education new york online education new york online education new york online
Search
Today's Info Policy News
Weekly Archive
Information Policy
FERPA
Protecting your children's privacy: The Facts
WHO'S WATCHING YOUR CHILDREN?
about
contact us
site map
Search
With the exact phrase
With all of the words
With at least one of the words
Without these words
 
Within these fields         
 
Date range limit

      Pick Date
 
Item(s) found: 346
Charter Schools: Additional Federal Attention Needed to Help Protect Access for Students with Disabilities"
Date CapturedThursday June 21 2012, 1:42 PM
Guide to Masters in Special Education Degrees
Date CapturedMonday August 15 2011, 10:12 AM
Schools must pay when parents dispute special education
Date CapturedMonday August 20 2007, 8:08 AM
Journal News reports, "The law now says that school districts must prove their special-education decisions are made in the best interest of a child, instead of parents proving recommended programs harm their children."
Wappingers looks at special ed needs
Date CapturedTuesday August 14 2007, 7:59 AM
Poughkeepsie Journal reports, "A Wappingers school district committee is working to create a one-year action plan to address the graduation and dropout rates of special education students by focusing on improving literacy and instruction, improving special education programs and addressing behavior issues that may lead to less instruction time."
Revamping special ed
Date CapturedMonday August 13 2007, 8:37 AM
Buffalo News opines, "Williams [Buffalo School Superintendent ] deserves credit for commissioning a study of the district’s special ed program, which led to a highly critical report from a Washington, D.C., consulting firm. The superintendent responded quickly to that criticism by announcing a plan that would move psychologists, social workers and other support staff from administrative offices into schools where they would team with principals, teachers, counselors, math and reading coaches, nurses and speech therapists to identify problems and ways to solve — addressing attitude or behavioral problems, for example, before a pupil is classified as being in need of the special ed program."
Tribes say No Child Left Behind leaves no room for culture
Date CapturedSaturday August 11 2007, 12:03 PM
Santa Fe New Mexican reports, "State [New Mexico] Secretary of Education Veronica Garcia said schools in isolated rural areas, where many tribal and pueblo schools are located, often have difficulty recruiting teachers. The government needs to support ways to encourage Native Americans to become teachers so they can return to teach in their tribes and pueblos, Garcia said. The law also disregards tribal sovereignty by forcing schools to adhere to state academic standards, said Samantha Pasena, a recent graduate of the Santa Fe Indian School. In addition to issues facing Native Americans, the panel also brought up the concern that under No Child Left Behind, special-education students are forced to take the same tests as regular students."
GRADUATION MATTERS: How NCLB allows states to set the bar too low for improving high school grad rates
Date CapturedThursday August 02 2007, 8:21 AM
Despite the national focus on reforming America’s high schools, most states are setting woefully low goals for improving graduation rates and are not setting goals for ensuring that more low-income, minority, disabled and English language learner students graduate, according to a report released today by The Education Trust.
Fix NCLB
Date CapturedSunday July 29 2007, 9:03 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports, "Six years later, as the law comes up for reauthorization by Congress, frustration with its provisions are widespread as evidenced by the essays on today's Speaking Out page. But scrapping the law, which seeks to meet its outlined goal by 2014, isn't the solution. Rather, it needs to be fixed. In a number of places."
Demographic and School Characteristics of Students Receiving Special Education in the Elementary Grades
Date CapturedFriday July 27 2007, 9:48 AM
Findings from the analysis indicate that for the cohort of students beginning kindergarten in 1998, specific learning disabilities and speech or language impairments were the most prevalent primary disabilities over the grades studied. The percentage of the student cohort receiving special education grew from 4.1 percent in kindergarten to 11.9 percent of students in fifth grade. The results also indicate that higher percentages of boys than girls and of poor students than nonpoor students received special education.
Ithaca City School District faculty member appointed to task force on preschool special education
Date CapturedThursday July 26 2007, 1:02 PM
Ithaca Journal reports, "The task force, which is comprised of 13 education professionals from across the state, was created to study ways of improving early education for children with disabilities. The group will examine the transition between early childhood programs and elementary school, the cost of preschool special education programs and the task force will do a comparative study of different state's special education preschool programs. Jasinski said he is excited to be part of the task force."
THE CITY OF NEW YORK OFFICE OF THE COMPTROLLER BUREAU OF MANAGEMENT AUDIT : AUDIT REPORT ON THE MONITORING AND TRACKING OF SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS BY THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Date CapturedThursday July 26 2007, 9:55 AM
MD06-073A -- June 29, 2007. "Based on our findings, we make nine recommendations, five of which are listed below. DOE should: Develop and enforce written formal policies and procedures to ensure that services are provided according to the provisions of each student’s IEP. Develop policies to ensure that all attendance forms and summaries are maintained as evidence of services provided. Ensure that providers fill in all required information on the special education attendance forms and sign the forms as certification of the delivery of services. Ensure that supervisory review of attendance records is performed and documented. Institute a control (e.g., periodically reconcile special education attendance forms with general education attendance forms) to help ensure that the days that services are provided are accurately recorded."
THOMPSON: DEPT. OF EDUCATION FAILING TO MONITOR, TRACK AND DOCUMENT PROVISION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES
Date CapturedThursday July 26 2007, 9:51 AM
Thompson’s audit found a pattern of flaws so severe that many students sampled often didn’t get required services when providers were absent. Examples of the flaws included records that were inadequate and incomplete, and records showing students getting services on days when schools were actually closed.
SPECIAL-ED WOE
Date CapturedWednesday July 25 2007, 8:42 AM
NY Post Chuck Bennett reports, "The audit reviewed the records of 89 mainstreamed special-ed students during the 2004-05 school year. It found sloppy record-keeping and no formal rules for monitoring the delivery of services."
Buffalo schools get $6.8 million
Date CapturedTuesday July 24 2007, 10:52 AM
Buffalo News reports, "Buffalo Public School officials have announced the district has secured $6.8 million in grant funds from three sources in the state Education Department."
Sex Ed is About Safety
Date CapturedMonday July 23 2007, 9:53 AM
Special Eduction Law blogger Amanda Windom writes, "One of the most controversial topics we face in schools today is sex education. Schools in Illinois vary greatly in the curriculum they offer ranging from none at all to abstinence-only to comprehensive sex education. Putting aside the moral, religious and other debates, the main issue here is safety. Regardless of our personal feelings about the topic the fact remains that children and teens must be educated about sex in a meaningful way, and if they are not educated at school or by parents they will develop ideas based on things they learn from friends or in the media, often to their detriment."
Fixing special ed
Date CapturedMonday July 16 2007, 10:18 AM
Buffalo News opines, "He [Buffalo school superintendent Williams] intends to establish teams of guidance counselors, social workers, psychologists, special-education teachers and parents at each school. He also intends to relocate specialeducation support staff from administrative offices to individual schools, continue intensive efforts to improve literacy in the early elementary grades and give special-education students greater choice of schools."
Keep reform simple
Date CapturedSaturday July 14 2007, 9:43 AM
The Adirondack Daily Enterprise opines, "In New York, we vote on our school district budgets, but in Massachusetts, they vote on any local government budget that would increase its property tax levy by more than 2.5 percent. We have yet to see a downside to that. Schools are special, so maybe it's time the state takes over all basic K-12 education costs, letting individual school districts use property taxes to pay for extras."
Area schools get funds for disabled
Date CapturedThursday June 28 2007, 8:28 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports, "The grants will fund programs to assist disabled students in vocational opportunities helping them move into college, job training opportunities, employment and internships."
Students With Disabilities Make Gains, But Overall Achievement and Graduation Rates Still Too Low
Date CapturedMonday June 25 2007, 4:47 PM
New York State Education Department PRESS RELEASE: Data on the performance of special education students released today shows progress in the following areas: * Achievement has improved in grades 3-8 English and math. * Fewer students are being educated in separate settings. * More are taking and passing Regents exams each year. * More are graduating and earning Regents Diplomas each year. * And more are going to college than a decade ago.
20,000 'CLASS' ACTS
Date CapturedTuesday June 19 2007, 9:07 AM
NY Post reports, "Nearly 20,000 candidates applied for 1,725 teaching-fellow slots at city schools this year, the Department of Education announced yesterday. The 19,846 applications equaled a 17 percent jump over last year's response to the program, which recruits teachers and other professionals from nonteaching backgrounds. They are given special training and offered subsidies to study for master's degrees. The program focuses on subjects with a shortage of qualified teachers, such as math, science, special education and English as a second language."
Most School Districts Have Developed Emergency Management Plans, but Would Benefit from Additional Federal Guidance
Date CapturedThursday June 14 2007, 2:07 PM
GAO Report: While most school districts have procedures in their plans for staff roles and responsibilities, for example, school districts have not widely employed such procedures as, academic instruction via local radio or television, for continuing student education in the event of an extended school closure, such as might occur during a pandemic. Likewise, while many districts have procedures for special needs students, GAO found during site visits that some of these procedures may not fully ensure the safety of these students in an emergency. Finally, while most school districts practice their emergency management plans annually within the school community, GAO estimates that over one-quarter of school districts have never trained with any first responders and over two-thirds of school districts do not regularly train with community partners on how to implement their school district emergency management plans. Many school districts experience challenges in planning for emergencies, and some school districts face difficulties in communicating and coordinating with first responders and parents, but most do not have such challenges with students. Based on GAO’s survey of school districts, in many school districts officials struggle to balance priorities related to educating students and other administrative responsibilities with activities for emergency management and consider a lack of equipment, training for staff, and personnel with expertise in the area of emergency planning as challenges. In an estimated 39 percent of school districts with emergency management plans, officials experienced a lack of partnerships, limited time or funding to plan, or lack of interoperability between equipment used by school districts and first responders.
A Spectrum of Disputes
Date CapturedMonday June 11 2007, 8:22 AM
NY Times op-ed contributors Paul T. Shattuck, an assistant professor at Washington University’s School of Social Work and Maureen Durkin, an epidemiologist at the University of Wisconsin’s School of Medicine and Public Health write, "The latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that 1 in 150 8-year-old children are on the “autism spectrum.” This proportion is alarming if compared directly to estimates of the frequency of autism before the 1990s, which were in the range of 1 per 2,000 to 5,000. But does this really mean we have a growing autism epidemic, or have we just become better at counting autistic traits in the population that have always been there at roughly the same level?"
Recommendations to Reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
Date CapturedSunday June 10 2007, 1:20 PM
Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO)
‘Failing’ schools to get axe - DOE decides to reshuffle the deck once more
Date CapturedMonday June 04 2007, 11:08 AM
Bay Ridge Courier reports, "Schools Chancellor Joel Klein announced plans to revamp 'failing' alternative schools and programs due to poor attendance and success rates. To be eliminated are schools for pregnant girls, New Beginnings centers, which take in disruptive students, and many schools operated by Offsite Educational Services (OES), the alternative high school system that helps students earn General Equivalency Diplomas (GED) and offers small learning environments."
Prying open autism's door
Date CapturedSaturday June 02 2007, 8:41 AM
Times Herald-Record reports, "Get rid of florescent lights, the kids see their flicker; teach them while they do something else; make portfolios for older kids' work — sell their work, not their social skills; don't allow doctors to over-medicate; stress exercise."
MIDDLE SCHOOL PERFORMANCE IMPROVES ON 2007 GRADE 3-8 ENGLISH TESTS
Date CapturedWednesday May 23 2007, 8:56 AM
Achievement in grade 3-8 English has improved overall this year, according to results from newly released State tests. The improvement is notable in middle school. Grades 6-8 improved. Grade 6 increased by 2.8 percent, grade 7 improved by 1.4 percent, and grade 8 increased by 7.7 percent. Fewer students also are showing serious academic problems in all grades except grade 3. The number of English Language Learners taking this year’s tests more than doubled from 2006. This increase was caused by new federal rules under NCLB in which all ELL students who have been in the country for at least one year are now required to take the tests. Nevertheless, the performance of ELL students dipped only modestly in each grade, a better result than many predicted. The increase in the number of students tested was especially large in elementary school; scores declined overall in grades 3 and 4. The change in rules also affected the overall performance of Hispanic and Asian students. Results for students with disabilities improved overall. The decline in the percentage of students who showed serious academic problems was especially large.
Mike gives high marks for rising scores
Date CapturedTuesday May 22 2007, 7:23 AM
NY Daily News reports, "State officials are expected today to release lackluster reading scores for city elementary schoolers, but that didn't stop Mayor Bloomberg yesterday from touting near-perfect success in improving the schools. 'By virtually every objective measure - attendance, promotion rates, test scores, you name it - student achievement is on the rise,' the mayor said as he released City Hall's version of the 2006 graduation rate. City officials put the graduation rate at a record-breaking 60% because they include kids who graduate in August after summer school, kids who drop out and earn GEDs and special education students who earn individualized diplomas."
Ed groups push for joint NCLB changes
Date CapturedFriday May 18 2007, 8:36 PM
Six of the nation's top education groups, including the National School Boards Association, jointly urged Congress to reauthorize NCLB to focus on five major areas of change: • A redesign of the federal accountability framework to improve public schools rather than abandon them. • Valid, reliable, unbiased assessment systems that are aligned with state standards. • Maximum flexibility for states and school districts to address the assessment and learning needs of English language learners and students with disabilities. • Helpful interventions tailored to the needs of schools and communities rather than the current system of punitive sanctions. • Determination of the qualifications of principals, teachers, and other education professionals by states and local school districts.
STATE FORMULA AIDS AND ENTITLEMENTS FOR SCHOOLS IN NEW YORK STATE (AS AMENDED BY CHAPTERS OF THE LAWS OF 2006)
Date CapturedSaturday May 12 2007, 3:40 PM
The University of the State of New York -- THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT -- State Aid Unit -- October, 2006. Some definitions -- A. Total Aidable Pupil Units (TAPU): The total aidable pupil unit is the sum of several pupil counts, each count being assigned a distinct weighting. Weightings are used as a means of reflecting the assumed average cost of educating a particular pupil category. These categories and weightings are further explained by the following: 1. Full Day K-12 Adjusted Average Daily Attendance (Adjusted ADA) (Weighting = 1.00): The Adjusted ADA includes the average number of pupils present on each regular school day, the full-time-equivalent enrollment of resident pupils attending a charter school, the enrollment of pupils with disabilities in full time BOCES programs, and the equivalent attendance of students under the age of 21 not on a regular day school register in programs leading to a high school diploma or high school equivalency diploma. This average is determined by dividing the total number of attendance days of all pupils by the number of days school was in session and attendance was recorded. 2. 1/2-Day K Adjusted Average Daily Attendance (Weighting = 0.50): A 0.50 weighting adjustment to the average daily attendance for half-day kindergarten attendance. 3. Pupils in Dual Enrollment with a Nonpublic School (Weighting = 1.00 * Fraction of Day in Public School Programs): The attendance of nonpublic school pupils in career education, gifted and talented, or special education programs of the public school district as authorized by Section 3602-c of the Education Law. Attendance is weighted by the fraction of the school day that the student is enrolled in the public school programs. 4. Pupils with Special Educational Needs (PSEN)(Additional Weighting = 0.25): The number of pupils with special educational needs attending the public schools of the district is determined by the percentage of pupils below minimum competence as measured by the third and sixth grade pupil evaluation program (PEP) tests in reading and mathematics. The average of the percentage of pupils in a district who scored below the State reference point on these third and sixth grade PEP Tests in 1984 85 and 1985 86 continues to be used to determine the number of pupils with special educational needs. This percentage is multiplied by the district's adjusted ADA to produce the number of pupils for weighting. The PSEN pupil count is equal to the number of eligible pupils multiplied by the 0.25 additional weighting. Since this is an additional weighting, these pupils also would have been counted under average daily attendance. 5. Secondary School Pupils (Additional Weighting = 0.25): Eligible pupils in grades seven through twelve receive an additional weighting of 0.25. Eligible pupils for this weighting are defined as the number of students in average daily attendance in grades seven through twelve excluding any such students whose enrollment generates Public Excess Cost Aid. The eligible pupils are multiplied by 0.25 to produce the additional secondary school weighting. 6. Summer Session Pupils (Weighting = 0.12): Summer session pupils are those pupils who attend Approved programs of instruction operated by the district during the months of July and August, other than pupils with disabilities in twelve month programs. The full weighting of 0.12 is applicable if the student attends a total of 90 hours of class sessions during the summer. B. Adjustment in Computing Total Aidable Pupil Units Based on Enrollment Growth: For TAPU aids payable during 2006-07, attendance in the year prior to the base year is multiplied by the ratio of base year enrollment to year prior to the base year enrollment. Base year is the school year prior to the current year. (Example: For the 2006-07 aid year, 2005-06 is the base year and 2004-05 is the year prior to the base year.) C. Selected TAPU: For the purposes of computing Formula Operating Aid, districts may use the total aidable pupil units as described above or the average of such number and the total aidable pupil units calculated for aid payable in the base year. The higher of these two figures is usually referred to as Selected TAPU.
