Hawthorne Foundation

Mission Statement

At HCDS we believe that education works best for students and families when valid research findings from the fields of education and psychology, behavior analysis in particular, are constantly applied in the classroom. Teaching practices at the school are derived primarily from applied behavior analysis (ABA): Positive reinforcement, continuous measurement of learning, and strategic/tactical data analysis based on graphic displays are cornerstones of the program. Verbal behavior, academic literacy, reading, social skills, self-management and problem-solving skills are all systematically taught via well researched, commercially available scripted curricula, as well as curricula developed in-house by our teachers and behavior analysts. Teachers are expected to engage in professional development continuously via our Personalized System of Instruction (PSI). Teacher remuneration is linked directly to their professional growth, which in turn is positively correlated with student learning.