Education Plan
John Dewey Institute Partnership
Every Student. Every Ability. A Real High School Diploma.
A Growing and Underserved Population
According to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network (surveillance year 2022, published 2025), approximately 1 in 31 (3.2%) eight-year-old children in the United States has been identified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Prevalence has risen steadily over two decades, and rates vary significantly by community — reaching as high as 1 in 19 in some sites.
Despite this high and growing population, students on the spectrum remain grossly underserved by traditional public-school models that lack the specialized staffing, individualized curriculum, and experiential learning environments these learners need to thrive.
The John Dewey Institute at GCSI
The mission of the John Dewey Institute (JDI) is to create a five-star K–12 school with an innovative STE³M + Business curriculum designed for students on the Autism Spectrum, supported by teachers specially trained in presenting that curriculum — so that all students will graduate with a high school diploma and become self-actualized individuals.
In Year 2 or 3 of operation, GCSI will support the creation of a separate, embedded charter school — the John Dewey Institute — located directly inside the GCSI campus on a dedicated wing or floor. JDI combines project-based and problem-based STE³M + Business learning with Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) supports, social-skills instruction, fine arts, athletics, hands-on science, Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathways, Building Trades pre-apprenticeships, and concurrent-enrollment college courses. GCSI and JDI are committed to providing a Free Appropriate Public Education for all students in the Least Restrictive Learning Environment.
A Diploma That Means Something
The diploma is not a consolation prize — it is the goal. JDI's entire curriculum is engineered around one outcome: every student walks across that stage. STE³M + Business coursework is delivered by teachers specially trained to present rigorous academic content in ways that reach students on the Autism Spectrum, ensuring no learner is tracked into a lesser credential.
Graduates leave JDI with a standard high school diploma, college credits through concurrent enrollment, career-ready CTE certifications, and the self-advocacy skills to pursue higher education, skilled trades, or meaningful employment — on their own terms.
Financially and Programmatically Possible
GCSI's commitment makes this model financially and programmatically possible. GCSI will provide JDI with free rent and grant JDI students full, no-cost access to GCSI's specialized facilities — science and engineering labs, digital media spaces, physical-education areas, culinary and aviation CTE labs, planetarium/Science on a Sphere resources, and other shared infrastructure. By eliminating facility and rent costs, JDI can direct its resources toward the high-salaried, highly trained professionals essential for success with this population. Together, GCSI and JDI will actively pursue private foundation grants to fund the specialized staffing this program demands — ensuring that every neurodiverse learner is supported by the right professionals from day one.
Specialized Staff for Specialized Learners
- Special Education Teachers certified and extensively trained in autism-spectrum pedagogy and STE³M+B delivery
- Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) and Registered Behavior Technicians delivering evidence-based ABA therapy
- Occupational Therapists
- Speech-Language Pathologists
- School Psychologists
- Mentors, transition specialists, and trained paraprofessionals
A Model That Works for Every Learner
This partnership structure allows JDI to recruit and retain the specialized staff required to deliver an individualized, high-quality education that traditional district settings rarely afford. The result is a model in which students on the spectrum — and their neurotypical peers — earn a real high school diploma, gain career readiness through CTE and concurrent enrollment, develop moral core values, and build the capacity to become self-actualized contributors to society.
Learn More About the John Dewey Institute Partnership
Garfield County School Of Innovation is committed to building an inclusive campus where every learner thrives. Contact us to learn more about the JDI partnership and how it will serve Garfield County families.