Citywide Budget Data
Date CapturedWednesday May 09 2007, 10:30 AM
As part of the Fair Student Funding initiative, the Department of Education [New York City] is committed to providing more information about school funding levels. This data set shows details pertaining to preliminary school budgets for the 2007-2008 school year. Using this data set, you can see information for 1,391 of New York City’s schools regarding: 07-08 preliminary budget allocations 07-08 adjusted per capita data for comparison to previously released 05-06 data 07-08 Average Teacher Salary (ATS) This data set allows some comparison between different schools’ funding levels. However, the set is neither comprehensive nor perfect. It covers only funds that are recorded on the school budgets that principals monitor and control. Therefore, large amounts of money spent in schools on students do not appear here at all, including centrally funded administrative services such as food, transportation, maintenance, utilities; instructional supports, such as related services in special education’ and fringe benefits for school employees.
CASHING IN ON KIDS
Date CapturedWednesday May 09 2007, 9:55 AM
NY Post David Andreatta reports, "According to the plan, a school could receive as little as $3,788 for a first-grader who lives above the poverty line, did not transfer from a failing school and is proficient in English. But a first-grader who lives in poverty, transferred from a failing school and cannot speak English could funnel $8,212 to the same school's coffers. Depending on a child's special needs, a school could expect to receive an additional $2,121 and $8,637. While schools already receive additional city money to address student needs - including learning and English-language difficulties - budgets have never been so specifically weighted to student traits."
Newburgh School District to vote on $204M budget
Date CapturedFriday May 04 2007, 9:02 AM
Times Herald-Record reports, "The Newburgh District plans to use 'Excellence' dough to: Hire 27 elementary teachers, 25 secondary teachers, three special education teachers, one social worker and three teaching assistants. Establish and expand Extended School Year and Expanded School Day programs. Establish a high school program for grades 9-12 and create grades K-8 programs in at least two elementary schools."
Inform parents -- government policies must not keep families in the dark
Date CapturedFriday May 04 2007, 8:25 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle opines, "Unfortunately, it took the death of a child to alert government to the flaws in a law that left parents on the outside looking in. This should be a wake-up call to the state and government at all levels to ensure that laws and policies are clear when it comes to parents and minor children: parents are to be told about matters large, small and in-between. The state must facilitate the bond between child and parent. Not break it."
Government Eyes Special Ed Requirements
Date CapturedThursday May 03 2007, 10:18 PM
AP reports, "The Bush administration, following passage of a broad special education law, issued rules in October that rewrote the way schools determine if a child has a learning disability. States have largely relied on a 1970s-era method that looks for disparities between a child's IQ and achievement scores."
A test for the Regents
Date CapturedSunday April 29 2007, 9:26 AM
Newsday opines, "Meanwhile, the problems of poverty force the schools to divert more money from the classroom - for everything from security to special education - than any other district. And political tweaking of state formulas on behalf of the wealthy means Roosevelt still won't get a fair share of school aid. It's show time Even before the next school year, Mills and the Regents must take these steps. They must find new leaders who will in turn inspire teachers, parents and students. And in so doing, they can create a national model of success for other struggling schools - especially those that fall through the cracks in the suburbs. It's an effort that will take the cooperation of everyone from state educators and lawmakers to local governments that aren't normally involved in education. Everyone from private philanthropists to community groups and parents. It's time to give the students of Roosevelt and their parents the fair shake that was denied the thousands who came before them. This is a test not just of Albany's competency but of its character."
Teachers want change in education policy
Date CapturedThursday April 26 2007, 9:36 AM
Observer-Dispatch reports, "New York teachers are asking Congress to: •Allow states to develop appropriate language-arts tests for English-language learners and special-education students. English-language learners have to take the same language-arts tests as their peers, even though they may not have a full command of English. •Distinguish struggling schools from those that are successful but need limited assistance, rather than putting all schools with problems into the same category. •Stop punishing entire schools and districts based on the low test scores of a small number of students. •Adequately fund testing and accountability mandates in the law. New York received $911 million less in funding last year than what Congress authorized when it passed the legislation in 2002, NYSUT said."
GRAD TIDINGS: CITY'S RATES UP, BUT 50% OF HS KIDS ARE 'LATE'
Date CapturedThursday April 26 2007, 8:42 AM
NY Post KENNETH LOVETT in Albany and BILL SANDERSON and DAVID SEIFMAN in New York City report, "The new numbers also show that just 19 percent of students with disabilities in New York City graduate in four years compared to a 37 percent statewide average, and that English-language learners have actually seen their on-time graduation rates drop in the last three years, to 27 percent statewide and 22 percent in the city. Also, there is a significant gender gap, with 56 percent of female students and just 43 percent of male students in New York City graduating on time."
School Push-Outs: An Urban Case Study
Date CapturedWednesday April 25 2007, 11:46 AM
Elysa Hyman writes, "While the specter of the No Child Left Behind Act continues to loom over our nations’ schools, grassroots organizations, parent groups, attorneys, educators and policymakers must monitor their local school systems and take action if schools are engaging in exclusionary practices. National coalitions must be formed to highlight the unintended effects of the Act and to advocate reform of laws and policies that punish schools for trying to educate all students or that provide incentives for schools to push them out of the building."
Settlement Approved In Lawsuit Against New York City DOE
Date CapturedWednesday April 25 2007, 11:34 AM
NY1 reports, "The settlement creates more classroom slots for the children and the DOE will use an internal monitoring system to make sure kids get in the classes quickly. The children, between ages 3 and 5, were on waiting lists to get into special education classes in city schools. Some of the children spent months or years waiting to get in the classes which provide speech, physical or occupational therapy."
Racial disparities persist in special education, discipline
Date CapturedMonday April 23 2007, 9:21 AM
The Journal News reports, "A new Department of Education report on the 2005-06 school year said minority students in Nanuet, Ardsley, Port Chester-Rye and Irvington were identified as having learning disabilities or placed in restrictive settings at significantly higher rates than other groups. In Yonkers, black students served suspensions of over 10 days at nearly five times the rate of whites."
TEACHING CONTEMPT . . .
Date CapturedWednesday April 18 2007, 9:29 AM
NY Post opines, "Presumably somebody in the Department of Education understands the gravity of a deliberate violation of the law (The Cuban Democracy Act of 1992); the flouting of trade and travel embargoes dating to 1962 - and blowing off the DOE's own proscription of the trip. That adds up to grounds for suspending Turner posthaste - and maybe a more thorough housecleaning at Beacon. We know Beacon is special. But is it above the law, too?"
Connecticut's New Education Commissioner Faces a Long To-Do List
Date CapturedSunday April 15 2007, 9:42 AM
NY Times reports, "Mr. McQuillan, who is to begin his job on Monday as the state’s commissioner of education, said Connecticut has been a leader in education reform and has a unique governing structure that fosters teamwork among local school boards, the State Department of Education, legislators and educational advocates."
NCLB Changes Could Affect Special Ed
Date CapturedSaturday April 14 2007, 8:58 PM
The Post-Journal (Jamestown, New York) reports, "The Bush Administration is suggesting changes be made to the act which will allow more disabled children to take simpler tests than their peers. Roughly 10 percent of special education students — the majority with the most severe cognitive disabilities — already take alternative assessments. If approved, the changes would bump the number of students taking the alternative exams up to 20 percent."
High style, no class
Date CapturedFriday April 13 2007, 8:24 AM
NY Daily News reports, "City investigators are probing whether bureaucrats built themselves a cozy lounge using money that was supposed to be used to repair crumbling schools, sources told the Daily News. The Education Department's Division of School Facilities - which fixes broken windows, replaces damaged doors and completes other school maintenance - has spent $38,000 for custom bookshelves, electrical wiring and other features inside the room, sources said. But work on the room inside the division's headquarters in Long Island City, Queens, was halted this week after the office of Special Schools Investigator Richard Condon paid a visit, the sources said."
Blowing the whistle
Date CapturedThursday April 12 2007, 8:44 AM
NY Daily News opines, "Weingarten's purposes are particularly transparent in that city laws already protect whistleblowers who report gross mismanagement or abuse of authority, and a special investigator is tasked with investigating school complaints. New York State law also protects whistleblowing teachers. Regardless, the Council Education Committee yesterday voted 14 to 1 in favor of Weingarten's bill. Among those in support was Chairman Robert Jackson, who allowed that he doesn't really know what's covered under existing law but "wholeheartedly supports" Weingarten's bill anyway. If it sounds good for kids, that's good enough for Jackson. But the people it's really good for are teachers who are worried about being subject to hard data analysis of student progress."
Fund the Child: A Better Way to Help Disadvantaged Students
Date CapturedTuesday April 10 2007, 10:55 AM
HumanEvents.com contributor Dan Lips writes, "In January, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposed that Gotham adopt three new policies: 'backpack funding,' school-based management, and widespread school choice. This bundle of reforms -- known as the 'weighted student formula' -- embodies a new approach to education finance."
MIKE'S SCHOOL-WAR BLAST: UFT = NRA
Date CapturedTuesday April 10 2007, 8:36 AM
NY Post David Andreatta reports, "Bolstered by a vote of confidence from 100 civic leaders, Mayor Bloomberg yesterday took aim at what he called 'special interests' trying to derail his education reforms, and compared the tactics of the teachers union to those of gun lobbyists."
Education law needs flexibility
Date CapturedMonday April 09 2007, 9:35 AM
Poughkeepsie Journal opines, "Spellings says the new tests won't be as easy as those given to the severely disabled already exempted from the regular tests, but they won't be as difficult as those given to the great majority of students. While that sounds promising, it is essential the tests are counted toward a school's performance. Some groups representing disabled students say accountability standards have to be in place because these children were often ignored until No Child Left Behind forced schools to pay more attention to them. There is, indeed, a danger of lowering the bar to the point where some special education students won't be challenged to the degree they should be. More details about the tests will have to be fleshed out over time. But the announcement does show the administration has heard some of the criticism and is proposing changes. That is a good sign in what promises to be a contentious debate about the renewal of No Child Left Behind."
'CHARTERS' RACE IS ON
Date CapturedMonday April 09 2007, 8:31 AM
NY Post David Andreatta reports, "Advocates of the alternative public schools say they have been deluged with inquiries from potential operators seeking advice on meeting new demands in the measures that raised the cap from 100 to 200 schools last week."
New Jersey Special Education Enrollment Up Again in ’06
Date CapturedSunday April 08 2007, 11:08 AM
NY Times reports, "School officials have many theories about the growth, including the increasing sophistication of parents advocating for services for their children and backdoor efforts by districts to get more state money and increase achievement scores. But one thing is certain: The increase in special education enrollment is adding to tax bills."
Lifeline for Special Education parents
Date CapturedFriday April 06 2007, 10:51 AM
The Queens Courier reports, "The center acts both as advocate for the parents, explaining unfamiliar terms and informing them of their rights, and as a haven, providing 'respite' sessions for frazzled parents, to watch a movie on TV in peace, or pamper themselves with a manicure. Since starting up last October, PRCQ has helped about 40 parents 'get control of their family back,' according to Jacobs. 'Right now we have nine new intakes, and another five applicants. Sometimes they just need a referral to a therapist or an explanation and they move on. Some we work with on an ongoing basis.' she said."
Bush administration wants to loosen NCLB rules
Date CapturedWednesday April 04 2007, 1:16 PM
AP reports, "The Bush administration wants to loosen the rules so that many more disabled children can take tests that are simpler than those required by the president's signature No Child Left Behind law. The changes would triple the number of those children who could take simplified tests. Roughly 10 percent of special education students -- those with the most serious cognitive disabilities -- currently can take easier, alternative tests and have the results count toward a school's annual progress goals under the law. Under final rules the administration was to unveil Wednesday, about another 20 percent of children with disabilities would be allowed to take alternative tests."
Fears on school funding
Date CapturedMonday April 02 2007, 10:14 AM
NY Daily News CARRIE MELAGO reports, "The promise behind the plan is that it will end inequity among schools and replace unfair, decades-old formulas that have led to drastic variations in funding, even among similar schools. Under the plan, certain city funds will be directed to schools on a per-pupil basis. Extra cash then will be added to a school's budget based on its students' special needs, ability to speak English, family income and other factors. But the Education Department has not yet decided on the exact formula, causing anxiety among some parents who fear better-performing schools will lose out."
CALL WAITING (& WAITING) FOR SPECIAL-ED PARENTS
Date CapturedMonday March 26 2007, 8:23 AM
NY Post David Andreatta reports, "A majority of parents of special-education students are left hanging on the phone when they call the Education Department for help, a report out today charges. A survey of 98 calls to the Committees on Special Education for each of the city Department of Education's 10 regions found that less than half were answered or returned within a week."
Utah heats up long-simmering school-voucher debate, Governor has signed into law the first 'universal' voucher program in the US
Date CapturedThursday March 22 2007, 9:49 AM
Christian Science Monitor reports, "The idea of vouchers dates back to the 1950s, when economist Milton Friedman suggested it would promote competition and improve schools. Proponents also argue that families should be able to apply some tax dollars to whatever school they choose. Opponents insist that public money should be used only for public schools, rather than to subsidize private and religious institutions. The Reagan administration pushed for vouchers, as did the current Bush administration in the initial education-reform proposals leading up to the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), which is now five years old and up for reauthorization. But so far, voucher programs have persisted only in about half a dozen states and districts; most are offered to students in low-income families, low-performing schools, or special-education programs."
Timing and Duration of Student Participation in Special Education in the Primary Grades
Date CapturedWednesday March 21 2007, 9:19 PM
Emily W. Holt, Daniel J. McGrath, and William L. Herring. This Issue Brief reports the timing of entry into special education and the number of grades in which students receive special education across the primary grades. About 12 percent of students receive special education in at least one of the grades: kindergarten, first, and third grade, including 16 percent of boys, 8 percent of girls, 18 percent of poor children, and 10 percent of nonpoor children. One in three students who receive special education in early grades, first receive special education in kindergarten. Half of those who begin special education in kindergarten are no longer receiving special education by third grade. In addition to students’ gender and poverty status, results are presented separately for other student and school characteristics, including race/ethnicity and school control, urbanicity, region, and poverty concentration. Data for this brief come from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Studies, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K).
Focus on black male representation in special ed, honors classes
Date CapturedWednesday March 21 2007, 8:26 AM
Journal News contributor Fred Smith, assistant superintendent, pupil personnel and curricular services, New Rochelle School District writes, "The question is this: 'Are black males overrepresented in special-education programs and underrepresented in honors programs?' The African American Men of Westchester, along with other groups, organizations and individuals, is looking for answers, in an upcoming forum hosted by Iona College's Department of Teacher Education. AAMW has long been concerned about the high numbers of African-American, Hispanic/Latino and American Indian students in classes for the educable mentally retarded, the emotionally disturbed and the learning disabled. AAMW is also concerned about the low numbers of students from these groups who are assigned to programs for the gifted and talented."
Bruno attacks Spitzer on school aid formula
Date CapturedTuesday March 20 2007, 8:31 AM
Newsday DAN JANISON reports, "Bruno stood at a news conference with David Little, government relations director for the New York State School Boards Association, who praised the Senate's proposed changes in the Spitzer funding formula, particularly relating to special-education aid. Spitzer's proposal would make special-education funding part of the state's basic school-aid distribution formula for the first time. Little praised the Senate for looking to keep it a separate funding stream because this "recognizes the needs of high-needs districts, but doesn't pit high-needs districts against high-tax districts" such as those in Nassau and Suffolk."
Sex & secrecy in back of the bus
Date CapturedMonday March 19 2007, 9:04 AM
NY Daily News reports, "A four-month Daily News investigation into the troubled network that transports 142,000 New York City public and private school students daily has documented a secret history of physical and emotional abuse, from broken bones to shattered psyches. But the most gutwrenching, nauseating behavior uncovered has been sexual in nature. On many occasions, the sexual abuse victims have been especially vulnerable special-needs students, mercilessly violated within a transportation system designed to protect those most at risk."
