Pictured Left to Right: Melissa Compson - District 27 Superintendent; Ailsa Stiell - Path Social Worker; Christina Foti - Deputy Chancellor; Kathryn O' Brien - Path Principal; Jennifer Dull - Director of the Path Program/ Intensive Behavior Interventions; Suzanne Sanchez - Chief of Special Education; Nelia Escobar - Path Social Worker
The NYU Path Program, housed at IHDSC, reached another milestone this past September: Leaders of New York City Public Schools (NYCPS), including Deputy Chancellor, Christina Foti, and Chief of Special Education, Suzanne Sanchez, witnessed the Path Program in action at P.S. 105 during an energizing and celebratory visit.
Located in the Far Rockaways, P.S. 105 has been a Path Program site for the past three years. During the visit, educators and staff were able to spotlight the success of 2nd and 3rd grade students who were thriving as learners after being in the program since kindergarten. Chief of Special Education, Suzanne Sanchez, described the visit as “phenomenal,” seeing firsthand the proactive support in place for students at the start of the school year.
This achievement is the most recent in a series of milestones that Path has celebrated, including an earlier, lauded visit from the NYCPS Chancellor in 2024.
Path strives to disrupt the historical segregation of Black and Brown students in restrictive special education settings and promote the inclusion of students with emotional disabilities within community schools. Core elements of the program include a small class size, two full-time classroom teachers, in-class and out-of-class support from a social worker and occupational therapist, and collaborative partnership among families and school staff. Path Program classrooms are grounded in principles of culturally responsive and strengths-based education and evidence-informed practices including positive behavior and self-regulation support, social-emotional learning, and trauma-informed care.
To learn more about the Path team’s offerings and achievements, visit the Path Program - Powered by Trauma Informed Schools Institute (TISI) at NYU.
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