ABOUT THE FOUNDER

After graduating with her B.S. in Psychology, Dana married her best friend Joel, on October 15th, 1994. Joel is a physical therapist and owns two private practice clinics in Colleyville and Southlake. They have four beautiful children – two daughters and two sons. Their kids are one of the most important parts of their lives. All four of their children struggle with the learning disabilities of ADHD, dyslexia and dysgraphia. Their struggles energized Dana to pursue a master’s degree in Special Education and specialization in Multi-sensory Instruction from Dallas Baptist University. Mrs. Judd is currently pursuing her doctorate in Educational Leadership concentrating on the emotional effects of the learning different student.

Through her specialization study at The Shelton School in Dallas, Dana obtained her certification as an academic language therapist (CALT), as well as, her Dyslexia Therapist licensure for the state of Texas. Her time with The Shelton School was inspirational and provided in depth instruction in brain learning, ADHD, autism, dyslexia, other learning disabilities, diagnosis, evaluation, as well as the emotional components of anxiety and behavior. She has ACSI educator and specialization certification.

Over the last 20+ years, she has taught in many different private education environments but privately tutored and provided academic language therapy to public, private, and homeschool students across the metroplex. Dana has always been known to be the teacher with “heart” who’s classroom is “A Safe Place to Learn”, but now she has created this environment in all the classrooms within Inspire Academy. She loves teaching students “outside the box”!

Our philosophy
is different

165431370_805872026679483_2983101217618405032_n 2.jpg

Our Philosophy

Inspire Academy will teach learning challenged students using Multisensory Instruction and Differentiated Instruction to meet the needs of all students. Inspire Academy creates a “safe place to learn” both academically, spiritually, physically, and emotionally for all learning styles and educational needs of the students enrolled in the school.

DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION

The three elements of differentiated instruction are content, process, and procedure.

The heart of this type of instruction is giving “choice”, linked to many successes within the classroom, to students allowing for assessment of learning. Students are able to select their preference for learning by given varied assignment choice to demonstrate proficiency.

Learn more

MULTISENSORY INSTRUCTION

Visual, auditory, tactile, and kinesthetic learning incorporating all senses and preferences of learning style.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

Psalms 139:13-15

What makes us different?

our teachers

All instructors have specialized training or training in the study of learning disabilities, with a preference for CALT or SPED specialists.
90% of our Language Arts and English teachers are trained in the Dubard Association Method, one of the best methods for helping students with Oral Language Disorders and/or dyslexia.
Our teachers continually go through additional professional development.
Classroom ratio of 6-8:1 with a qualified teacher with intentional development of a team atmosphere including multi-sensory and differentiated instruction
Teacher’s assistants are available to help within the classrooms.
We use Christian curriculum with instructors who model Godly character and love for our students, guiding them in their relationship with their Lord and Savior.

Some of Our Team with Mrs. Judd at Meet the Teacher

Brynlee & Kenzie

You may have seen these two on our staff and faculty page along with Nimbus. Our students and staff love our dogs, and they play a massive role in the success of our students' education. When our students need a break or are feeling anxious, sometimes a visit from Brynlee, Kenzie, or Nimbus is just what the doctor ordered. These three really are a terrific trio that sets us apart!

Our schedule

We do school Monday through Thursday. Fridays will be for family and additional extra curricular activities.
Our school year is shorter since we are not a federally funded school.
Homework will be given as developmentally appropriate and only to reinforce concepts or work started in class needing completion.
We’re able to use our local city’s playground and park for recess to let our students stretch their legs and be outside
Private Academic Language Therapy, Speech and Language Therapy, and Counseling services are available.

Testimonials

“I know I’m learning more. The teachers are really cool and fun. Math is my favorite part of the day because it’s fun and my teachers make it interesting. Everyone is really kind.”

— 7th grader with dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, and hears with the assistance of Cochlear Implants.

“Our daughter had always struggled with school. She wasn’t diagnosed with Dyslexia until late in her third grade year. Even with countless tutors and extra help at home from us, her anxiety was always surrounding her academics. We know for a fact that God had a hand in guiding us towards Inspire Academy. During our building tour, my daughter had tears in her eyes with the excitement of finding a school that understood her AND her dyslexia. The therapy dogs were an added bonus! Our daughter has only been a student a short time, but loves her teachers and the hands on learning environment.
”

— Melissa

“I just want to share that I feel this School has been a God send for my son. I have seen such a change in him even in just a month of attending. He is regaining his confidence in his academic abilities and his stress is gone! He is happier and he is looking forward to planning out his future goals for the coming years. He is looking forward to attending next year. I am so thankful for Dana and her encouraging and caring way that she teaches, she has been a blessing to us!”

— Julie

“School was a battle before Inspire Academy. We felt like we had tried all that his school had to offer, but it still wasn’t working. More than that, our 6th grade son was beginning to believe he couldn’t succeed. Insert Inspire Academy.
He has HOPE.
He has FRIENDS and he can’t wait to go to school each day because he knows he can succeed.

Inspire Academy has given our family the ability to BREATHE. We are no longer waiting for another call from the school - he excitedly tells me about his day and what he’s looking forward to tomorrow. We don’t have to spend our evenings battling 4 hours of needless homework - we can spend time WITH him enjoying life with our family.

But, it’s not just what Inspire Academy has already done for our son, but how I am looking at the future. I’m embarrassed to say it, but it has been years since I allowed myself to consider anything beyond survival in school for my boy. But now, we are talking about things he wants to study for fun (and they aren’t just video game-related) AND how he wants to leverage his heart and skills for the good of the world. That is a miracle straight from God through Inspire Academy.”

— Kayla

“We placed our child in Inspire Academy after previously attending three schools that were unable to accommodate the special learning needs that he has (Asperger’s, ADHD, Dyslexia, SPD and LD). It was important to us to find a school that had small class sizes, individualized learning plans, and placed an emphasis on the personal care of its students. Dana and her staff have made great efforts to accommodate our son’s needs and provide these requirements.

It has been truly remarkable to see how Dana’s expertise and insight have allowed her to bridge over the gap of our Son’s learning disabilities and help him successfully learn and complete his course work. Dana understands him and knows how to present the lessons in a manner he can understand. She is very warm and has been able to build a rapport with him that few others have even come close to.

Our son loves this school and has told me he is learning a lot because his teacher’s take time to answer his questions and explain the lessons using illustrations he can understand. Our son also enjoys the physical activities and tactile methods incorporated in his instruction. The curriculum is very robust and the kinesthetic learning format has greatly increased our son’s retention and comprehension.

Our child has made several friends and now looks forward to going to school again. It is wonderful to see him in an environment that he thrives in and makes him happy.

My wife and I are thrilled to have finally found a school that understands our child and truly cares about him. We are very grateful for the great results and academic gains our son has realized in just a short time at Inspire Academy. We strongly recommend this school for parents that are looking to make a change.”

— Christopher