Monitors will oversee state testing in Pa. schools
Date CapturedMonday March 12 2007, 6:45 AM
Philadelphia Inquirer reports, "This year, for the first time, the state Department of Education will send monitors to about 1 percent of the 3,120 schools where the tests will be given. They will determine whether schools comply with everything from test security regulations to how instructions are given and what accommodations are made for students with learning disabilities, English-language learners, and others who need special arrangements."
Pay gap for teachers of disabled targeted
Date CapturedSaturday March 10 2007, 10:19 AM
Staten Island Advance reports, "Teachers whose charges have developmental disabilities are paid thousands of dollars less than teachers in the public schools, and advocates at the Staten Island Developmental Disabilities Council called yesterday for a change. Caseworkers and group-home workers also deserve to be paid more equitably, and services for the developmentally disabled on Staten Island need to be expanded to meet a growing need, several speakers noted at the group's annual legislative breakfast at the Staten in West Brighton."
Where have the students gone?
Date CapturedSaturday March 10 2007, 10:04 AM
The State Journal-Register (Illinois) reports, "The dwindling high school population isn't just a problem this year. From 2003 to 2006, Lanphier High School lost so many black students in one class that the federal No Child Left Behind Act didn't count the 42 remaining students as a subgroup in the recently released scores for last year's state tests. The NCLB measures the academic performance of subgroups, such as minorities, students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals and students who receive special-education services. But to be measured, a subgroup must take in at least 45 students. The disappearance of Lanphier's subgroup of black students led Springfield School Board member Judy Johnson to ask, 'Where are all the black students at Lanphier?' during a school board discussion Tuesday night."
Victory for School Choice! Arizona Court Dismisses Challenge to Corporate Tax Credit Program
Date CapturedFriday March 09 2007, 9:43 AM
Phoenix—Just two days after hearing oral arguments, a Maricopa County Superior Court judge today threw out a legal challenge to Arizona’s new corporate tax credit program. The Institute for Justice and its Arizona Chapter defended the program on behalf of families of modest means who are eligible for private school scholarships thanks to the program.
Debunking a Special Education Myth
Date CapturedThursday March 08 2007, 8:38 AM
Jay P. Greene, professor of education reform, University of Arkansas, and a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research and Marcus A. Winters, senior research associate at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research and doctoral fellow at the University of Arkansas write, " Can spiraling special education costs explain why educational achievement remained stagnant over the past three decades while real education spending more than doubled? Policy makers, education researchers, and school district officials often make this claim. Special education students—goes the argument—are draining resources away from regular education students."
Our View — Special ed needs more state funds
Date CapturedWednesday March 07 2007, 10:29 AM
Minnesota Mankato Free Press opines, "When the topic of special education funding surfaces, the fact the federal government severely underfunds special ed is a given. Although the federal government mandated special ed 30 years ago, it has never paid more than 17 percent of those costs even though it promised to pay 40 percent. School districts across the nation have decried that lack of funding for years on deaf ears. What fewer people probably know is that Minnesota mandated special ed services 20 years before the federal government did. And like the federal government, the state hasn’t fully supported its mandate."
Illinois Gov. Blagojevich to seek $1.5 billion increase in school funding
Date CapturedTuesday March 06 2007, 7:18 PM
AP reports, "The money would be boost basic spending for each student, funding for special-education teachers and the amount available for transportation and other special categories."
Big brother is looming; $80M computer to track kids and educators in detail
Date CapturedTuesday March 06 2007, 7:18 AM
NY Daily News Erin Einhorn reports, "The system will combine existing data on kids - from a child's gender and race to whether he or she needs special education services to the name of his or her third-grade teacher - with new data to be generated from annual state exams and interim tests given to kids every four to six weeks. The interim tests measure whether kids havemastered specific skills, such as multiplying fractions or distinguishing fact from opinion, at different times of the year. Teachers will be able to see an entire classroom of results at once. Principals will be able to see an entire school. Parents eventually will have access to their own kids' data plus summary facts about their child's school, the results of parent, student and teacher surveys and details about how their school scored on annual reviews."
Long Island school officials decry state aid program
Date CapturedMonday March 05 2007, 8:45 AM
Newsday Rick Brand reports, "The complaints center on Spitzer's new aid formula, which guarantees many local school districts a minimum 3 percent increase, but disqualifies them from other special aid categories that would help districts with high taxes, large enrollment growth, excessive special education costs and adjustments for the region's higher cost of living. The formulas, they added, will hurt more as time goes on."
Special Education Muckrakers
Date CapturedSunday March 04 2007, 1:07 PM
The Special Education Muckrakers are people who care passionately about what happens to disabled kids in the public schools.
Connecticut -- Testing, funding questioned as No Child law faces reauthorization
Date CapturedSaturday February 24 2007, 3:10 PM
AP reports, "With the five-year education act set to expire on Sept. 30, Lieberman, I-Conn., hosted a forum Friday at the state Capitol on ways to improve the rules before Congress votes on reauthorization this summer or fall. Among the concerns voiced: an emphasis on constant testing, inadequate funds to meet mandates, the lack of consistent methods to track and compare progress, and a perception that some states get more latitude than Connecticut to excuse large numbers of special-education students from testing."
Business tax credit for private school donations faces Arizona court challenge
Date CapturedThursday February 22 2007, 8:57 AM
The Business Journal of Phoenix reports, "Teachers unions and the American Civil Liberties Union have filed a lawsuit challenging Arizona's tax breaks for businesses that donate to private schools. The state approved a tax credit program last year that allows businesses to write off donations to private school scholarship funds. A limited private school voucher program for disabled children also was approved."
Local North Carolina educators to U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler, D-Waynesville: revamp No Child Left Behind
Date CapturedWednesday February 21 2007, 4:25 PM
Citizen-Times reports, "The lesson from the school superintendents Tuesday morning was simple: we need Congress to rework the No Child Left Behind legislation. And U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler, D-Waynesville, heard the message loud and clear. Shuler met with superintendents from 19 Western North Carolina school systems, as well as special education teachers and administrators, Tuesday morning at the A-B Tech’s Enka campus."
Role of Rhode Island school nurse-teachers evolves
Date CapturedMonday January 15 2007, 9:35 AM
Newport Daily News reports, "School nursing has changed dramatically over the years, both Bryon and Watkinson [school nurses] agreed, in part because of advancements in neonatal health care. Premature or seriously ill infants who may not have survived a decade or two ago now grow up and go to school, where some continue to suffer from developmental, physical or behavioral problems. In addition, there are more children with asthma, ulcers and diabetes than when she started out as a school nurse-teacher, Byron said."
New policy on NCLB testing is flawed
Date CapturedSunday January 14 2007, 7:12 AM
Uticaod.com opines, "It's not wrong to expect the best of every student. But applying a blanket standard to school districts, especially those whose English-speaking and special education populations vary significantly, is like producing a universal windshield and then wondering why it doesn't fit every car."
Albany Capital Region's schools want to leave this list behind
Date CapturedThursday January 11 2007, 4:54 AM
Times Union reports, "Because it is so easy to get on the list, school officials have complained that it unfairly tars them. For example, schools can generally be listed if 95 percent of their 'subgroups' aren't tested. But that can be hard for small schools with just a handful of minority students or those with disabilities; one or two absences on test day can skew the results. 'God forbid there is an outbreak of the flu ... and they don't make their 95 percent participation rate they can be put on the list,' said Maria Neira, vice president of the New York State United Teachers, the state's major teachers union, which has long criticized NCLB on several fronts. Additionally, Neira said, the requirement that test scores rise year after year -- even for schools that are already doing well -- seems to set up a lot schools for failure."
Test scores for Pennsylvania special education students on rise
Date CapturedTuesday January 02 2007, 8:18 AM
Herald-Standard reports, "Test scores for special education students in the state's 501 school districts are reportedly on the rise with local educators lauding the efforts of inclusion implemented in January under No Child Left Behind (NCLB). The law was revised to include a special emphasis on the achievement gap for all states that accept Title 1 federal grants that provide funding for remedial education programs for poor and disadvantaged children in public schools and in some private programs. A class action lawsuit filed against the Pennsylvania Department of Education also determined that starting last January special education students be integrated into the regular education classroom for instruction where the special education teacher and regular education teacher co-teach."
Plattsburgh fears for funding
Date CapturedTuesday January 02 2007, 6:24 AM
Press Republican reports, "Wachtmeister [Plattsburgh City School Board member] stressed that he is not saying New York City schoolchildren don't need more money, but "the bottom line is New York City is fabulously wealthy." Yet, he said, the people who dominate the power elite are not going to want to pay the taxes. 'Rich people in New York City send their kids to private schools, and that is one of the major reasons New York City doesn't spend as much as it ought to on its own students, because there is no interest in doing so. But they can afford to, given the income and property wealth in New York City.'"
Paterson New Jersey schools may be monitored
Date CapturedSaturday December 30 2006, 8:19 AM
NorthJersey.com reports, "Other findings in the audit include incomplete or outdated personnel and special education student files, missing receipts in student activity money and a need for enhanced computer technology security measures."
Illinois educators worry about changes to special ed law
Date CapturedSunday December 24 2006, 10:14 AM
The Quad-City Times reports, "The Illinois State Board of Education is overhauling the way special education students are taught in an effort to boost achievement and help them transition into the regular classroom faster."
Famous truants to be featured at Ohio reform school museum
Date CapturedSunday December 24 2006, 9:30 AM
AP reports, "The tens of thousands of boys who spent time at the Boys Industrial School were deemed incorrigible, truant, thieves or burglars by juvenile courts, but a few of them went on to fame and success."
Facing $3M in penalties, New Jersey schools send student data
Date CapturedWednesday December 20 2006, 5:27 PM
Independent Press reports, "The student information, which is required from all school districts, will allow the state to assign each student an identification number to track the academic performance of individual students as they progress through the public school system. In the past, the state could track only the performance of groups of children, and could compare only how different classes of children performed as they took the same standardized tests at each grade level. The data required by the state ranges from routine directory information, such as a student's name, gender, grade level and school assignment, to more sensitive information such as ethnicity, place of birth, special education requirements and any disciplinary history. Additional information requested on a voluntary basis includes each student's insurance provider and date of last medical exam."
Report on the Cost of Education
Date CapturedMonday December 18 2006, 10:05 AM
The primary purpose of this report is to calculate the costs New Jersey school districts face in meeting state performance and accountability standards. Costs addressed include: 1. A per-student “base” cost (which reflects only the cost of serving students with no special needs); and 2. Adjustments to the base cost that reflect the added cost of serving special need students (including special education students, at-risk students and English language learners). To identify these costs, the report used two nationally recognized study approaches. The Department weighed the strengths and weaknesses of each approach, and then selected one – the Professional Judgment Panel (PJP) approach – whose results form the basis of the report’s findings.
Ithaca Central School District offers varied support services for students
Date CapturedMonday December 18 2006, 9:23 AM
Ithaca Journal contributors Sheila McEnery, director of Special Education and Lisa Harris, director of Academic Intervention Services for the Ithaca City School District write, "One of the elements of the action plan is targeted academic support. The goal relating to this area reads: Assure that every child has the specific academic support necessary to be successful in school. This may include a variety of academic intervention services and strategies in foundational areas (e.g., literacy, mathematics) or broader skill sets necessary for academic success (e.g., study skills, time management, computer skills, library use)."
Autism fuels call for Texas school vouchers
Date CapturedMonday December 18 2006, 8:25 AM
Houston Chronicle reports, "School voucher plans repeatedly have died in the Texas Legislature, but the Senate Education Committee chairwoman is eying a whittled-down school-choice option that might be harder for lawmakers to resist. Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, plans to push legislation that would allow parents of autistic children to choose the best schools for their children. 'They have a very difficult time in a regular setting in a classroom,' said Shapiro, who long has supported vouchers. 'I would like to see a choice program. ... It's what I think we should do for children with autism.' The number of Texas children diagnosed with various degrees of autism has nearly doubled over the past five years, increasing from 8,972 students to 17,282 in the 2005-06 school year, according to the Texas Education Agency. Autism is a complex developmental disability"
Resources for Florida parents
Date CapturedSunday December 17 2006, 10:20 AM
Sun-Sentinel reports, "Florida's Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services provides resources for parents of teens with particular challenges that complicate the pressures of adolescence. Go to www.firn.edu/doe/commhome/ese-home.htm or call 800-245-0475."
On the Job, Learning Disabilities Can Often Hide in Plain Sight
Date CapturedSunday December 17 2006, 7:48 AM
NY Times reports, "When Donna Flagg was growing up in suburban New Jersey, she struggled through reading and math in school and had trouble following directions. It was not until she took a college course from an instructor who was dyslexic — and who sensed that Ms. Flagg might also have a learning disability — that she discovered she had a form of dyslexia. The disability affects her brain’s ability to process what her eyes see.'
Ulster BOCES job program trains disabled
Date CapturedSaturday December 16 2006, 8:55 AM
Poughkeepsie Journal reports, "Ulster BOCES is one of among 100 federally funded Projects With Industry programs nationwide, coordinator Anthony Mignone said. BOCES received a $734,386 grant last year from the U.S. Department of Education to finance the program for three years. The program provides an opportunity for individuals with severe disabilities, including mental, physical and emotional, to get trained and be placed in jobs with local businesses and industries, he said."
Special-Ed Changes To Get Trial Run
Date CapturedThursday December 14 2006, 12:53 PM
Washington Post reports, "The pilot program, called hours-based staffing, is part of an urgent effort around the region to rethink special education, or risk widespread failure under the federal mandate. Poor performance by special education students is the leading reason Maryland schools have not made 'adequate yearly progress' toward proficiency levels all students are supposed to meet by 2014. Special education was the sole factor for half of the 38 Montgomery schools that missed the targets this year."
Disabled students: We'll sue college
Date CapturedThursday December 14 2006, 8:04 AM
NY Daily News reports, "In their complaint, the students claim that the school denies access to disabled entrances by locking elevators and lifts; does not offer disabled rest rooms in some buildings, and fails to put up proper signage for disabled access. Brooklyn College officials disagreed with the claims."
Ohio State Education Board wants say in school-funding reform
Date CapturedWednesday December 13 2006, 9:25 AM
Plain Dealer reports, "The report calls for school-based budgeting to ensure that money gets to the buildings that need it most. It also says the state should align financial decisions with 'best practices' - educational initiatives that have proved effective. The report also calls for the state to more aggressively 'weight' funding so the children who are hardest to educate get the most money."
Pennsylvania school-cost study will help improve funding, group says
Date CapturedWednesday December 13 2006, 9:03 AM
AP reports, "The legislation ordering the study calls for an examination of school districts that achieve high standardized test scores with low spending, the effect of enrollment fluctuations on education costs, and whether factors such as poverty levels, population density, and the number of disabled students should warrant more money for a school district. The state's public schools are funded largely through a combination of local property-tax revenue and state subsidies, with poorer school districts receiving a larger share of state aid. But critics have long complained that poorer schools still do not receive enough to compensate for local revenue shortfalls, and that the state lacks a consistent funding formula."
Baltimore school board approves creation of 6 charter schools
Date CapturedWednesday December 13 2006, 8:28 AM
Baltimore Sun reports, "The new charters will be preparing to open amid an environment of uncertainty about how they will be funded. The city school board is appealing a ruling by the state Court of Appeals that school systems must give their charter schools the same funding as other schools. The city spends the equivalent of about $11,000 per child in its regular public schools. Charter schools receive $5,859 per child in cash and the rest in services that the school system provides, such as special education and food. Many of the schools want the $11,000 in cash."
Georgia bill would pay for disabled students' private school
Date CapturedTuesday December 12 2006, 1:34 PM
AP reports, "The top Republican in the [Georgia] state Senate on Monday introduced a bill that would require the state to pay for disabled students to attend any public or private school they choose."
New U.S. Department of Education Guide Showcases Charter High Schools Closing Achievement Gaps
Date CapturedTuesday December 12 2006, 9:29 AM
The U.S. Department of Education has released a new publication that highlights eight charter high schools that are using innovative methods to help close the achievement gap between low-income, minority, and special need students and their peers.
