Forman School - History

History

The school was founded in 1930 by John and Julie Ripley Forman who started the school in Litchfield with three students who hadn't had a history of academic success. The school grew over the years into a gateway to college for learning disabled students, and in recent years has seen 100% college acceptance. Most of the students are bright with language-based disabilities, most notably dyslexia and attention deficit disorders (ADHD).

The Formans were committed to utilizing the best available resources and latest research-driven techniques to address the specific learning differences of their students, a tradition that has continued throughout the school’s history. They turned to Dr. Samuel T. Orton, a pioneer in reading methodologies and a mentor of John Forman in determining how to teach the fundamentals of reading. The Formans established the Remedial English Department and employed the Orton-Gillingham method of teaching reading phonics. They were also awarded a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation to conduct research in teaching reading.

As a graduate of Princeton University, one of John Forman’s contacts was Professor Albert Einstein, who also faced reading challenges of his own as a student. This relationship led to Dr. Einstein joining The Forman School’s Academic Board of Advisors and his input to the school’s groundbreaking curriculum.

In the 1980s, Forman was the subject of a Time magazine profile highlighting its success with dyslectics.

Mark B. Perkins, a former dean of students at Holderness School, was head of Forman from 1995 to 2008. In November 2008, Adam K. Man, academic dean at St. Timothy's School in Stevenson, Maryland, was appointed the next head of school and assumed the position on July 1, 2008.