perform using various musical forms, and compose and improvise parts to be played in performances. Students learn rhythm through Orff rhythmic syllable words and pitch/notes through Solfege and Solfa Handsigns.

In athletics, Swift has a no-cut policy, meaning any student who has a desire to play on a team is encouraged to do so and is fully engaged in all team activities. In Sports Club, students in grades four and five apply skills learned in PE to game-like settings, participating in modified team sports including basketball, football, soccer, team handball, hockey, and lacrosse. Middle School team sports include basketball, cross country, track and field, soccer, golf, tennis, and touch football.



Swift School is a founding member of the Atlanta Private Athletic Conference (APAC), as well as a member school for Metro Atlanta Athletic Conference (MAAC).

School life

Thanks to a diverse collection of clubs, service-learning initiatives, and athletic teams, opportunities abound for students to explore and ignite personal passions. Additionally, student leadership experiences exist via Student Council. All of these co-curricular offerings honor Swift’s commitment to whole-child education and nurture students to become confident, successful learners.

The counseling program at Swift is another crucial way in which the school proactively cultivates students’ social and emotional well-being in alignment with the school’s mission. The program, which relies on a school counselor who proactively works with students individually, in classrooms, and in small groups, is comprehensive in scope, preventative in design, and developmental in nature. Character formation is another essential component of the counseling program. In collaboration with teachers, students learn to exhibit important character traits to help them become successful and active members of society.

Technology plays a vital role in all areas of school life; technology improves learning outcomes for Swift students, and a facility with technology prepares Swift students to be fully engaged 21st century citizens. For the younger Swift students, technology access serves to foster oral expression and listening comprehension, shape emerging reading and writing skills, cultivate non-verbal strengths, and facilitate the skills of exploration. As students develop, they expand their technology skills and take increased ownership of their learning. They develop a “digital toolkit” to be utilized in a variety of contexts.


Each academic year opens with a Middle Division Retreat designed to focus on service projects and governance of the school community. Most important, students and faculty initiate bonds with each other to create a more vibrant, cohesive community. Similarly, Swift fifth-grade and Middle Division students participate in extended travel based on the content of science and social studies coursework. Each spring, students depart for two- or three-night trips (accompanied by teachers, of course) to areas such as the Coastal Islands, outdoor adventures, or Washington, D.C. Specific locations are determined at the beginning of each the school year.

RoSwell, GeoRGiA

Roswell is a 42-square-mile bustling suburb, just 20 minutes north of Atlanta with approximately 88,000 residents (as of 2015). Incorporated in 1854, Roswell is located on the northern banks of the Chattahoochee River, in an area the Cherokees once called Enchanted Land. Today, a seven-mile linear park along the Chattahoochee River provides the opportunity to follow one of Georgia’s most unique resources as it winds its way through Roswell.

History, nature, and modern culture combine to create a fully unique city experience. The city has become a true “foodies” destination with historic Canton Street the city’s center for restaurants and outdoor dining and Riverside Park hosting Family Food Truck Fridays. Additionally, Roswell’s 640-acre Historic District is brimming with opportunities that meet a wide range of interests: home tours, ghost walks, festivals, restaurants, theatre, arts, and fantastic shopping. The Chattahoochee River, woodland trails, marsh boardwalks and bicycling paths enhance the appeal of this special place. Roswell is a nationally designated Bicycle Friendly Community.


Atlanta is the capital of the state of Georgia, the political and cultural center for Georgia, and the hub for economic activity for the Southeast region of the United States. The metropolitan region has a population of approximately six million people making it the ninth-largest metropolitan area in the United States. Over the next 20 years, the Atlanta region is forecasted to grow another 2.5 million people making it one of the fastest growing areas in the country.

Atlanta has been called everything from the “capital of the new South” and “the next international city” to “the best place to do business.” Atlanta is home to almost 20 Fortune 500 companies and the U.S. headquarters for many global companies including Delta Airlines, Coca-Cola, UPS, Home Depot, Mercedes-Benz, and Intercontinental Hotel Group. The prestige of hosting the 1996 Summer Olympic Games and the energy of a young upwardly mobile demographic creates a sense that this is an area on the move. From world-class restaurants to a myriad of cultural attractions and sporting events galore, the city is cosmopolitan in every sense of the word. The Martin Luther King Jr. Historical Site, the Center for Civil and Human Rights, the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum, and the Tony Award-winning Alliance Theatre represent just a few of the important cultural and civic institutions in the city. Atlanta features award-winning restaurants and chefs and iconic locales that rival any across the country. A dense tree canopy prompts Atlanta’s reputation as the “city in a forest.” All this in a place where there is a sense of Southern charm that pervades the dynamic metropolis. “I’m not used to people holding the door open for me,” transplants often say.

oPPoRtunitieS And chAllenGeS

Swift’s next Head of School will lead a vibrant community of educators dedicated to working with students with dyslexia and learning disabilites and their families. This leader will have a passion for educating students with dyslexia or other language-based learning diferences while celebrating


those student’s gifts. The Board of Trustees is engaged, supportive, and committed to Swift’s future and partnering with the next Head of School to address the need for:

• A continued focus and interest in marketing and enrollment that recognizes the changing landscape of the Atlanta Metro area schools that address the needs of dyslexic students.

• Marketing and differentiating the unique power of the Swift Effect as more independent schools compete in the marketplace but typically offer less immersive programs for children with language-based learning differences.

• Continuing to enrich teacher training and to offer faculty opportunities for cutting edge professional development.

• Carrying out the Paving the Path Campaign and working with the Board and Development office to strengthen fundraising efforts.

• A leader who can navigate the addition of the Senate Bill 48 being passed in the State of Georgia that will require public schools to identify and support students with dyslexia.

• Engage community members in Swift’s new Strategic Plan.

deSiRed QuAlitieS And QuAlificAtionS

The School seeks a committed and engaged Head of School to lead the school into its third decade. Swift’s next Head of School will be an articulate leader able to define and communicate the school’s mission on every platform, every day in a strong and consistent way, while also being adaptive to the changing educational landscape. Specific qualities and qualifications that we seek include:

• A community and relationship builder who is enthusiastic and motivating.• A dynamic and innovative leader who can grow and expand on the school’s programs.• A leader who understands the competitive independent school environment of Atlanta and who

is forward thinking about marketing, partnerships, and resource development. • A leader who can partner with the Board of Trustees to compellingly articulate the mission and

vision of the school.• An energizing and effective fundraiser who is committed to generating support for Swift’s

ongoing financial needs, accomplishing key strategic priorities such as growing the endowment and attaining success in current and future capital campaigns.

to APPly

Interested and qualified candidates should submit electronically in one email and as separate documents (preferably PDFs) the following materials:

• A cover letter expressing their interest in this particular position;• A current resumé;• A one-page statement of educational philosophy and practice;• A list of five professional references with name, phone number, and email address of each

(references will not be contacted without the candidate’s permission) to:

Beth DietzSenior [email protected]

Bill ChristSenior [email protected]

S R , GA h S d 2020 - Carney Sandoe & AssociatesSwift’S five-Point PRomiSe 1. Students are...

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