The Hope Graham Program
at Bancroft School

Building upon Bancroft's commitment to nurture, respect, and educate diverse learners, the Hope Graham Program (HGP) at Bancroft School is designed for students with diagnosed language-based learning differences (LBLD) or dyslexia in Grades 1 through 8.

Recent advances in understanding of the neurobiological basis of learning diversity clearly point to the need for targeted programs that provide early and appropriate intervention. The Hope Graham Program is just that. The program nurtures the intellectual curiosity of these bright learners.

Some of the characteristics of HGP include:

• Class sizes ranging from five to eight students,
• Small-group and individualized instruction facilitated by expert teachers in reading, comprehension, spelling, writing, and in some cases math
• A systematic, multi-sensory approach
• Hands-on learning, and 
• Assistive technology.

HGP students join their companion class in Bancroft's Lower or Middle School for all non-language-based subjects and activities, including science, computer skills, music, drama, art, and P.E., as well as recess, lunch, field trips, and special events. In Grades 6 through 8, HGP students also join their companion class for interscholastic sports, health, clubs, technology, and advisory.

By targeting the child’s individual challenges and bolstering their strengths, the Hope Graham Program seeks to honor each educational journey. We provide a comprehensive, caring, curricular and extracurricular program to foster a personal experience of excellence for every child.

Bancroft is accepting applications for enrollment in the Hope Graham Program for the 2013-2014 school year. Learn more about the HGP Admission Process.

If you have questions, please call or email Jyoti Datta, Head of Bancroft's Lower School and Director of the Hope Graham Program at Bancroft School:

Jyoti Datta 
M.Ed., Lesley University; M.Ed.,Worcester State University (Full Bio)
Head of Lower School and Director of Hope Graham Program at Bancroft School
jdatta@bancroftschool.org
508.854.9221

Candace Anderson
M.B.A. Clark University; M.Ed., Worcester State University (Full Bio)
Associate Director of Hope Graham Program at Bancroft School
canderson@bancroftschool.org
508.853.2640 x 233

Judith Sbrogna
M.Ed., Worcester State University (Full Bio)
Orton-Gillingham-Certified Reading Specialist
jsbrogna@bancroftschool.org
508.853.2640 x228

HPG Staff Biographies

Jyoti Datta has an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Literacy from Lesley University; an M.Ed. in Leadership and Education Administration from Worcester State University; and a B.A. in Elementary Education with an emphasis in Mathematics from the University of Iowa. Prior to joining Bancroft as Head of Lower School in 2008, Jyoti was an elementary school teacher for two decades, first in Iowa City Public Schools and later in Worcester Public Schools.

Jyoti has long been committed to nurturing learning diversity through differentiated instruction. In 2011, Jyoti attended Harvard University’s Mind, Brain, and Education program, to better understand the links between neuroscience, cognitive science, and educational practice. Jyoti is also trained in All Kinds of Minds, and is a member of the International Dyslexia Association, Learning and the Brain Society, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). Jyoti serves on the Board of Directors of the Worcester Public Library, and is a Corporator of the Worcester Art Museum.

Candace Anderson has an M.Ed. in Reading from Worcester State University; an M.B.A. and a B.A. in Psychology from Clark University. She is certified in Massachusetts in Elementary Education and as a Reading Specialist. Candace has volunteered and taught in the Grafton, Oxford, and Worcester Public Schools, and has been a Reading Specialist at Bancroft School since 2002. She was appointed Bancroft’s Director of Academic Support in 2011.

Candace is a member and past president of Alpha Upsilon Alpha, an honor society of the International Reading Association, the International Dyslexia Association, the Learning and the Brain Society, ASCD, and the National Council of Teachers of English. Her other education experiences include The Teachers College Reading and Writing Project at Columbia, “Comparative Education: Researching Swedish & American Perspectives in Educational Leadership and Reading” at Uppsala and Örebro universities in Sweden, and the Learning Differences Conference at Harvard, among many other reading and learning differences conferences and workshops. Candace is also trained in Orton-Gillingham reading and All Kinds of Minds.

Judith Sbrogna has an M.Ed. and a B.A. in English from Worcester State University. She has also completed advanced graduate coursework in Literacy Education and Reading Recovery at Lesley University. Before joining the faculty at Bancroft, she taught reading in Worcester Public Schools. Judith has worked as a Reading Specialist at Bancroft for the past 15 years. In addition to her teaching responsibilities at Bancroft, Judith is also a Lower School Academic Support Coordinator.

In 2006, Judith became a certified Orton-Gillingham teacher, which is a multi-sensory and structured language approach to the teaching of reading. Judith tutors children at the Children’s Dyslexia Center in Worcester. She is a member of the International Reading Association, the Massachusetts Reading Association, the International Dyslexia Association (IDA), and the International Multi-sensory Structured Language Education Council. Judith is also trained in All Kinds of Minds.