The Windward School Set to Honor Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Jeff Blau at April 5 Benefit in New York City

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., April 1, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A few weeks ago, a steady stream of current students and alumni – all of whom have language-based learning disabilities – came to The Windward School in White Plains, N.Y., to speak about how the school had profoundly changed their lives.

The student testimonials, as well as joyful endorsements from a number of parents, were captured for a new film focused on the research-based approach of The Windward School, which has gained national and global recognition for its teaching of children with language-based learning disabilities, including dyslexia.
 
The students and parents spoke of the extreme challenges and disappointments they had experienced in public schools and other independent schools before being "saved" at The Windward School. The prior schools were all ill prepared to understand and unequipped to implement the successful approach to teaching children with disabilities.
 
The new film will be premiered at The Windward School Benefit at 6:30 p.m. April 5 at Cipriani, 110 East 42^nd St., in New York.
 
The benefit will honor three of the school's most ardent supporters: Jeff Blau, chief executive officer of The Related Companies, the most prominent privately-owned real estate firm in the United States; Michael Douglas, Academy Award and Emmy Award winning actor and producer; and Catherine Zeta- Jones, Academy Award and Tony Award winning actress.
 
All of the honorees have a special connection to The Windward School and have been inspirational leaders for the school's mission. The event chairs are Katie Jacobs Robinson and Michelle Coleman, current parents.
 
As the students, alumni, parents and grandparents told the stories of their journeys to Windward, the tears often flowed. Most telling were the heartfelt stories from parents who were so relieved to find that Windward could, in fact, help their child, only to learn that there might not be a space available to them.
 
That fear is about to change to optimism as a new campus is under construction on East 93^rd Street between Second and Third avenues. The new school will add as many as 350 spaces for students who will get the full benefit of The Windward School's scientific and research-based approach to teaching children with learning based difficulties.
 
The current school, located in White Plains, New York, has two campuses: a Lower School campus for grades 1-4 and a Middle School campus serving grades 5-9. The school has 563 students and three times the eligible applicants than it can accommodate.
 
Windward is nationally recognized for developing instructional programs designed specifically to help children achieve language proficiency and is fully accredited by both the State of New York Education Department and the New York State Association of Independent Schools.
 
Its methods are all research-based, and the school is deeply committed to disseminating its teaching methods to mainstream education. Many teachers from other schools attend classes at Windward's Teacher Training Institute to learn how to implement the techniques.