Elan School
Encyclopedia
Élan School was a private, coeducational, controversial residential behavior modification
program and therapeutic boarding school
(beginning with 8th grade and extending beyond high school completion) in Poland
, Androscoggin County
, Maine
. It was a full member of the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs
(NATSAP).
Elan was located on a 33 acres (13.4 ha) campus
that was formerly a hunting lodge.
The school acquired some notoriety during the 1990s and early 2000s when former classmates of Michael Skakel
, who had attended Élan in the 1970s, testified against him in his trial
for an unsolved murder
that had occurred about two years before he enrolled at Élan. The school was also the subject of persistent allegations of abuse in their behavioral modification program.
On March 23, 2011, Elan School announced it would be closing its doors on April 1, 2011. The school's owner, Sharon Terry, blamed negative attacks on the school via the Internet
. In a letter to the Lewiston Sun-Journal, Terry said: “The school has been the target of harsh and false attacks spread over the Internet with the avowed purpose of forcing the school to close." She added that despite numerous investigations by the Maine Department of Education
that vindicated Élan, “the school has, unfortunately, been unable to survive the damage.”
Gerald Davidson and Joseph Ricci. Ricci headed the school until his death in 2001, when his widow Sharon Terry took over.
educational consultant who had referred students to Elan for 22 years told the New York Times that he would refer only "the most serious cases" to the school, which he said would "take kids who haven't responded to other programs and who are really out of control."
The school's treatment methods were based on the "TC" or therapeutic community
modality popularized in the 1960s at facilities such as Synanon
, and later at Daytop Village.
In 2002, a New Jersey educational consultant
told the New York Times that the school was "certainly not for the faint-hearted." He said "There's lots of confrontation," but added "and yet there are lots of hugs."
In 1975, Illinois
state officials pulled 11 children out of the Élan program, charging that they had been mistreated.
In 2002 during the trial of Michael Skakel witnesses testified that beatings and public humiliation were parts of life at Élan during the late 1970s. In trial testimony, former students also described the practice of placing a student in a "boxing
ring" surrounded by classmates who confronted the student. The New York Times has reported that, at the school, "smiling without permission can lead to a session of cleaning urinals with a toothbrush that can last for hours.".
The New York State Education Department
, which has paid tuition
for special education
students to attend Élan School, gave the school a favorable review in 2005. In 2007, however, New York education officials raised questions about the school's practices, alleging in a letter to the school and Maine education officials that Élan students were physically restraining
their peers and being deprived of sleep. The allegations prompted the state of New York to threaten to withdraw tuition money for taxpayer-funded students. The school's lawyer contested the allegations.
Behavior modification
Behavior modification is the use of empirically demonstrated behavior change techniques to increase or decrease the frequency of behaviors, such as altering an individual's behaviors and reactions to stimuli through positive and negative reinforcement of adaptive behavior and/or the reduction of...
program and therapeutic boarding school
Therapeutic boarding school
A therapeutic boarding school , alternatively known as an emotional growth boarding school, is a boarding school based on the therapeutic community model that offers an educational program together with specialized structure and supervision for students with emotional and behavioral problems,...
(beginning with 8th grade and extending beyond high school completion) in Poland
Poland, Maine
Poland is a town in Androscoggin County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,866 at the 2000 census. Home to Range Ponds State Park, Poland is a historic resort area...
, Androscoggin County
Androscoggin County, Maine
Androscoggin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the county's population was 107,702. Its county seat is Auburn...
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
. It was a full member of the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs
National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs
The National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs is a United States organization of therapeutic schools, residential treatment programs, wilderness programs, outdoor therapeutic programs, young adult programs and home-based residential programs for adolescents and young adults with...
(NATSAP).
Elan was located on a 33 acres (13.4 ha) campus
Campus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
that was formerly a hunting lodge.
The school acquired some notoriety during the 1990s and early 2000s when former classmates of Michael Skakel
Michael Skakel
Michael C. Skakel was convicted in 2002 of the 1975 murder of Martha Moxley, his 15-year-old neighbor in Greenwich, Connecticut. He was sentenced to 20 years to life and remains incarcerated. Skakel is the nephew of Ethel Skakel Kennedy, the widow of Senator Robert F...
, who had attended Élan in the 1970s, testified against him in his trial
Trial
A trial is, in the most general sense, a test, usually a test to see whether something does or does not meet a given standard.It may refer to:*Trial , the presentation of information in a formal setting, usually a court...
for an unsolved murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
that had occurred about two years before he enrolled at Élan. The school was also the subject of persistent allegations of abuse in their behavioral modification program.
On March 23, 2011, Elan School announced it would be closing its doors on April 1, 2011. The school's owner, Sharon Terry, blamed negative attacks on the school via the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
. In a letter to the Lewiston Sun-Journal, Terry said: “The school has been the target of harsh and false attacks spread over the Internet with the avowed purpose of forcing the school to close." She added that despite numerous investigations by the Maine Department of Education
Maine Department of Education
Maine Department of Education is the state department of education in the U.S. state of Maine. It is headquartered in the Burton Cross State Office Building in Augusta.The Maine Department of Education is responsible for Maine's public education....
that vindicated Élan, “the school has, unfortunately, been unable to survive the damage.”