Swimming upstream in the mainstream
Date CapturedSunday December 10 2006, 9:12 AM
NorthJersey.com reports, "The number of special needs students in mainstream classrooms have increased statewide, due mainly to federal legislation that encourages the inclusion of such pupils in general education courses. Although training is available for teachers on the state, county and local levels, there are no minimum standards or requirements for general education teachers to receive special needs instruction. Moreover, if teachers are not properly trained, advocates say, special education students can fall behind and not receive the education to which they are entitled under the law."
No Child Left Behind applied behind bars
Date CapturedSaturday December 09 2006, 8:59 AM
Baltimore Sun reports, "The Eager Street Academy is a Baltimore public school behind bars, with the most troubled student body in the city. Nonetheless, its staff has the impossible job of complying with the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Located in the Baltimore City Detention Center, the school's approximately 130 students - ages 14 to 17 - are charged as adults in some of the city's most notorious killings and other crimes. Many of them had dropped out of school before landing in prison, and about a quarter come in reading at a second-grade level."
Disabled students to rally at Brooklyn College
Date CapturedThursday December 07 2006, 4:27 AM
NY Daily News reports, "At issue is access to two major halls on campus, Harris said, as well as what he described as faulty automatic door openers and a lack of sensitivity to the needs of students with disabilities."
After Council Balks, Bronx Schools Project Is Withdrawn
Date CapturedThursday December 07 2006, 3:22 AM
NY Times reports, "The small schools have been widely criticized for taking fewer special education students and children with limited English proficiency than other schools. The city’s admissions rules allow officials in the small schools to control admission to their freshman class, giving preference to students who express interest by attending open houses or information fairs. Any remaining slots are distributed to applicants randomly by a computer system. "
Can calculators help Arizona’s Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS)?
Date CapturedTuesday December 05 2006, 8:45 AM
East Valley Tribune reports, "Educators and parents pleaded with the state [Arizona] Board of Education on Monday to let students use calculators on the high-stakes AIMS test. But state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne says use of the instruments could cause hundreds of Arizona schools to fail the No Child Left Behind law because federal officials won’t allow calculators to be used on state exams. Not everyone in the standingroom-only crowd agreed, however, with some East Valley educators saying Horne and the state board need to take responsibility for helping children succeed on the math test."
Small Schools Exclude Many Immigrants
Date CapturedMonday December 04 2006, 8:37 AM
Gotham Gazette reports, "It is the policy of the New York City Department of Education to allow a small school to exclude English-language learners (and special education students) during its first two years of operation. This is permitted, according to the department, so that the schools can build up the necessary infrastructure to provide the instructional services these students require. But, as it turns out, many of the older small schools still do not offer programs for these students, according to a new report issued by The New York Immigration Coalition (the organization for which we work), Advocates for Children, and seven immigrant community-based organizations."
Jordan: Fernandes Was 'Outstanding Prospect'
Date CapturedThursday November 30 2006, 9:10 AM
NPR, "In his first interview since student protests locked down the nation's only college for the deaf and hearing-impaired, the outgoing president of Gallaudet University decried the 'divisive' tone of the demonstrations, and expressed disappointment at the outcome."
The Weighted Student Formula Determines School Funding in Hawaii
Date CapturedThursday November 30 2006, 7:47 AM
KHNL reports, "Each student enrolled is allocated a certain amount of money. If a student has special needs such as a disability or speaks English as a second language, they are assigned more money. In theory, the formula is designed make sure each school receives enough money to provide for every student's needs. In practice, it has run into some challenges."
Montana school officials defend new student ID numbers
Date CapturedWednesday November 29 2006, 9:22 AM
Bozeman Daily Chronicle reports, "Every [Montana] student will get a unique nine-digit number, so that their achievement on statewide reading and math tests can be tracked, and those results can be broken down by gender, race or ethnicity, and whether the student is low-income and qualifies for free and reduced-cost lunches. Special education, limited English and migrant status will also be recorded. That should make it easier for OPI to report on students' progress, information sought both by the Montana Legislature and by the federal government, under the No Child Left Behind Act. Quinlan said it should help schools figure out, for example, if a new reading program is working, how well low-income American Indian fourth-graders are performing, and better track graduation and dropout rates. School officials are still subject to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, which protects the privacy of student records, Quinlan said."
New York City Schools hit on immigration bar
Date CapturedWednesday November 29 2006, 7:01 AM
NY Daily News Erin Einhorn reports, "The report charges the vast majority of small schools either don't have services for so-called 'English language learners' (ELLs), who comprise almost 12% of the high school population, or exclude them altogether. It also says that immigrant families have less access to information about options for their kids. The city Education Department allows new schools to exclude both ELLs and special-ed students in their first two years because the schools are too new to properly serve those kids. It's a policy being reviewed by the U.S. Education Department's Office for Civil Rights, which launched a probe after a complaint from a citywide group of high school parents. "
KIDS HIT LANGUAGE BARRIER
Date CapturedWednesday November 29 2006, 6:56 AM
NY Post David Andreatta reports, "Researchers could not say how many of the 184 new small schools created under Bloomberg exercise the two-year exclusion policy. But they found that 41 percent of 126 small schools surveyed do not offer any English-as-a-Second Language or bilingual services - apparently in violation of city, state and federal laws. 'The problem isn't just access,' said Chung-Wha Hong, director of the New York Immigration Coalition. 'Sometimes they can get in the door but they then face a long-term problem because there are no services for them.' The city Department of Education insisted that only a handful of small schools did not have a single ESL student enrolled."
Fighting gangs from inside, out
Date CapturedTuesday November 28 2006, 8:03 AM
Newsday Mitchell Freedman reports, "Riverhead thus became the first community in New York State to team a jail-based program with a school-based one, also run by the council, a national not-for-profit group. And, the Riverhead Police Department is working to develop a companion anti-gang program with the council. The program is designed to show gang members who are inmates that there is an alternative to street violence, and that gang membership often leads to long jail time, with former gang members sharing their own experiences. It offers job training and remedial education, and it strives to give those who enroll a sense of belonging to a different kind of family."
NY Watchdog: `Serious problems' at state-run Gossett youth center
Date CapturedTuesday November 28 2006, 7:26 AM
AP reports, "'This report raises larger societal issues about why we are seeing an increase of serious mental illness among these disadvantaged and troubled teens, and what we should be doing to address this,' said state Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton, an Ithaca Democrat, who called for the investigation. Gossett is one of the state's 10 limited- or medium-security youth centers. It serves up to 150 teenagers with 130 workers. The state owned and operated center was named for the actor who has been an advocate for troubled youths."
New Jersey school funding reform panel to discuss proposals
Date CapturedSunday November 26 2006, 1:18 PM
AP TOM HESTER Jr. reports, "While the school funding formula hasn't been announced, education department officials presented a plan under which experts determine how much it costs to educate New Jersey children. That cost - about $8,500 for K-12 schools - would be used as the basis for state aid allocations to schools. Funding for special education, children with language problems and transportation would be added as needed. - The number of senior citizens in a community would be considered when state aid for schools is decided."
Los Angeles Schools Not Meeting Consent Decree Special Education Goals
Date CapturedSunday November 26 2006, 8:17 AM
ABC7.com reports, "The LAUSD has not sufficiently improved graduation rates, raised test scores or provided timely translations of student access plans in Spanish and other languages."
No Child Left Behind law may be flawed, but it should not be abolished
Date CapturedSaturday November 25 2006, 8:44 AM
The Mountain Press opined, "Schools that can't teach children to read at grade level are failures. They are failing the students entrusted to them to teach. Setting reasonable standards and making teachers and administrators work hard to meet those standards is neither unrealistic nor unfair. However there are flaws in the No Child Left Behind law, to be sure. It makes little distinction between regular and special-education children. It does not allow flexibility for children with established reading and learning difficulties and disabilities. And it sets the guidelines for what degrees and experience teachers must have to teach certain subjects. It's not always easy to find good math and science teachers these days. Those legitimate concerns should lead to reforms of the law, not the killing of it."
No Choice for You
Date CapturedSaturday November 25 2006, 7:55 AM
CATO Institute Adam B. Schaeffer writes, "This is the first time that the education establishment has dared to turn its fire on school choice programs that help disabled and foster-care children. That they have chosen to unleash the hounds on the most sympathetic beneficiaries of school choice is a sign of panic. School choice opponents have kept their hands off similar programs in the past, fearing backlash for throwing disabled children out of their schools. But although the sympathy factor seems to have made the difference in some past battles, such as the Ohio Supreme court decision upholding vouchers in 1999, both lawsuits will turn on the same few fine points of law."
List for Schools Seems to Grow More Wishful
Date CapturedSaturday November 25 2006, 7:44 AM
NY Times DAVID M. HERSZENHORN reports, "The sum at issue is substantial: $2 billion a year translates to roughly $1,887 per student, or about $943,500 annually in a school with 500 students. While the amount ordered by the court is still huge, a leading critic of school financing lawsuits that have been filed across the country said the focus on the money had distracted from the work of actually fixing the city schools. 'For five years, people have looked to the courts and argued about the money without thinking seriously about what to do,' said the critic, Eric A. Hanushek, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution."
Overview of Public Elementary and Secondary Students, Staff, Schools, School Districts, Revenues, and Expenditures: School Year 2004-05 and Fiscal Year 2004
Date CapturedTuesday November 21 2006, 2:21 PM
This NCES report contains information from the 5 Common Core of Data (CCD) surveys: the 2004-05 state, local education agency, and school nonfiscal surveys for 2004-05 and the state and local education agency school finance surveys for fiscal year 2004. The report presents data about the students enrolled in public education, including the number of students by grade and the number receiving special education, migrant, or English language learner services. Some tables disaggregate the student data by racial/ethnic group or community characteristics such as rural - urban. The numbers and types of teachers, other education staff, schools, and local education agencies are also reported. Finance data include revenues by source (local, state, and federal) and total and per-pupil expenditures by function. Sable, J., and Hill, J. (2006). Overview of Public Elementary and Secondary Students, Staff, Schools, School Districts, Revenues, and Expenditures: School Year 2004–05 and Fiscal Year 2004 (NCES 2007-309). U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics.
SCHOOL SANITY: COURT OPTS FOR RESTRAINT
Date CapturedTuesday November 21 2006, 6:44 AM
NY Post contributor E.J. McMahon, director of the Manhattan Institute's Empire Center for New York State Policy writes, "It will take a determined governor to prevent legislators and the usual special-interest groups from using CFE as an excuse to promote Albany's traditional education 'solution' - lots more money, no reform. But thanks to the Court of Appeals, these issues at least will be contested in the right forum. In one of his more beneficial legacies, Pataki stocked New York's highest court with judges who were unwilling to micromanage policy. They've now kicked the ball back to the Legislature, once and for all. CFE and its allies must turn their attention to direct lobbying of the people's elected representatives - which is just the way it should be."
Indiana University groups recommend new test for special-education students
Date CapturedTuesday November 21 2006, 6:20 AM
AP reports, "The recommendation by the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community and the Center for Evaluation and Education Policy focuses on a federal law's requirement that special-education students pass annual achievement tests at the same rate as other students."
New York toughens road to teaching
Date CapturedMonday November 20 2006, 5:48 AM
Star-Gazette reports, "People will no longer be able to receive initial certification in childhood education after Feb. 1, 2007, or in other areas -- including middle childhood education, adolescent education, special subjects and students with disabilities -- through individual evaluation after Feb. 1, 2009. An option is still available to adults -- the more traditional path, a four-year degree leading to certification. State education officials, trying to toughen the requirements for all teachers, said they have had a notice posted on the state education Web site regarding this decision since 2004. Elmira College officials said they were first made aware of this deadline by Board of Cooperative Educational Services officials on Sept. 7, and immediately began to counsel all of the students affected."
View from school bus: Be patient
Date CapturedMonday November 20 2006, 5:36 AM
The Post-Standard JIM McKEEVER writes, "Last week's item in this space about [Syracuse] school buses forcing drivers to wait up to five minutes for a child to come out to the bus generated some confusion. And some bad feelings."
NYSED REVISED PROPOSED REGULATIONS FOR PUBLIC COMMENT THROUGH DECEMBER 15, 2006
Date CapturedThursday November 16 2006, 5:31 PM
Revised proposed regulations relating to Behavioral Interventions, including Aversive Interventions have been published in the State Register and are available for public comment. A two-page summary of the major revisions to the regulations that were adopted through emergency action in June 2006 is available to assist the public in its review of the revised proposed rules. A full text of the revised proposed rule can be accessed at http://www.vesid.nysed.gov/specialed/behavioral/proposedterms1106.htm
Hands off our school!
Date CapturedThursday November 16 2006, 4:55 AM
NY Daily News reports on plans to tear down an upper East Side [New York City], "Supporters say the building, once known as Julia Rikers for its dangerous reputation, has reinvented itself as a home for six notable schools, including a performing arts high school, a school for autistic children and a school created to serve children of people who work in the area. Their objections were highlighted yesterday by Daily News columnist Juan Gonzalez.."
ELECTION AFTERMATH AMERICA: WHAT’S AT STAKE
Date CapturedSunday November 12 2006, 11:05 AM
San Francisco Chronicle reports, "Bottom line: The Democrats say the Republican Congress underfunded No Child Left Behind by $15 billion this year, and that the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act calls for the federal government to pay for 40 percent of states' special education costs. Currently, federal funding is at less than 20 percent."
Massachusetts preschool initiative smart business move
Date CapturedSaturday November 11 2006, 8:09 AM
The Republican opined, "Nobel laureate James J. Heckman argues that early intervention for disadvantaged children promotes staying in school, raises the quality of the workforce, enhances the productivity of schools and has the effect of reducing crime, teen pregnancy and dependence on welfare. And a Chicago study concluded that every dollar spent on early childhood education yields a return of $7 in higher taxes on earnings and lower expenditures on welfare, prisons, crime and special education."
Children Enrolled by Their Parents in Private Schools
Date CapturedFriday November 10 2006, 8:34 AM
The reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was signed into law on Dec. 3, 2004, by President George W. Bush. The provisions of the Act became effective on July 1, 2005, with the exception of some of the elements pertaining to the definition of a “highly qualified teacher” that took effect upon the signing of the Act. The final regulations were published on August 14, 2006. This is one in a series of documents, prepared by the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) in the U.S. Department of Education that covers a variety of high-interest topics and brings together the regulatory requirements related to those topics to support constituents in preparing to implement the new regulations. This document addresses significant changes from preexisting regulations to the final regulatory requirements regarding children enrolled by their parents in private schools.
Provision of Special Education Services to Parentally Placed Nonpublic Elementary and Secondary School Students with Disabilities
Date CapturedFriday November 10 2006, 8:28 AM
Provision of Special Education Services for the 2007-08 school year: The public school district where the nonpublic school is located must begin to develop procedures for the evaluation and provision of special education services to students with disabilities enrolled in nonpublic schools located in their district for the 2007-08 school year in accordance with the new federal regulations. In this process, the school district must consult with nonpublic school representatives and representatives of parents of parentally placed private school students with disabilities for nonpublic schools located within the boundaries of the school district. Additional guidance will be issued upon further changes to State law.
