About Us
Down the Road Education was founded by Jess Durrett, an educational therapist and school consultant with nearly two decades of experience at the intersection of education, psychology, child development, and intervention.
After years of working alongside speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, and social workers at schools, Jess developed a framework that goes well beyond traditional academics. Our approach looks at how a child regulates, processes language, moves through the world, and makes sense of their own learning. Jess founded Down the Road to bring this collaborative, holistic lens directly to families and schools, providing the deep support students need both now and down the road.
Our Process
Everything we do begins with the same question: what does this child, family, teacher, or school actually need, and what is getting in the way? The answer is found through listening, observation, and a developmental framework built over decades of working at the intersection of education, psychology, and child development.
For Schools
Before any professional development session or classroom visit, we meet with school leadership to understand where challenges are. We collaborate with teachers, learning specialists, and administrators to understand the mission, classroom environment, academic task demands, and what is actively happening in the school. From there, we design a comprehensive plan that uniquely fits your school and bridges families, teachers, students, and administrators.
For Families
We want to understand your child from your perspective before we form any of our own. From there we match your child with the right member of our team based on need and personality, and that person becomes your child’s advocate: working directly with your child, providing guidance for home, advocating at school, and coordinating with any other professionals involved. Progress is tracked through ongoing assessment, regular check-ins, and honest conversation about what's working and what needs to shift.
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Jess Durrett Hansher, Founder
Specialty: Jess comes into every classroom, coaching meeting family conversation, and school partnership with a multidisciplinary lens built over nearly two decades working alongside speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, and child development specialists. She reads children and teachers with genuine curiosity about what a person is experiencing and what they need. Her particular gift is translating that understanding into language that helps the adults around a child respond with intention rather than frustration.
Credentials: M.A. from New York University in Childhood and Special Education; Professional Educational Therapist (AET); holds New York General/Special Education and California Education Specialist credentials. In the field since 2007.
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Jenn Reid
Specialty: Blending child-led Montessori principles with deep psychoanalytic insight, Jenn supports emotional regulation, academic foundational skills, and the relationships between children and the families who raise them. Jenn is also a skilled educator-coach extending her depth of understanding to teachers and classrooms.
Credentials: M.A. from New York University in Early Childhood and Elementary Education; American Montessori Society Teaching Credential; Certified Psychoanalytic Educator (APS). In the field since 2000.
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Dan Meadow
Specialty: Championing emergent learning: the practice of shifting away from rigid, pre-packaged curriculums toward flexible, responsive instructional designs while simultaneously addressing foundational skills and developing genuine connections with his learners. He is particularly adept at helping children find and articulate their strengths in the context of academic learning.
Credentials: M.A. from University of the Pacific in Curriculum and Instruction. In the field since 2008.
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Courtney Forti
Specialty: Demystifying executive functioning by breaking down how working memory, flexible thinking, and self-regulation impact a child's ability to access learning. Drawing from an extensive background in case management and direct care for neurodivergent young adults, she teaches concrete micro-strategies for building organization, task initiation, and focus directly into academic demands.
Credentials: B.A. from Suffolk University in English and History. In the field since 2017.
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Fletcher White
Specialty: Re-framing academic resistance as a natural response to hidden social and emotional bottlenecks. She excels at building psychological safety for students, turning overwhelming school tasks into predictable, emotionally safe routines. She coordinates closely with families to provide compassionate communication and a calm, patient presence that helps parents comfortably navigate early realizations about neurodiversity and anxiety.
Credentials: B.S. from Arizona State University in Psychology, Minor in Family Studies. Certified Psychoanalytic Educator (APS). In the field since 2010.
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Jordan Feldman
Specialty: Drawing from extensive experience as a Special Education Department Lead, Jordan excels at cutting through complexity to create clear, accessible pathways for neurodivergent middle and high schoolers. Jordan specializes in structuring academic tasks so that diverse learners can confidently navigate demands while building essential self-advocacy skills.
Credentials: M.S. in Education Leadership from Hunter College; M.S. in Inclusive Special Education from Syracuse University. In the field since 2014.