History
Élan School was founded in 1970 by psychiatristPsychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
Gerald Davidson and Joseph Ricci. Ricci headed the school until his death in 2001, when his widow Sharon Terry took over.
Program
The school specialized in treating teenagers with behavioral problems. In the program 'humiliation' was stated clearly as a therapeutic tool, as is following up on such intervention with encouragement and warm support. Students attended year-round. In 2002, a New JerseyNew Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
educational consultant who had referred students to Elan for 22 years told the New York Times that he would refer only "the most serious cases" to the school, which he said would "take kids who haven't responded to other programs and who are really out of control."
The school's treatment methods were based on the "TC" or therapeutic community
Therapeutic community
Therapeutic community is a term applied to a participative, group-based approach to long-term mental illness, personality disorders and drug addiction...
modality popularized in the 1960s at facilities such as Synanon
Synanon
The Synanon organization, initially a drug rehabilitation program, was founded by Charles E. "Chuck" Dederich, Sr., in 1958, in Santa Monica, California, United States...
, and later at Daytop Village.
In 2002, a New Jersey educational consultant
Educational consultant
An educational consultant is an independent consultant who helps parents/students and organizations with educational planning. They are classed as "educational, vocational, and school counselors." Educational Consultants, however, are normally self-employed , while school counselors are employed...
told the New York Times that the school was "certainly not for the faint-hearted." He said "There's lots of confrontation," but added "and yet there are lots of hugs."
Controversy
Throughout its history the school was faced with numerous allegations of student mistreatment. In 2001, Details Magazine cited Elan as "among the most controversial of the nation's residential therapeutic communities."In 1975, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
state officials pulled 11 children out of the Élan program, charging that they had been mistreated.
In 2002 during the trial of Michael Skakel witnesses testified that beatings and public humiliation were parts of life at Élan during the late 1970s. In trial testimony, former students also described the practice of placing a student in a "boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
ring" surrounded by classmates who confronted the student. The New York Times has reported that, at the school, "smiling without permission can lead to a session of cleaning urinals with a toothbrush that can last for hours.".
The New York State Education Department
New York State Education Department
The New York State Education Department is the state education department in New York. It is part of the University of the State of New York , one of the most complete, interconnected systems of educational services in the United States...
, which has paid tuition
Tuition
Tuition payments, known primarily as tuition in American English and as tuition fees in British English, Canadian English, Australian English, New Zealand English and Indian English, refers to a fee charged for educational instruction during higher education.Tuition payments are charged by...
for special education
Special education
Special education is the education of students with special needs in a way that addresses the students' individual differences and needs. Ideally, this process involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials,...
students to attend Élan School, gave the school a favorable review in 2005. In 2007, however, New York education officials raised questions about the school's practices, alleging in a letter to the school and Maine education officials that Élan students were physically restraining
Physical restraint
Physical restraint refers to the practice of rendering people harmless, helpless or keeping them in captivity by means such as handcuffs, fetters, straitjackets, ropes, straps, or other forms of physical restraint...
their peers and being deprived of sleep. The allegations prompted the state of New York to threaten to withdraw tuition money for taxpayer-funded students. The school's lawyer contested the allegations.
See also
- Attack therapyAttack therapyAttack therapy is a controversial type of psychotherapy evolved from ventilation therapy. It involves highly confrontational interaction between the patient and a therapist, or between the patient and fellow patients during group therapy, in which the patient may be verbally abused, denounced, or...
- Large Group Awareness TrainingLarge Group Awareness TrainingLarge-group awareness training refers to activities usually offered by groups linked with the human potential movement which claim to increase self-awareness and bring about desirable transformations in individuals' personal lives...
- Human Potential MovementHuman Potential MovementThe Human Potential Movement arose out of the social and intellectual milieu of the 1960s and formed around the concept of cultivating extraordinary potential that its advocates believed to lie largely untapped in all people...
- PsychobabblePsychobabblePsychobabble is a form of prose using jargon, buzzwords and highly esoteric language to give an impression of plausibility through mystification, misdirection, and obfuscation. The term implies that the speaker of psychobabble lacks the experience and understanding necessary for proper use of a...
External links
- Elan School
- Elan School Alumni
- Elan School Visit Report, by Tom Croke, Struggling Teens, June 1992
- Elan School Visit Report, by Louise Kreiner and Amy D'Uva, May 17, 2007; Struggling Teens website, Jun 26, 2007
- Kevin Gray, Bad Company: The Elan School, Details magazine, November 2001, pages 88–97
- David Gurliacci, Ex-students at Skakel trial describe Elan as 'horrific', Portland Press Herald, May 31, 2002
Further reading
- Maura Curley (1991), Duck in a Raincoat, Menuki Press. ISBN 0-9629522-0-6. An unauthorized biography of the founder of the Elan School, Joe Ricci.
- Eva Pappas (2006), The Other Son - One Family's Personal War on Drugs, Lagrimas & Clean Slate Publishers Group. ISBN 0-9777187-1-9, ISBN 978-0-9777187-1-9. This book describes Elan's program under a fictitious name.
- Maia Szalavitz (2006), Help at Any Cost, Riverhead. ISBN 1-59448-910-6. A former senior fellow of the Statistical Assessment Service at George Mason University offers a thoroughly researched critique of the troubled-teen industry, which includes an ethical guide for parents with troubled teenagers.