From the Desk of Jean C. Stevens, Interim Deputy Commissioner, New York State Education Department
Date CapturedFriday November 10 2006, 8:08 AM
ELA and Mathematics Results on the New York State Testing and Accountability Reporting Tool (nySTART): Beginning November 14, authorized users in schools and districts will be able to access parent reports for the grades 3-8 State assessments in mathematics using nySTART. Beginning November 13, files containing the mathematics parent reports will be distributed to Regional Information Centers and the Big 5 school districts. If your district has contracted with a Regional Information Center or BOCES to print the reports, please contact them for information about the printing and distribution schedule. Information about interpreting student scores, particularly the standard performance indices, is available at http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/irts/nystart/2006/InterpretingStudentScores_files/frame.htm. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Accountability Verification: On November 14, school districts and charter schools will have access to two sets of reports allowing them to verify student data that will be used to determine each district’s and school’s accountability status at the elementary and middle levels for the 2006-07 school year. Each school superintendent, school principal, and staff member with account administrator privileges can access these reports through nySTART, using their personal UserIDs and passwords. The deadline for submitting data changes to your district’s Regional Information Center or Level 1 Repository operator is November 20. More information about the verification process is available at http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/irts/nystart/. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Essential Elements Schools to Watch: New York State is one of 14 states that has joined Schools to Watch, a national recognition program developed by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform. In New York, seven schools were selected for the 2006 group of Schools to Watch by distinguishing themselves in academic excellence, developmental responsiveness, social equity and organization and structure. A list of the schools is available at http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/mle/news/schools2watch.htm. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Reminder of Annual AHERA Notifications to Employees and Parents: The federal Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) requires all schools to provide public notification regarding inspections and other activities related to asbestos. Schools must also make its asbestos management plan available for public inspection. For more information, go to http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/facplan/AHERA/aheranotifyreminder.htm. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VESID Update: National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS) and National Instructional Materials Access Center (NIMAC): Guidance regarding NIMAS and NIMAC, as required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, is now available at http://www.vesid.nysed.gov/specialed/publications/persprep/nimas.htm. NIMAC is designed to streamline access to instructional materials that meet the NIMAS standard for students who are blind or have other print disabilities. Please review and share as appropriate; a response is needed no later than November 30, 2006. Provision of Special Education Services to Parentally Placed Nonpublic Elementary and Secondary School Students with Disabilities: This memorandum, available at http://www.vesid.nysed.gov/specialed/publications/policy/ nonpublic.htm, informs school districts of their responsibilities to provide special education services to parentally placed nonpublic school students with disabilities for the 2006-07 school year. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Previous News and Notes: 10/27/06 10/20/06 10/6/06 11/09/2006
Chancellor Cites Favoritism at a New York School
Date CapturedSaturday November 04 2006, 7:31 AM
NY Times ELISSA GOOTMAN reports, "Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein said the school’s practices were a 'stark and different' example of the kind of favoritism that he has been trying to eliminate from the city’s array of coveted schools and gifted programs. Officials say an examination of the school’s most recent kindergarten admissions documents shows that school officials were looking not only at students’ performance, but also at how involved their parents were likely to be."
Help Negotiating Needs For Special-Ed Students
Date CapturedFriday November 03 2006, 9:16 AM
Washington Post reports, "Five school systems are testing a new state program designed to help parents and educators avoid the conflict that sometimes makes it difficult to develop education plans for students with special needs. The process of drafting an individual education program, or IEP -- a blueprint for what services and support a special education student needs to be successful -- often is contentious. Parents and educators sometimes disagree about what services a student needs."
A School-Bus Stop for 40,000 City Kids
Date CapturedFriday November 03 2006, 5:24 AM
NY Post David Andreatta writes, "'We want to spend money on schools rather than on buses that kids aren't taking, while also ensuring that every child who wants and is eligible for busing gets it,' said DOE spokesman David Cantor. 'This plan will achieve that.' Cantor noted that the department has made 16 attempts since June to notify parents of the new bus-registration requirement through letters sent home with kids, reminder e-mails to principals and press releases. The plan affects only general-education students, not special-ed kids."
Teachers' special-ed input sought
Date CapturedThursday November 02 2006, 9:42 AM
Buffalo News reports, "The effort to reform Buffalo's special-education system will involve input from teachers, School Superintendent James A. Williams said at Wednesday evening's Board of Education meeting. 'We will call on you to work with us,' Williams said of district staff members. 'It will not work unless we have input from the teachers.'"
Youth center cited again
Date CapturedThursday November 02 2006, 7:53 AM
Times Union reports, "Berkshire Farm residential center, the target of a 2005 investigation into staff beatings, sex abuse and drug dealing, is back under a microscope after an inspection found youngsters were allowed to fight each other and that their adult supervisors sometimes didn't show up for work. Among other things, the August review by the state Office of Children and Family Services found a 'five minute rule' in effect -- under which young boys were allowed five minutes to beat each other up before an adult intervened."
Differentiated Curriculum Enhancement in Inclusive Middle School Science: Effects on Classroom and High-Stakes Tests
Date CapturedWednesday November 01 2006, 3:16 PM
By Mastropieri, Margo A; Scruggs, Thomas E; Norland, Jennifer J; Berkeley, Sheri; Et al. Researchers find, "The present investigation supports the effectiveness of using differentiated learning activities with peer partners in middle school inclusive science classes, not only on content posttests, but also on high-stakes end-of-year tests. When using peermediation combined with differentiated science activities, students appear to learn more content than when taught more traditionally, without peer- mediated learning activities."
Speaker: Autism not epidemic
Date CapturedWednesday November 01 2006, 7:14 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports, "Classification of autism spectrum disorders became more specific in 1992, 1994 and 2000. Also, the federal government made autism a developmental disability eligible for special-education services in the early 1990s. Nevertheless, Yeargin-Allsopp [specialist in pediatric neurodevelopmental disabilities] said, 'we cannot say this represents an epidemic.'"
Washington state special-ed financing goes before court
Date CapturedTuesday October 31 2006, 7:25 AM
Seattle Times reports, "The lawsuit was filed two years ago and is just now coming to trial. Twelve districts formed the School Districts' Alliance and headed to the courthouse after talks with the Legislature failed to produce adequate progress, said Spokane School District Superintendent Brian Benzel. The challenge has been supported by 72 other districts, collectively serving 62 percent of the state's children in special education."
At Gallaudet, Trustees Relent on Leadership
Date CapturedSunday October 29 2006, 11:52 PM
NY Times DIANA JEAN SCHEMO writes, "Surrendering to months of widening and unrelenting protests by students, faculty, alumni and advocates, the board of trustees of Gallaudet University, the nation’s premier university for the deaf, abandoned its choice of the institution’s next president."
Regents Propose State Aid Hike
Date CapturedSunday October 29 2006, 5:55 AM
Post-Journal reports, "Historically, four aids in particular have experienced significant increases as schools report their expenditures: building, transportation, public excess cost for special education and BOCES aids. As a result, the Regents eventual recommendation may vary by as much as $200 million. An update will be available in December. 'Student achievement has been improving, but we have far to go,’' said Robert M. Bennett, regents chancellor. 'To accelerate this progress, we must invest the funds our neediest children deserve so they can all get a good education. The Regents are urging full access to pre-kindergarten for all 4-year-olds. Our total state aid proposal offers a fair and sustainable solution to one of New York’s most critical issues.'’’
An education gap: Arizona scores higher
Date CapturedWednesday October 25 2006, 6:33 PM
East Valley Tribune reports, "Arizona Learns does not factor certain groups of students into its equations. The performance of some special education students doesn’t count, and neither does the performance of English learners who have been in the country for less than than three years."
The No Family Left Behind Amendment
Date CapturedWednesday October 25 2006, 7:59 AM
Seattle Times contributor Richard Slettvet, a special-education teacher working in the Edmonds School District opined, "Acknowledging the role that families play in the educational success of their children, Congress today enacted the No Family Left Behind (NFLB) Amendment to the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001. The NFLB will increase standards of accountability for Congress and the president to ensure that all families achieve high socioeconomic status (SES). Congressional districts that fail to achieve adequate yearly progress (AYP) will be subject to corrective action."
Public vs. Private: What's Better?
Date CapturedTuesday October 24 2006, 7:39 AM
Post-Standard reports, "'Education is the only realm where choices are pretty much tied to where one lives, but schools both public and private are very individual and there are wide variations,' said Margarita Mayo, an education policy specialist for the Business Council of New York State. 'The reasons for their choices are numerous and complicated.'"
Encampment at Rochester Institute of Technology's National Technical Institute backs Gallaudet protest
Date CapturedTuesday October 24 2006, 6:23 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports, "A smattering of students, in a show of solidarity with their peers at Gallaudet University, braved bitter winds and threatening skies Monday to set up a 'tent city' on the front lawn of Rochester Institute of Technology's National Technical Institute for the Deaf, where they camped out in protest of the hiring of Gallaudet's incoming president."
Therapy dogs help with reading lessons
Date CapturedTuesday October 24 2006, 5:09 AM
Times Union reports, "Research has shown that the non-threatening and nonjudgmental time with therapy dogs leads to increased reading scores and improved self-confidence. And Van Corlaer students who have had two therapy dog sessions are already showing improvement."
Children with, without special needs grow at the Stepping Stones Learning Center
Date CapturedSaturday October 21 2006, 8:05 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle guess essayist Mariellen Cupini, CEO, Stepping Stones Learning Center writes, "Each class is staffed by a core team of three: state-certified special education and regular education teachers and a classroom assistant. In addition, during the class, other teachers/therapists assist. These include speech, occupational, physical and music therapists, as well as social workers. While these professionals target the children who receive these services, the entire class benefits.."
Turmoil at Gallaudet Reflects Broader Debate
Date CapturedSaturday October 21 2006, 7:36 AM
NY Times DIANA JEAN SCHEMO writes, "Should Gallaudet be the standard bearer for the view that sees deafness not as a disability, but as an identity, and that looks warily on technology like cochlear implants, questioning how well they work and arguing that they undermine a strong deaf identity and pride? Or should Gallaudet embrace the possibilities of connecting with the hearing world that technology can offer?"
Standardized tests can send students who fail into tailspin
Date CapturedWednesday October 18 2006, 6:36 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle guest essayist Dan Drmacich, prinicipal School Without Walls, Rochester School District writes, "Students who are poor, who are from English-as-a-second-language families, who have special education needs, who desire to have a vocational education or who have unique interests or learning styles, have suffered under the one-size-fits-all Regents education process. Even those students who do well on Regents tests suffer because they are often denied the opportunities to focus their studies on areas of personal interest, citizenship and other lifelong-learning skills. Each person who agrees should voice his or her concerns to school district officials, state and federal representatives. Only through active citizenship can we create an education system that truly meets the needs of our students and our society."
Behind the Barriers at Gallaudet
Date CapturedSaturday October 14 2006, 3:16 PM
NPR reports, "What are the underlying reasons for the turbulent protests at Gallaudet University? At least two dozen people were arrested after three days of student demonstrations at the liberal arts college for the deaf in Washington, D.C." AUDIO LINK
Parents for Inclusive Education
Date CapturedFriday October 13 2006, 9:48 AM
Giving Gallaudet a Bad Name
Date CapturedFriday October 13 2006, 3:59 AM
Washington Post opined, "UNHAPPY WITH Gallaudet University's choice of a new president, students continued their blockade of the campus yesterday. Hundreds of students were being denied their college education. Elementary and high school students also were locked out of their Kendall Green schools, which share the campus. Every lost day of school for them is significant."
MIXED REVIEWS FOR BLENDING GENERAL AND SPECIAL-ED STUDENTS
Date CapturedThursday October 12 2006, 12:11 AM
Staten Island Advance reports, "While 75 school districts in New York were warned by the state last week that their work with special education students was deficient, the city Department of Education was singled out for having taken some positive steps. One of the most significant of those has been its determination in recent years to increase the number of classes that mix general and special education students -- known as Collaborative Team Teaching (CTT)."
Michigan plan on hold for special ed room policy
Date CapturedThursday October 12 2006, 12:06 AM
The Detroit News reports, "Seclusion -- or timeout -- rooms have been a hot button issue in the county [Livingston County, Michigan]since the agency's parent advisory committee discovered a 5-by-5- foot padded room during a tour of the new $5 million special education school, Pathway, last month. They said they were not told of the room during the planning sessions for the school."
District Charter Schools May Become Majority in 8 Years
Date CapturedTuesday October 10 2006, 8:21 AM
Epoch Times reports, "DC's charter schools and DCPS are serving similar and comparable populations of students. The students in charter schools in the District are 98% students of color (DCPS: 95%) and nearly three-fourths (74%) are low-income (DCPS: 61%). 90% of the students in charter schools are black compared to 84% in the DCPS."
Recreate New York high schools
Date CapturedMonday October 09 2006, 7:31 AM
The Journal News writes, "Today's students can't wait decades for high school to become meaningful schooling — it has to be aggressively restructured now. With tougher standards, expanding curriculum and new technology demands in their faces, that means high-schoolers should be supported in taking five, even six years to earn high school diplomas — including those who aren't classified 'special-ed' or pegged as English-learners. And bright or otherwise gifted students should be allowed opportunities to graduate in less than four years."
Alternative Buffalo school called 'explosive'
Date CapturedSaturday October 07 2006, 2:55 PM
Buffalo News reports, "Shortages in staffing, security, supplies and instruction have created an "explosive situation" at Buffalo's new alternative school for troubled students, the president of the Buffalo Teachers Federation has charged."
Five Buffalo area districts draw warnings on special ed
Date CapturedFriday October 06 2006, 10:28 AM
Buffalo News reports, "Lake Shore also has begun hand-delivering invitations to high school students to attend the annual special education committee meeting that evaluates their situation. That likely will help students in their transition out of high school, because they will be involved in the process leading up to it, Capell [director of special education] said."
Five Buffalo area districts draw warnings on special ed
Date CapturedFriday October 06 2006, 10:28 AM
Buffalo News reports, "Lake Shore also has begun hand-delivering invitations to high school students to attend the annual special education committee meeting that evaluates their situation. That likely will help students in their transition out of high school, because they will be involved in the process leading up to it, Capell [director of special education] said."
Ithaca Central School District on state special education-improvement list
Date CapturedFriday October 06 2006, 7:16 AM
The Ithaca Journal reports, "McEnery [director of special education] said the state's graduation numbers also may not give the whole picture. 'They're talking about students who achieved a local or Regents diploma,' she said. 'It does not include students that graduated in five years, it does not include students who exited with a special education diploma and it does not include students who completed the requirements for a GED.'”
Plattsburgh City School students with disabilities not meeting standards, report says
Date CapturedFriday October 06 2006, 6:55 AM
The Press-Republican reports, "Plattsburgh City School officials were not surprised by Thursday's report. 'The report is based on 2004-05 data of which the district not only was aware of but had already begun taking measures to address issues a year ago,' Short [Plattsburgh City School Superintendent] said. 'Throughout this past summer a team of teachers have further worked on a Gap Closing Committee specifically created to address district needs.'"
Not good enough for special needs kids
Date CapturedFriday October 06 2006, 6:46 AM
The Journal News reports, on East Ramapo's designation, "East Ramapo has long been identified as a struggling school district with student scores among the lowest in Rockland. It is Rockland's only district considered an urban/suburban school district because of its high percentage of children eligible to receive free- or reduced-price lunch and with limited English proficiency, both hallmarks of poverty. The newly released list contains a large proportion of schools with poor scores for all students and many large urban districts that long have struggled with poverty-related problems."
Report: Special education lags in 4 districts
Date CapturedFriday October 06 2006, 6:29 AM
The Poughkeepsie Journal reports, "Students with disabilities aren't doing as well as they should be in four Dutchess County school districts, so state education officials said they'll be stepping in to help." Poughkeepsie students with disabilities had the second lowest reported graduation rate in the state.
8 mid-Hudson schools on notice
Date CapturedFriday October 06 2006, 6:19 AM
The Times Herald-Record reports, "The state [New York] has promised to provide special-education experts to help local districts. School districts stand to lose federal funds if they fail to make progress."
$11.6 Million in Grants Awarded for Highly Qualified Special Education Teachers, Early Intervention Personnel
Date CapturedThursday October 05 2006, 5:52 PM
The money will also be used to train specialists in early intervention and other aspects of services for students with disabilities, recognizing that the earlier children can be identified as being in need of services, the greater the likelihood they can reach their education potential.
75 New York School Districts Identified for Low Performance Among Students with Disabilities
Date CapturedThursday October 05 2006, 5:46 PM
New York State Education Department Press Release: The State Education Department has identified 75 school districts as “In Need of Assistance or Intervention” because of low performance among students with disabilities, Commissioner Richard Mills announced today.
New Jersey property tax committee plans to tackle special ed
Date CapturedWednesday October 04 2006, 8:13 AM
The Daily Journal reports, "Proposals from the state panel on school-funding reform will focus on reducing the number of special-education students sent to expensive private schools, said committee co-chairman Sen. John Adler. But containing special-education costs is so complex that Pennsylvania and several other states have decided there is no suitable way to figure it out, noted Thomas Parrish of the Washington, D.C.-based American Institutes for Research. They instead rely on other factors such as a district's size and poverty."
Teaching preschoolers is good for everybody
Date CapturedTuesday October 03 2006, 7:41 AM
The Denver Post reports, "Researchers have solidly documented what happens to children who do not get mental, physical and environmental stimulation during those crucial early years: Their cognitive skills are woefully inadequate, and they wind up behind in first grade. That is where the education gap first appears between poor and wealthy children. As taxpayers, we pay for a public school education system that starts too late."
Buffalo alternative school off to a rough start
Date CapturedThursday September 28 2006, 12:33 PM
Buffalo News reports, "'These are youngsters who have not had success, period,' he [Superintendent] said. 'These are 17, 16 years old and they have some serious problems embedded in their personalities. They don't know right from wrong.' Teachers at the school are devoted and hard-working, but have not yet received proper training, Collier [associate superintendent for student support services] said."
