Professional Development & Workshop Offerings for Educators

Sharing Our Knowledge–Workshops and Professional Development

Just as Gaynor individualizes its curriculum for each child, we individualize professional development opportunities for educators. Our expert faculty are trained in evidence-based frameworks and can provide customized workshops or a series of training sessions. Topics are listed below. 

Don’t see something that is right for your group? We can work with you to develop a workshop that best suits your needs.

Workshops are offered in person at Gaynor’s facility or can be presented virtually. 

Stephen Gaynor School is a NYC Public Schools (DOE) approved vendor.

To learn more, contact Emily Barnes, Director of Outreach and Innovation at ebarnes@stephengaynor.org or 212-787-7070 ext. 1126.


TEACHING TOOLKIT: Strategies for Supporting Students with Learning Differences in Mainstream Classrooms

April 9, 2024, 9:00 am – Noon

In-person at Stephen Gaynor School

Visit https://bit.ly/NYSAISTeachingToolkit for full details and to register!

Many students with learning differences can thrive in mainstream schools with the right support from informed teachers. In this half-day workshop, Jill Thompson, Gaynor’s Assistant Head of School, will be joined by faculty to share how you can integrate evidence-based interventions into your classroom to help students who need additional learning support. Educators will walk away with the tools to more confidently teach all children and support various learning styles. This workshop is hosted by NYSAIS and open to members and non-members


Available Custom Session Topics

Best Practices to Support Students With Learning Differences

Many students with learning differences can thrive in mainstream schools with the right support from informed teachers. Research shows that brain structure and function are different in people who have learning differences, and learning differences are not related to intelligence. Evidence-based strategies, supports, and teaching approaches can help students with learning differences find the path to academic success. Learn how you can integrate interventions into your classroom to help students who need additional learning support. Strategies that will be shared include: multisensory instructional methods, differentiated instruction, scaffolding, building executive function strategies across the academic environment, and student advocacy.

Audience: Independent and public school educators and administrators

How to Embed Executive Function Strategies into the Classroom 

Executive functions are a set of processes that have to do with managing oneself and one’s resources in order to achieve a goal. Learn how you can embed executive functions skill development into your classroom to support students with ADHD and EF challenges. This workshop will give examples of how students can receive scaffolded support to navigate their academic responsibilities and develop their executive skills through seamless integration across the academic environment.

Audience: Independent and public school educators and administrators

Signs of Learning Differences in Early Childhood: Identification and Intervention

Early identification and intervention is key to the future success of students with a variety of challenges and difficulties. This workshop will explore how to recognize children that may benefit from intervention, support, or a specialized environment and how to implement interventions designed to address a variety of these challenges.

Objective 1: Attendees will be able to select from various strategies to support attention and learning in the early childhood classroom.
Objective 2: Attendees will be able to select from various strategies to support language, regulation, fine motor and visual-spatial skills in the early childhood classroom.
Objective 3: Attendees will be able to identify red flags and when to refer a child for an outside evaluation.

Audience: Early childhood educators and administrators

How to Foster Leadership Development and Increase Faculty Retention Through a Senior Educator Program Model

Stephen Gaynor School’s Senior Educator Program is a retention initiative aimed at developing long-term career paths and opportunities for growth that are inclusive of the school’s curriculum goals. Following graduation from this three year program, Senior Educators take on mentoring responsibilities with first and second year employees, lead curriculum development projects, and/or lead professional learning opportunities. Learn how this program keeps skilled teachers in the classroom and incentivizes experienced teachers to continue their professional growth.

Audience: Independent and public school administrators

Teaching Reading Using a Phonics-Based Approach

Multi-session training
Through our customized professional development training teachers will learn both the science of reading and improve their phonics-based instruction with the objective of them becoming proficient in teaching reading using a phonics-based approach. Outcomes will include a better understanding of the rules and patterns that make up the English language in order to support instruction, techniques and strategies that can easily be implemented in any classroom to support every student, and how to infuse error correction and strategies for building fluency. 

Audience: Independent and public school educators (K-2) and administrators