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Barbara and Ed Wilson, co-founders, and Trainer Jeanne Fitzgerald celebrate Marla Kleinman’s scholarship award. (l-r) Ed Wilson, Jeanne Fitzgerald, Marla Kleinman and Barbara Wilson

Rochester, NY -  Marla Kleinman, an Educational Consultant with LDA Life and Learning Services, is the recipient of the 2009 Sharon Parks Memorial Scholarship presented by the developer and publisher of the Wilson Reading System®.  Teachers from all over the United States and Canada have been nominated for this award.  Kleinman was nominated for her experience, passion for education and commitment to helping students succeed with reading.  Kleinman traveled to the Wilson Language Training Center in Oxford, Massachusetts where she was presented the national award at their annual conference.

Kleinman works with families who have a child with a disability at LDA Life and Learning Services.  “The education laws governing special education are very complicated and lengthy.  Once you get to know them, they change, so it is very important for LDA to have knowledgeable, professional educational consultants, like Marla, who follow changes in the law.  Their expertise in education law helps them to educate parents on how to successfully advocate for appropriate education services for their children,” stated Lisa Bayer, Director of Education Services.

After meeting with the family to complete an assessment of the child’s strengths and needs, Kleinman works with the parents to prepare them for their meeting with the Committee on Special Education (CSE) at their school district.  “Parents who go into these meetings alone are very intimidated.  My support helps them through that process and cutting through the jargon at the meetings.  I ask the right questions, so that the parents get the right answers,” added Kleinman.

Parent Jackie Schrantz turned to LDA Life and Learning Services to help her son, Jordan, who has a learning disability.  “I don’t know what we would have done without LDA and without Marla.  I do know for certain that we would not have been able to get the services our son Jordan needed to succeed in school.  Jordan struggled in school and we struggled every night with homework only for Jordan to bring home low grades.”

Kleinman states, ‘By getting the right services through the school district, you can take a child who is falling apart, very sad and getting stomach aches just thinking about going to school, and you can actually, in a short time, see a smile on their face.”

Schrantz reports that, “shortly after Jordan’s placement in an appropriate school setting, his grades doubled. He brought home his first 100% grade which brought tears to my eyes.  Jordan asked, ‘why are you crying Mommy, isn’t this good?’  My tears of frustration are now tears of joy.”

Education Services provided by LDA include educational consulting for school-age children and college consulting for college students and their families.  Tutoring services offer homework help and one-on-one instruction to develop skills in reading, math, writing, studying and organization.  As children transition into the adult world, LDA’s Individualized Transition Planning and Services work with families and school districts to create individualized plans to meet the child’s needs.

“What distinguishes LDA’s educational consulting services from other services in the area is the education and experience of our consultants,” added Bayer.   Kleinman is a Special Education Coordinator at Genesee Community Charter School where she teaches the Wilson Reading System.  She has also worked as a Resource Room Teacher and Special Education Coordinator where she eventually helped create its special education program.  Kleinman received her Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Psychology at the University of Buffalo.  She earned her Master of Arts and teacher certification in Special Education at the University or Rochester.
Kleinman, a Wilson Reading Teacher since June of 2005, is a certified Level I teacher.  She is currently pursuing her Level II certification and this scholarship will enable her to complete her training.

About LDA Life and Learning Services:

LDA Life and Learning Services is a not-for-profit agency helping individuals with learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder, and other developmental disabilities, seek personal success in school, work, relationships, and independent living. The agency has been in operation since 1963.

LDA’s services, which address needs of both children and adults, include education services, residential services, employment services, day services, service coordination and information and referral. For more information, please contact LDA at (585) 263-3323 or visit http://www.ldarochester.org/.