Autism and Special Education Law
Date CapturedWednesday September 27 2006, 10:29 PM
Marshfield Mariner reports, "The Marshfield School District has noted increased numbers of children diagnosed with ASD, and it is important that parents of children with ASD learn as much as they can about ASD and how to help the schools help their children."
Data Proposals Threaten Education and Civil Rights Accountability
Date CapturedWednesday September 27 2006, 8:14 AM
The Civil Rights Project at Harvard University concludes, "Data tracing trends over time is, of course, a central requirement of the No Child Left Behind Act, essential for judging compliance with various civil rights court orders, and required by the special education law. In some states, the change will make it appear that individual racial groups suddenly are performing substantially better or worse on some achievement tests even when nothing has changed about actual test results. One must not confuse the increases and losses in proficiency levels with actual achievement. In fact, policymakers would do well to be wary that the proposed guidelines do not result in unfair and arbitrary sanctions on schools and districts since the changes do not reflect actual improvements or losses in achievement levels."Lee, C. and Orfield, G. (2006). Data Proposals Threaten Education and Civil Rights Accountability. Cambridge, MA: The Civil Rights Project at Harvard University.
New York City Schools Even Odds for Gifted Kids
Date CapturedTuesday September 26 2006, 4:49 AM
NY Post David Andreatta reports on a uniform application procedure for gifted children, "Citing an unreliable hodgepodge of selection criteria that varied from school to school and district to district, Schools Chancellor Joel Klein said that a standardized system would ensure equity."
'No Child Left Behind' commission
Date CapturedMonday September 25 2006, 6:10 AM
Herald Tribune reports, "States have widely different standards for how they are measuring school progress under the law, and testing can be skewed by students with disabilities and those whose first language isn't English. 'Most groups felt they were not fully involved with writing the initial legislation, so now they want to have their say,' said Jack Jennings, director of the Center for Education Policy."
Education goal is unrealistic
Date CapturedMonday September 25 2006, 6:02 AM
Kim Littel, director of pupil services for Viroqua Area School, Wisconsin, writes, "Two questions need to be considered when dealing with NCLB re-authorization: Will improving test scores reduce our prison population? Will improving test scores make people more successful in life?"
Range of symptoms define ADHD
Date CapturedSunday September 24 2006, 9:46 AM
Poughkeepsie Journal reports, "It is estimated between 3 percent and 5 percent of children have ADHD. Unfortunately, when overlooked, children can go on to have difficulties with academics and peer relationships. Additionally, a minority of individuals with ADHD are at higher risk for oppositional behaviors, low self-esteem, mood or anxiety disorders and substance abuse. It becomes important to assess for ADHD early on."
Beacon Club advocates for disabled students at University of Louisiana
Date CapturedSunday September 24 2006, 9:05 AM
"'I didn't know about these services until the end of my freshmen year,' he [student] said. 'It makes a difference to take a test in a distraction-free environment. Before I was taking a test in an environment with 30 to 100 students. It adds a different level of stress when you have a condition like ADHD.' Through the Services for Students with Disabilities office, he's able to have extra time to take his tests in a quiet environment."
That's Edu-tainment
Date CapturedSaturday September 23 2006, 8:16 AM
NY Daily News reports on a New York City children's museum, "The museum has just launched a first-of-its-kind interactive Playworks exhibit that focuses on ­early childhood learning. Designed for children from infancy to age 4 and catering also to blind and hearing-impaired children, the focus is on 'earning through play.'" The Children's Museum of Manhattan is at the Tisch Building, 212 W. 83rd St., (212) 721-1223.
New York Reading Skills Drop After 5th Grade
Date CapturedThursday September 21 2006, 3:30 PM
NY Times DAVID M. HERSZENHORN reports, "The pattern of success in elementary school but failure in the middle grades, while hardly new, offered the most pessimistic assessment yet of New York State’s chances of meeting the goal of the No Child Left Behind law, which seeks 100 percent proficiency in reading and math among all categories of students by the 2013-14 school year, or even of a more realistic target of 80 percent proficiency for students without special needs."
'Dangerous' special ed controversy
Date CapturedThursday September 21 2006, 4:57 AM
NY Daily News reports, "Parent leaders and educators are steamed about a state list that labels three special education schools in Queens 'persistently dangerous.' They charge the report is inaccurate and has needlessly upset parents."
A transformation for special ed: Need to account for language and cultural differences
Date CapturedWednesday September 20 2006, 11:00 PM
The Arizona Republic reports, "The push for accountability in public schools, coupled with increasing numbers of English-language learners, has put a squeeze on those who work in one of the most demanding, stressful career fields."
Area New York BOCES play key role in ensuring no child is left behind
Date CapturedWednesday September 20 2006, 6:18 AM
The Journal News reports on changes at BOCES, "The biggest changes began about five years ago, when the federal education law dubbed 'No Child Left Behind' took effect. The law, among other things, required that schools provide highly qualified teachers, demanded that states create English and math accountability tests for all children from third through eighth grades and insisted that special-needs students be given the same academic tests as other students."
The schoolyard bully
Date CapturedTuesday September 19 2006, 12:16 PM
Dick Iannuzzi, President, New York State United Teachers writes, "President Bush and his supporters in Congress have used NCLB as a weapon to punish schools instead of as a tool to improve them. Now they've turned that weapon on children with disabilities and children trying to learn English and adapt to a new culture." Iannuzzi additionally criticizes New York State Education Department (SED).
Special ed poses a challenge
Date CapturedMonday September 18 2006, 12:18 PM
Buffalo News opined on special education, "The problem is this: While virtually all students in special ed need help, not all of them need this help. Some may merely need remedial instruction, for example - help that should certainly be provided, but not in the expensive, bureaucratic context of special education."
Battling Alaska youth gangs at the source
Date CapturedMonday September 18 2006, 9:02 AM
Anchorage Daily News reports, "Anchorage is furious about escalating youth violence and gang crimes and wants something done about it."
In New Jersey, a Community Divided
Date CapturedSunday September 17 2006, 9:35 PM
NY Times reports, "The state’s findings made no mention of religion, but the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, which made the initial complaint to the state, did. It said that the school catered to the Orthodox, who rarely send their children to school with those who are not Orthodox. This summer, when the State Department of Education ordered the district to correct the special-education disparity and the district appealed the order to the education commissioner, a big rift in Lakewood grew bigger. It is a rift that has deepened in recent years as a group that once had little to do with public institutions began to join them, electing its members to a majority of school board seats and two of the five township committee seats."
D.C. Parents Oppose Special-Ed 'Inclusion': Disabled Would Suffer, Critics Say
Date CapturedSunday September 17 2006, 10:21 AM
The Washington Post reports on Washington, D.C. schools and special education inclusion, "D.C. School Superintendent Clifford B. Janey plans to return about 2,000 disabled students in private schools to the public system and close four special-education centers, moves aimed at saving money by integrating the children into the general education population. His proposal, released last week and already drawing fire, is included in a $2.3 billion, 15-year master facilities plan to upgrade the system. The master plan calls for renovating 121 schools and closing 19."
Parental consent form one of many special education changes
Date CapturedFriday September 15 2006, 10:54 PM
The Wilton Villager reports on 2004 reauthorization of the national Individuals with Disabilities Education Act [IDEA] changes, "The teacher is required to change his or her teaching style, slow down, work in small groups and work one on one with the child before having the student evaluated for special education services."
IDEA 2004 Regulations -- Schedule of Community Meetings -- Sept. 26, 2006 -- Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2006.
Date CapturedFriday September 15 2006, 8:00 PM
To provide the public with an overview of the regulations, OSERS [Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services] will be hosting a series of community-based public meetings. These public meetings will serve two major purposes. First, the meetings will provide the public with an opportunity to learn about the major concepts and principle changes in the new regulations. Second, the meetings will serve as a mechanism for the public to learn about and obtain some of the many resources and supports available from OSERS to assist in the implementation of these regulations. A list of the meetings sites, and available information on the locations and times that have been finalized can be accessed through link. Please check regularly for updates on meeting locations and times as they become available. The reception will be followed by a presentation about the regulations, which will include a taped welcome from Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, information about the regulations and the Web site, as well as an opportunity to ask questions about the regulations and OSERS' implementation plans. Meeting are scheduled between Sept. 26, 2006 and Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2006.
Buffalo special education program a "major problem'
Date CapturedThursday September 14 2006, 11:04 AM
Buffalo News reports, "Williams [superintendent] said his staff is preparing to seek bids from outside consultants to assess the system and make recommendations for reform. He did not set a timetable, but called special education his "No. 1 priority" now that a three-year academic improvement plan is taking hold. About 20 percent of Buffalo's students have special education designation, far more than other local school districts and one of the highest rates in the state."
289 Philadelphia children take taxi to school - to tune of $15,000 a year each
Date CapturedThursday September 14 2006, 9:22 AM
Philadelphia Daily News reports, "Of the 289 students who receive taxicab service, 259 of them get special-education services for medical, emotional or other reasons."
Clinton County hit with huge state ed bill
Date CapturedThursday September 14 2006, 7:34 AM
Press Republican reports, "The county must come up with more than $300,000 immediately to satisfy a bill from the State Department of Education for pre-school special education services. Some of the charges go back to 2004."
Texas Extension Program Helps Prepare Special-Needs Students for Life After High School
Date CapturedWednesday September 13 2006, 1:21 PM
Texas A&M University AgNews reports, "The program, funded through the Texas Education Agency, is designed to assist career and technology teachers – formerly known as vocational teachers – who are working with students with special needs, primarily in high school, he [Dr. Rick Peterson, Extension parenting specialist and project director] said."
Binghamtom High School still needs improvement
Date CapturedWednesday September 13 2006, 7:20 AM
Press & Sun-Bulletin reports, "While most subgroups made adequate progress for the 2005-06 year, students with disabilities did not, Cahill [assistant superintendent of instruction] said. Cahill outlined several strategies to raise scores, including giving teachers more training to help students with disabilities, providing programs for students not reading at grade level and helping educators teach reading in various subjects."
Eleven More New York City schools Fail to Meet State Criteria
Date CapturedWednesday September 13 2006, 1:42 AM
NY Times reports, "The designations mean that students in the schools, including a Manhattan charter school, two schools for recent immigrants, in Manhattan and Queens, which are open only to students with limited English skills, and a Brooklyn school that has won wide acclaim for its work with students at serious risk of dropping out, now have the right to ask for a transfer to a better school."
Illinois state's plan to raise special ed limit questioned
Date CapturedTuesday September 12 2006, 11:06 PM
Chicago Sun Times KATE N. GROSSMAN Education Reporter writes, "A proposal to raise the limit on special needs students in general education classrooms from 30 to 40 percent under certain circumstances and to do away with special education labels is raising red flags for some advocates and the state's [Illinois] largest teachers union."
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA SCHOOL DISTRICT SEEKS SURROGATE PARENTS
Date CapturedMonday September 11 2006, 11:11 PM
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) reports, "Special education students are in need of San Franciscans who are willing to volunteer their time to be 'surrogate parents,' according to the San Francisco Unified School District."
Oregon disabled students' tests jettisoned
Date CapturedMonday September 11 2006, 8:17 AM
The Oregonian reports, "Oregon is being forced to scrap tests given to some disabled students because the tests do not meet the requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act."
White Plains to discuss school bond proposal and property taxes
Date CapturedMonday September 11 2006, 6:05 AM
THE JOURNAL NEWS reports, "'I understand things need to be fixed, but I don't believe that it's a hazardous building, and I don't believe that what they're adding is what the school system needs,' said Charles Lederman, a resident who served on a district budget committee when the plan was under consideration last year. Lederman said the Post Road School plan merely 'spends close to $40 million to make a beautiful, modern schoolhouse that will look very nice in real estate brochures.'"
Race, Poverty and Special Education
Date CapturedSunday September 10 2006, 10:58 PM
Connect for Kids reprints National Academies editorial by Christopher Cross, senior fellow at the Center on Education Policy, "To make sure that minority students who are poorly prepared for school are not assigned to special education solely for that reason, teachers should be required to first provide them with effective instruction and social support in mainstream classrooms before considering special ed."
Proposed federal cuts hurt Illinois special education
Date CapturedSunday September 10 2006, 3:13 AM
The Southern Illinois reports, "'Without these funds, school districts will not be able to financially provide the mandated services such as nursing services, social work and speech therapy to low-income students in special education,' said Glenn [coordinates federally funded administrative outreach program]. 'The loss of these funds will cause special education students as well as regular education students to suffer.'"
Michigan’s Big Property Tax Cut, and the Lessons It Has for New Jersey
Date CapturedSunday September 10 2006, 2:01 AM
NY Times RICHARD G. JONES writes, "Some elements resembling parts of Michigan’s solution have already been suggested in Trenton. For instance, at the start of the special legislative session, Gov. Jon S. Corzine proposed a cap of 4 percent on the annual increase in property tax rates. In many towns, the rate has climbed nearly twice that in one year. And while legislators have also discussed reducing the state’s reliance on property taxes to pay for public schools — last year, $10.8 billion, or 55 percent, of the state’s $19.6 billion property tax levy was used for education — no legislator has at this point suggested a change as drastic as the one in Michigan."
New York State School Boards Association (NYSSBA) on charter schools
Date CapturedThursday September 07 2006, 2:25 PM
Letter from NYSSBA executive director Timothy Kremer to New York State Board of Regents Chancellor Robert Bennett on charter schools accountability, "Article 56 off the Education Law compels the Board of Regents to review 'the educational effectiveness of the charter school approach and the effect of charter schools on public and nonpublic schools systems.' Regrettably, the State Education Department’s recently released annual report on the status of charter schools fails to illuminate whether this strategy is working."
Local New Jersey NAACP reacts to racial school probe
Date CapturedThursday September 07 2006, 8:59 AM
Asbury Park Press reports, "The ACLU contends there was a pattern of segregation in how Lakewood refers special-education preschoolers to out-of-district schools."
Arizona State School Superintendent Tom Horne gives local educators his views on state of schools
Date CapturedThursday September 07 2006, 8:40 AM
Sierra Vista Herald reports on NCLB, "Horne said the feds changed the rules in the middle of the game, setting more schools up for “failure” — a word he eschews — in three ways: by giving English language learners only one year to pass the AIMS tests in English, instead of the original three years; by dismissing adaptive assistance to testing of special education students, essentially throwing them out of the count; and by adding more grade levels in computation of total scores."
Two Catholic schools open Newburgh
Date CapturedThursday September 07 2006, 6:36 AM
Times Herald reports, "Both schools are organized around the San Miguel Academy model — a type of Catholic school introduced to American inner cities in the 1970s. As Catholic schools around the country have become more expensive, the San Miguel academies are a return to the church's tradition of educating America's immigrants and the poor."
Taking a byte at teaching
Date CapturedThursday September 07 2006, 4:44 AM
NY Daily News reports, "Martin, 35, is one of 1,700 new recruits in the city's Teaching Fellow program - a joint effort of the Department of Education, the United Federation of Teachers and local universities and schools. The program, which started in 2000, trains professionals and recent graduates to teach subjects with a shortage of teachers, such as math, science and special education. There are now 7,000 teaching fellows."
School officials tell New Jersey state panel funding has led to efficiency
Date CapturedWednesday September 06 2006, 9:36 PM
Press of Atlantic City DIANE D'AMICO writes, "Special education costs are such a large concern the committee plans a special hearing just on that topic."
Arizona educators see NCLB as good but cumbersome
Date CapturedWednesday September 06 2006, 1:17 PM
Eastern Arizona Courier reports, "As a group, the school administrators also conveyed the message that there needs to be better communication between federal and state education agencies and between those agencies and the public schools."
Regents urged to stop shocks
Date CapturedWednesday September 06 2006, 5:55 AM
Times Union Rick Karlin reports, "In addition to shock treatment, the regulations would govern the use of noxious sprays, withholding food, physical restraints and isolation rooms as ways to control mentally ill or disturbed youngsters. Such practices are unregulated by the Education Department, but the agency spends millions of dollars a year to send children to special schools, many of which are out of state, that have used some of these techniques."
Editorial: The nation's learning curve
Date CapturedTuesday September 05 2006, 6:16 AM
The Journal News opined on special education, "Among the high-profile changes in Congress' 2004 reforms now taking effect: States can no longer use the discrepancy formula as the sole reason for rejecting a child as learning disabled. Actually, New York's regulations have said for years that the formula's use was not required; in fact, if it was used, it couldn't be the sole determinant of learning difficulties. However, hundreds of appeals by parents to the state's education commissioners reveal widespread use of the practice by districts. No more. Under the new regulations, no state or district can rely solely on the discrepancy canard. Parents fighting for services for their children should know that."
Special ed is honcho's priority
Date CapturedTuesday September 05 2006, 4:30 AM
NY Daily News reports on NYC schools chancellor for teaching and learning, "'I'd like to see a sharp increase in the number of kids in inclusive settings,' he [Andres Alonso] said. 'We know that the kids that we see in inclusive settings are outperforming kids in more restrictive environments.' He also hopes to improve achievement for bilingual students, particularly those who come to city schools as teens. But he, added, increasing the graduation rate is 'our greatest challenge.'"
New Hampshire begins recruiting future special ed teachers
Date CapturedMonday September 04 2006, 11:02 AM
AP reports, "The program is aimed at middle, high school and college students and others who may be interested in a career change. The state is looking for specialists to work with students with disabilities."
Plan to end Medicaid reimbursements for special education services criticized
Date CapturedFriday September 01 2006, 11:17 AM
Healthcare News reports, "According to Durbin [Sen.] and Davis [Rep.], the plan, part of the fiscal year 2007 budget proposals announced earlier this year by President Bush, would reduce Medicaid reimbursements to schools nationwide by a combined $650 million. In addition, the plan would require school districts to obtain permission from parents to receive Medicaid reimbursements each time they provide medical services to disabled students."
CALIFORNIA API AND AYP SCORES RELEASED TODAY HIGHLIGHT API’S FLAWS AS A SCHOOL ACCOUNTABILITY MEASUREMENT
Date CapturedThursday August 31 2006, 7:36 PM
California Business for Education Excellence (CBEE) again denounced the state’s Academic Performance Index (API) today as failing to accurately report student academic achievement and hold schools accountable. “The API growth targets are minimal, the scoring is confusing, and worst of all there is no accountability linkage to subgroup API scores making it much more likely that ethnic minority students, disadvantaged students and English Language Learners will continue to fall through the cracks,” said Jim Lanich, Ph.D., president, CBEE.
Education Secretary Spellings: No Child act needs no changes
Date CapturedWednesday August 30 2006, 6:16 PM
AP reports, "Spellings said her job is to present Congress with good data to help lawmakers do their job. She said she is open-minded about ways to improve the law. But when asked if she meant the law is truly '99.9 percent' close to working properly, she said, 'I think it is that close.'"
Hyde Park district appeals special ed ruling
Date CapturedTuesday August 29 2006, 8:18 AM
Poughkeepsie Journal reports, "The parents, identified under confidentiality rules as Frank G. and Dianne G., disagreed in 2001 with the district's special education committee that the special needs of their son, Anthony, could be met in a regular classroom setting at Ralph R. Smith Elementary School — with the assistance of a full-time aide and other additional services. After writing the district to dispute his placement, the parents in August 2001 placed their son in Upton Lake Christian School in Clinton Corners. The Hyde Park district later refused to reimburse the parents $3,660 in Upton Lake tuition."
More Arizona schools miss performance measure
Date CapturedMonday August 28 2006, 9:56 PM
AP reports, "However, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne said the increase is due to new rule changes by the Bush administration, not diminished performance by Arizona students. Horne cited changes in federal rules dealing with English-learning students, accommodations for special education students and the counting of more grades' test results."
2007 VESID State Plan Virtual Public Meeting
Date CapturedFriday August 25 2006, 6:31 PM
As part of the Vocational Rehabilitation State Plan development, VESID is seeking public comment on achieving high quality employment outcomes. Discussion will focus on transition, postsecondary education, and individual plan for employment (IEP) development.
Most parents are not in conflict with special education in school districts
Date CapturedFriday August 25 2006, 8:45 AM
Times Union Op-Ed TIMOTHY G. KREMER, Executive Director, NYS School Boards Association responds to Marc Brandt's commentary, "Let's not forget that the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act requires that parents be integrally involved in program decisions regarding their children from the outset. They bring their perspectives and insights to a meeting of the professionals who make up the rest of the district committee on special education. Together they decide on an appropriate education program for the child. IDEA forbids considerations of cost from entering into the decisions despite the fact that special education costs are rising faster than other education costs."
Assistance to States for the Education of Children With Disabilities and Preschool Grants for Children With Disabilities
Date CapturedThursday August 24 2006, 11:20 AM
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Department of Education: The Secretary issues final regulations governing the Assistance to States for Education of Children with Disabilities Program and the Preschool Grants for Children with Disabilities Program. These regulations are needed to implement changes made to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, as amended by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (Act or IDEA). DATES: These regulations take effect on October 13, 2006.
City slapped in special ed lawsuit
Date CapturedThursday August 24 2006, 7:52 AM
NY Daily News reports on class-action lawsuit charging special education children are cheated out of services when disputes erupt, "A lawyer who has represented parents of special education students but is uninvolved with the lawsuit agreed that the hearings are an obstacle, particularly for those who can't afford lawyers."
Student Financing of Undergraduate Education: 2003–04 With a Special Analysis of the Net Price of Attendance and Federal Education Tax Benefits Statistical Analysis Report
Date CapturedWednesday August 23 2006, 3:35 PM
This NCES report provides detailed information about undergraduate tuition and total price of attendance at various types of institutions, the percentage of students receiving various types of financial aid, and the average amounts that they received. Berkner, L., and Wei, C.C. (2006). Student Financing of Undergraduate Education: 2003–04, With a Special Analysis of the Net Price of Attendance and Federal Education Tax Benefits (NCES 2006-186). U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics.
Mandated tutoring leaves some New Jersey special ed students behind
Date CapturedWednesday August 23 2006, 2:38 PM
Daily Record reports, "In suburban districts, including several in Morris County, schools are facing sanctions under No Child Left Behind because of students with disabilities scoring poorly on standardized tests. Yet these students are not necessarily economically disadvantaged and can't tap into the help offered under the federal Title I law."
State's list of dangerous schools grows: Berkshire Farm, Philip Livingston Magnet among 23 targeted after comptroller's critical audit
Date CapturedWednesday August 23 2006, 8:25 AM
Times Union reports, "Under the federal No Child Left Behind law, parents are supposed to be able to transfer their children out of a dangerous school if another school in their district has room to enroll them. Mills said that releasing the data Tuesday, about two weeks before the new school year starts, should give parents time to seek alternatives. For many parents and students, though, alternative schools are filled up. Students attending Berkshire's school are doing so under court order."
CLASS-KICKERS: 'DANGEROUS' SCHOOLS SOAR - AND N.Y. MAY BE LOWBALLING COUNT
Date CapturedWednesday August 23 2006, 8:00 AM
NY Post DAVID ANDREATTA and LEONARD GREENE report, "'Since the school system no longer shares incident data, no one really knows the true state of safety in our schools,' said United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten. 'But we do know that having only 14 [city] schools on the 'persistently dangerous' list doesn't make sense.'"
Majority Of State's Most Dangerous Schools Are In New York City
Date CapturedTuesday August 22 2006, 4:35 PM
NY1 reports, "Eleven of them (persistently dangerous) are schools for special education students and city sources say those schools are usually exempt from list."
Therapy ban's repeal sought: Controversial treatment is best hope for some severely disturbed children, lawsuit says
Date CapturedTuesday August 22 2006, 9:12 AM
Times Union reports, "The litigants claim the panel of experts assembled by the state Education Department to explore the matter was biased and inexperienced. The state's decision not only hamstrings what some believe is an often miraculous therapy, but also violates the students' rights to an appropriate public education and equal protection under the law."
Alabama Child Find program searching for children with special needs
Date CapturedMonday August 21 2006, 4:40 PM
The Brewton Standard reports, "The Child Find program is a direct result of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part B of 2004. Brewton City Schools as well as Escambia County Schools participate in this program."
Metro Nashville grad rates rise by technicality: Schools count summer finishes for first time
Date CapturedSunday August 20 2006, 6:34 PM
The Tennessean reports, "Metro Schools Director Pedro Garcia said the district has ramped up efforts to reduce dropouts. Some initiatives include help transitioning from middle to high school, support for struggling freshmen and classes that allow students to recover failed classes or pick up basic skills. 'Our grad rate is our number one goal,' Garcia said. Tennessee, along with many other states, was able to get special permission from the U.S. Department of Education to insert a one-year lag in the graduation rates."
Tennessee scores point to problems in grad rates, special ed
Date CapturedSunday August 20 2006, 2:47 PM
The Tennessean reports, "Recently released test scores show that school systems here and across the state [Tennessee] must focus on getting more students to graduate on time with a regular diploma and boosting the skills of students diagnosed with learning and other disabilities."
Suburban Ohio schools also home to test gap: Affluent districts now face disparities that some urban districts have overcome
Date CapturedSunday August 20 2006, 2:36 PM
The Columbus Dispatch reports, "The disparity in achievement was hidden until recent years, Hall [senior policy analyst at Washington-based Education Trust] said, when the federal No Child Left Behind law began making all schools report how their minority, special-education and immigrant students are faring."
Looking beyond textbook learning: Upstate educators urged to embrace innovation at Saint Rose institute
Date CapturedSaturday August 19 2006, 8:21 AM
Times Union reports on seminar, "He [Noguera] is considered by many to be one of the nation's most important voices on education reform and diversity. The institute, formed last year with a $1.6 million federal grant, trains educators to better deal with modern issues affecting schools. Much of Noguera's address focused on creating a solid environment for teaching in urban areas, especially when dealing with low-income and special education students, as well as those who do not speak English. Teachers and administrators, especially in urban school districts, must work hard to create strong relationships with students to interest them in learning, he said."
New Hampshire charter school for disabled pupils proposed
Date CapturedFriday August 18 2006, 8:53 PM
AP reports, "Bevill hopes money earmarked for special education services could be pooled to pay for the public school."
Special education students tax New Jersey districts
Date CapturedThursday August 17 2006, 10:41 AM
North Jersey.com reports, "School districts in North Jersey are increasingly finding creative solutions to reduce the cost of sending special education students out-of-district, mostly to private schools, as the number of special education students grows -- especially those who are autistic."
Veto harms state's special education students
Date CapturedThursday August 17 2006, 8:01 AM
Times Union Op-Ed contributor Marc Brandt, executive director of NYSARC Inc. opined "Gov. George Pataki's veto of legislation to return the burden of proof in special education hearings to school districts strikes a heavy blow against New York state's most vulnerable families and their children."
Binghamton graduation rates show big gains: Rates up for blacks, impoverished students
Date CapturedWednesday August 16 2006, 5:53 PM
Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin reports, "But the performance of students with disabilities remains a concern, said Mary Cahill, assistant superintendent for instruction. Not only did their graduation rate remain below 50 percent, they failed to meet state targets on the English and math Regents exams. Right now, special education is the group where the district has the most problems, Cahill said."
Critics bash Hawaii weighted student school funding plan
Date CapturedWednesday August 16 2006, 9:01 AM
Star Bulletin reports on weighted student school funding, "A pair of education finance experts who analyzed Hawaii's formula earlier told members there is no evidence weighted funding has boosted student performance on the mainland. Despite that, Superintendent Pat Hamamoto said she believes strongly that weighted funding can give schools much-needed extra capabilities. 'Having been in a classroom, I can guarantee you that an ESL (English as a Second Language) student takes a lot more out of you,' said Hamamoto, a former teacher and principal."
Highlights of the NCLB’s and IDEA’s Requirements for Teachers and Title I Paraprofessionals in New York State August 2006
Date CapturedTuesday August 15 2006, 6:37 PM
This Fact Sheet contains highlights of the New York State Education Department's (SED's) implementation of requirements related to teachers and paraprofessionals in the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) as reauthorized in December 2004. It is based on laws, regulations, guidance and technical assistance available at the time of its publication and is subject to change in response to additional information. For more detailed information about the NCLB's requirements in New York State, please refer to the series of field memos available online at http://www.highered.nysed.gov/nclbhome.htm
Stanford opens high school for gifted students
Date CapturedMonday August 14 2006, 8:29 AM
San Francisco Chronicle reports on US first online program for ultra-smart, "The new online high school comes as advocates of gifted education say the federal No Child Left Behind Act has unintentionally hurt gifted students in the public schools. They say that because teachers face pressure to make all students proficient, they don't challenge the successful ones who could do more."
Advocates of education for the gifted slam state's policy
Date CapturedFriday August 11 2006, 8:54 AM
Journal News reports, "With so much emphasis placed on global competition, advocates of gifted education say, children who show intuition, aptitudes and brilliance should be nurtured, not ignored. Others say that gifted children will do fine without anything special."
Panel seeks more aid: North Dakota Commission recommends education budget overhaul
Date CapturedThursday August 10 2006, 11:16 AM
AP reports on proposal abolishing North Dakota's method of redistributing property tax resources among schools, "It includes spending adjustments that would give more money to schools for students in special and vocational education classes, those who need intensive English instruction, and for dropouts who have returned to school to get their degrees."
Hawaii BOE should not lose sight of funding strategy's goal
Date CapturedThursday August 10 2006, 10:56 AM
Honolulu Star-Bulletin opined on Hawaii student-weighted funding, "The revamped formula increases the weight for geographically isolated schools, adds a new one for at-risk students and introduces three funding levels based on language fluency, all reasonable designations. Another recommendation is to create a full-time office to develop, coordinate and assess the formula."
Special-needs preschool to get more county cash
Date CapturedThursday August 10 2006, 7:46 AM
The Journal News reports on $5 million agreement with Saint Francis Hospital, "'These specialized services not only help our children develop into happy and confident adolescents and young adults, but also greatly enhance the lives of our families dealing with these developmental issues,' he [Dutchess County Executive William Steinhaus] said."
UF study: Location key for success in educating mentally retarded children
Date CapturedWednesday August 09 2006, 11:11 AM
The Gainesville Sun reports, "While some states showed little or no progress in educating mentally retarded students, others - including Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota and Vermont - showed major gains. Florida came in as a middle-of-the-road state, showing no major steps forward or backward."
School nurses cut: Targeted 45 schools with special-needs kids, 40% of them on Staten Island
Date CapturedWednesday August 09 2006, 7:17 AM
NY Daily News reports, "The moves are the result of concessions the city gained from two unions that represent school nurses, the United Federation of Teachers and District Council 37. The concessions, which went into effect July 31, freed the city from stipulations that forced it to put a second nurse in schools with even one special-education student."
Special education a top priority for new Groton principal
Date CapturedTuesday August 08 2006, 8:51 AM
The Ithaca Journal reports, "Under the new system there will be a special education coordinator at every grade level, and no student will spend the entire day in an isolated classroom. This will translate to more aides in the classroom and an increase in collaborative teaching."
Hawaii DOE suggests restoring cuts: Recommendations would alter a system of weighted funding
Date CapturedTuesday August 08 2006, 8:46 AM
Honolulu Star-Bulletin reports, "The recommendations would restore much, and in some cases all, of the budget cuts some schools would have faced under the weighted student formula, which shifts funds to schools with more poor, non-English-speaking students or others with learning challenges."
Florida judges, special education advocates team up for foster children
Date CapturedMonday August 07 2006, 9:51 PM
Daily Record reports, "Cole [Judge] said foster children often switch caregivers and homes frequently. Those changes can pose both emotional and academic problems, Cole said – and cause learning disabilities to go unnoticed and untreated. 'If their residence changes multiple times in a calendar year, you don’t want these children to switch schools multiple times,' said Cole. 'Teachers tell me a mid-year school move is tantamount to losing three months of academic progress.'"
Hyde Park schools lose special ed suit: Courts say parents should be repaid
Date CapturedSaturday August 05 2006, 10:04 AM
Poughkeepsie Journal reports, "At a meeting before an Impartial Hearing Officer, the district conceded Smith School was not an appropriate placement for [name omitted], according to the decision. While the hearing officer and a state review officer concluded the district didn't have to reimburse the family for tuition, the district court reversed the decision."
61 Vermont schools fail to meet No Child Left Behind standards
Date CapturedFriday August 04 2006, 9:19 AM
AP reports, "Of the schools that did not meet the standard, 75 percent were identified because of students who are poor or who have disabilities, Cate said."
U.S. Issues New Rules on Schools and Disability
Date CapturedFriday August 04 2006, 12:20 AM
NY Times Diana Jean Schemo reports, "In regulations issued today after changes to the law, the federal Education Department said states could not require school districts to rely on that method, allowing districts to find other ways to determine which children are eligible for extra help."
Secretary Spellings Announces New Special Education Regulations: New regulations will help children with disabilities receive the services they need
Date CapturedThursday August 03 2006, 7:49 PM
"U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings today announced the new regulations for Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The final regulations further the president's goal that no child—including each and every one of America's many students with disabilities—is left behind. By aligning the regulations with the No Child Left Behind Act, there is a new focus on ensuring that students with disabilities are held to high expectations."
Pataki veto maintains special ed process
Date CapturedTuesday August 01 2006, 7:13 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports, "Gov. George Pataki has shot down an effort to give families of students with disabilities more power in dealing with schools."
Different genes may cause autism in boys and girls
Date CapturedMonday July 31 2006, 7:16 PM
EurekAlert reports, "In addition, the researchers also have discovered that other genes may play a role in the early onset form of the developmental disorder and in the recently verified regression, or late onset, type of autism, according to a new study published today in the online edition of the journal Molecular Genetics."
Educators, unions question vetoes
Date CapturedMonday July 31 2006, 7:55 AM
Star-Gazette reports, "Robert Lowry of the New York State Council of School Superintendents said there is a lot of concern about school property taxes, and the pro-labor bills would not have helped. 'If they want school districts to restrain costs, this is not the direction they ought to be headed in,' he said."
Pataki vetoes special-ed measures; Burden-of-proof legislation was meant to empower parents
Date CapturedMonday July 31 2006, 7:44 AM
Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin reports, "Gov. George E. Pataki shot down an effort last week to give families of students with disabilities more power in dealing with schools and vetoed a measure to give special- education school districts more financial flexibility."
Children's Policy Council makes a difference in Selma, Dallas County
Date CapturedSunday July 30 2006, 8:31 PM
The Selma Times-Journal reports, "According to District Judge Bob Armstrong, the Dallas County Children's Policy Council is Selma's 'best kept secret.' The council is comprised of representatives from city and county resource centers and agencies and volunteers. Their duty by state law is to assess the needs of the county's children, then find avenues to meet them."
Aversive therapy ban pushed
Date CapturedSunday July 30 2006, 9:03 AM
The Patriot Ledger reports, "The electronic decelerator used at Judge Rotenburg Education Center delivers an electric current of 3 to 45 milliamps. (A milliamp is 1/1000th of an amp.) This is how that compares with other electrical shock devices. - Electric dog collar 0.2 milliamp - Brain electroshock therapy 900 milliamps - Nerve stimulation therapy 1 milliamp - Taser pistol 1 amp - Heart defibrillator 1 amp."
Phasing out ASL course was difficult but needed
Date CapturedSunday July 30 2006, 8:33 AM
Star-Gazette guest contributor Raymond Bryant, superintendent of the Elmira school district writes, "The primary factor in the elimination of [American Sign Language] ASL is the district's difficulty in finding teachers certified to teach it. No Child Left Behind requires a qualified teacher in every classroom, yet of the three teachers teaching ASL in the district this past school year, only one was certified to teach it."
Government requiring New York immigrant kids to take regular English test
Date CapturedFriday July 28 2006, 7:47 AM
The Journal News reports, "New York was faulted over its testing of English learners and disabled students, two groups given special attention under NCLB. The state must submit a plan by Aug. 2 on how it will fix the problems. At stake is $1.2 million in federal school aid."
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
Date CapturedThursday July 27 2006, 9:36 PM
"The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education. FERPA gives parents certain rights with respect to their children's education records. These rights transfer to the student when he or she reaches the age of 18 or attends a school beyond the high school level. Students to whom the rights have transferred are 'eligible students.'" parent or eligible student in order to release any information from a student's education record. However, FERPA allows schools to disclose those records, without consent, to the following parties or under the following conditions (34 CFR § 99.31): School officials with legitimate educational interest; Other schools to which a student is transferring; Specified officials for audit or evaluation purposes; Appropriate parties in connection with financial aid to a student; Organizations conducting certain studies for or on behalf of the school; Accrediting organizations; To comply with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena; Appropriate officials in cases of health and safety emergencies; and State and local authorities, within a juvenile justice system, pursuant to specific State law. Schools may disclose, without consent, "directory" information such as a student's name, address, telephone number, date and place of birth, honors and awards, and dates of attendance. However, schools must tell parents and eligible students about directory information and allow parents and eligible students a reasonable amount of time to request that the school not disclose directory information about them. Schools must notify parents and eligible students annually of their rights under FERPA. The actual means of notification (special letter, inclusion in a PTA bulletin, student handbook, or newspaper article) is left to the discretion of each school.
Maine revised eligibility guidelines for special ed raise concerns
Date CapturedThursday July 27 2006, 10:50 AM
AP reports, "The changes were sought in response to U.S. District Judge D. Brock Hornby's ruling that a western York County school district must provide special services to a girl who had been diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome and depressive disorder."
Advocates for Children
Date CapturedWednesday July 26 2006, 8:44 AM
An Unfailing Belief in the Power of Teaching
Date CapturedWednesday July 26 2006, 8:25 AM
NY Times DAVID M. HERSZENHORN writes, in a story about NYC schools' head of instruction, Dr. Alonso, "He hates it when students are referred to as 'at risk,' icily noting that they are at risk only when educators fail. He denounces failed teaching techniques the way a preacher condemns sin. His speeches are dense with jargon."
Arizona state dollars jump-start autism research
Date CapturedTuesday July 25 2006, 2:55 PM
The Arizona Republic reports, "The appropriation, included with the fiscal 2007 state budget, is especially important because it will allow researchers to jump-start their work, said Dr. Dietrich Stephan, TGen's director of neurogenomics and head of the autism research program."
Oswego to have Universal Pre-K
Date CapturedTuesday July 25 2006, 9:07 AM
The Post-Standard reports, "The short-term benefits are readiness for kindergarten, a smoother transition to school and exposure to literacy and numeration. Research shows pre-kindergarten participants are less likely to (fail a grade) or be placed in special education. As adults, they are more likely to get better jobs and earn more money."
Mergers proposed for schools for blind and deaf
Date CapturedMonday July 24 2006, 11:23 AM
CNN reports, "A handful of states have already merged their schools, including Arizona, South Carolina and West Virginia. In Washington state, Governor Chris Gregoire has asked a team to review all of the state's residential schools before the 2007 legislative session, to look for cost efficiencies."
How the Schools Shortchange Boys
Date CapturedSunday July 23 2006, 9:12 PM
City Journal, Gerry Garibaldi writes, "A female teacher, especially if she has no male children of her own, I’ve noticed, will tend to view boys’ penchant for challenging classroom assignments as disruptive, disrespectful—rude."
Funds would follow child
Date CapturedSunday July 23 2006, 10:26 AM
Columbia Daily Tribune reports, "The 'Fund the Child' plan, proposed by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, got support last month from a bipartisan group of national education leaders, including Rod Paige and two other former U.S. secretaries of education." Under the proposal, federal and state funding would follow a child to his or her public school. More money would be given for poor, special education and gifted students as well as students whose first language isn’t English."
National Cued Speech Association
Date CapturedThursday July 20 2006, 7:08 PM
New approach on deaf literacy heartening
Date CapturedThursday July 20 2006, 7:39 AM
Times Union AP reports, "The system is gaining popularity with new research, a grass-roots movement and new funding aimed at improving reading scores under the federal No Child Left Behind Law."
New Autism Study Shows Discrepancy in Brains
Date CapturedWednesday July 19 2006, 10:38 PM
NPR, All Things Considered reports, "One place they found a difference was in the amygdalae, two almond-shaped clumps of cells deep in the brain, one on each side. They're critical to processing certain emotional reactions, particularly fear."
DC public schools auditors fault special-ed data
Date CapturedWednesday July 19 2006, 9:17 PM
THE WASHINGTON TIMES reports, "Auditors had sought to determine whether foster children were getting the required amount of special education during the 2004-05 school year. They concluded that shoddy record keeping by the CFSA and the school system made the task nearly impossible."
Council for Exceptional Children
Date CapturedWednesday July 19 2006, 1:37 PM
A stronger net
Date CapturedSunday July 16 2006, 7:53 AM
The Journal News editorial , "State education officials got formal word recently from the U.S. Department of Education that the testing many New York schools have been doing of students learning English — usually recent immigrants — and special-education students is not on a par with that offered general-education students."
Kentucky contests federal findings that testing system is flawed
Date CapturedThursday July 13 2006, 3:26 PM
The Courier-Journal reports, "Federal officials say the state’s testing system sets different standards for disabled students, and they also question whether the tests adequately and validly measure all students reading and math achievement."
Virtual school may open in Illinois
Date CapturedThursday July 13 2006, 9:34 AM
Chicago Tribune reports, "The Chicago Virtual Charter School plans to serve a variety of children, including the gifted, those with learning disabilities and those who find it difficult to settle down in a more structured teaching environment."
Researchers Gain Insight Into Why Brain Areas Fail To Work Together in Autism; Basis For Why People With Autism Think In Pictures
Date CapturedWednesday July 12 2006, 10:00 AM
NIH news reports, "The researchers found that communications between these higher-order centers in the brains of people with autism appear to be directly related to the thickness of the anatomical connections between them."
Kansas state education board considers restraints for special ed students
Date CapturedWednesday July 12 2006, 8:31 AM
Lawrence Journal-World reports, "If a child gets out of control and must be separated from other students, they can be placed in what’s called a seclusion room. The proposal recommends the room be at least 36 square feet."
U.S. Says Language Exam Does Not Comply With Law
Date CapturedTuesday July 11 2006, 7:21 AM
NY Times registration. NY Times reports, "The federal Department of Education has found that New York State’s methods for testing the annual progress of disabled students and students with limited English proficiency do not comply with the No Child Left Behind law and that the state must correct the problems within a year or risk losing $1.2 million in federal school aid."
Standard tests set for special ed kids
Date CapturedTuesday July 11 2006, 7:16 AM
NY Daily News reports, "The U.S. Education Department rejected New York's longstanding practice of giving below-grade-level tests to some special ed students - triggering changes that could lead to lower test scores at some schools."
Community college special education initiative kicks off in Maryland
Date CapturedMonday July 10 2006, 8:41 PM
The Gazette reports, "The Governor’s Community College Initiative for Students with Learning Disabilities will award $500,000 to approximately 200 students. Students chosen for the project are eligible for up to $2,500 per year for three years to earn their degree or career certification at a state community college."
Autism Reveals Social Roots of Language
Date CapturedSunday July 09 2006, 2:17 PM
NPR reports, "People with autism often struggle to learn language, and they also struggle with personal relationships."
United Cerebral Palsy of Central Florida charter school taking registration for 2006-07
Date CapturedSunday July 09 2006, 10:58 AM
Orlando Sentinel reports, "Children without disabilities can also attend the preschool. This gives children with and without disabilities an opportunity to learn and play together."
Autism Conference: Thousands Find Connection And Inspiration
Date CapturedSaturday July 08 2006, 12:06 AM
This summer, from July 31 through August 4, the 2006 National Autism Conference is expected to draw more than 2,400 people to Penn State's University Park campus.
The Disability Gap
Date CapturedThursday July 06 2006, 2:41 PM
HuffingtonPost.com reports, "Nationwide, under 2% of students have learning disabilities severe enough to qualify for extra time on the SAT. In private school Manhattan, the percentage is substantially greater. And that means dramatically higher scores."
Access to information is key to independence
Date CapturedWednesday July 05 2006, 10:04 AM
Special to The Washington Post by US 39th President Jimmy Carter on FOIA, "It is a critical tool in fighting corruption, and people can use it to improve their own lives in the areas of health care, education, housing and other public services. Perhaps most important, access to information advances citizens’ trust in their government, allowing people to understand policy decisions and monitor their implementation."
Disabled girl wins round on ed funds
Date CapturedWednesday July 05 2006, 7:21 AM
NY Daily News reports, "Somoza has cerebral palsy and is unable to speak or control her hands. She has received three years of a program designed to help her communicate. But the city says it no longer has to pay because Somoza is too old for a free education."
Hearing focuses on health, education needs of disabled
Date CapturedSunday July 02 2006, 7:59 PM
Special-needs Gersh College Experience moves ahead
Date CapturedSunday July 02 2006, 10:41 AM
Buffalo News
No school bus strike yet
Date CapturedSaturday July 01 2006, 7:31 AM
NY Daily News
New Illinois law expands coverage for children with autism
Date CapturedFriday June 30 2006, 11:13 AM
General ed. teachers face special ed. realities
Date CapturedTuesday June 27 2006, 11:42 PM
Supreme Court: Expert fees not recoverable in Dutchess County case
Date CapturedTuesday June 27 2006, 12:27 PM
Poughkeepsie Journal
Helping Kids, Saving Money: How to Reform New York's Special Education System
Date CapturedSunday June 25 2006, 10:31 AM
By Jay P. Greene and Marcus A. Winters with Greg Forster, Empire Center Special Report 02-05. This report shows that New York can reduce special ed costs and enrollment--and improve parental satisfaction with the program as part of the bargain--by adopting two simple reforms: changing the formula funding special education from a "bounty" system to a "lump-sum" system; and implementing a voucher program for children in special education.
Illinois law adds coverage for autism speech therapy
Date CapturedSaturday June 24 2006, 9:14 AM
Planning a new preschool
Date CapturedThursday June 22 2006, 7:33 AM
The Journal News
Michigan county picks charter school to teach kids in juvenile detention center
Date CapturedWednesday June 21 2006, 4:37 PM
Profile of Undergraduates in U.S. Postsecondary Education Institutions: 2003-04, With a Special Analysis of Community College Students
Date CapturedWednesday June 21 2006, 10:24 AM
This report includes an analysis of community college students, examining the relationship between a measure of students’ degree commitment and their likelihood of maintaining their enrollment over the 1-year period under study. Overall, some 49 percent of community college students were classified as “more committed,” 39 percent as “less committed” and 12 percent as “not committed.” The results indicate that students who demonstrate a relatively strong commitment to completing a program of study (i.e., they explicitly report that either transfer or degree completion are reasons for attending and they attend classes at least half time) are very likely to maintain their enrollment for one year. Some 83 percent of the “more committed” students did so, compared with 70 percent of “less committed” and 58 percent of those designated as “not committed.”
Juvenile Center Restrictions Draw Fire
Date CapturedWednesday June 21 2006, 6:38 AM
Times Union
Regents to limit aversive therapy
Date CapturedTuesday June 20 2006, 7:47 AM
How Schools Pay a (Very High) Price for Failing to Teach Reading Properly (NY Times registration)
Date CapturedMonday June 19 2006, 7:24 AM
NYC Accused of Neglecting Students with Disabilities
Date CapturedSunday June 18 2006, 9:10 PM
Special Ed pupils in limbo
Date CapturedSunday June 18 2006, 8:29 AM
Delaware state board to rule on special needs
Date CapturedFriday June 16 2006, 12:41 PM
CDC confirms high-end rate of U.S. autism
Date CapturedFriday June 16 2006, 9:54 AM
BOCES: Hot Rod
Date CapturedFriday June 16 2006, 8:39 AM
More than their share of special education?
Date CapturedThursday June 15 2006, 7:37 AM
Bridging the special education gap
Date CapturedThursday June 15 2006, 7:28 AM
Kids hurt in shock therapy school
Date CapturedWednesday June 14 2006, 7:41 PM
NORTH DAKOTA EDUCATION: Plan would separate funds for special programs
Date CapturedFriday June 09 2006, 7:40 AM
Audit Disputes $52 Million in New Jersey School Medicaid Claims (NY Times registration)
Date CapturedThursday June 08 2006, 6:46 AM
State cuts newsletter for disabled
Date CapturedWednesday June 07 2006, 9:00 AM
Race And Class
Date CapturedWednesday June 07 2006, 8:26 AM
Education council fails to agree on special education program
Date CapturedTuesday June 06 2006, 12:39 PM
BOCES Preschool Special Education Program Celebrates 30 Years Of Excellence
Date CapturedTuesday June 06 2006, 9:30 AM
Testing special students is tricky
Date CapturedTuesday June 06 2006, 9:22 AM
Teaching While Educating
Date CapturedTuesday June 06 2006, 7:55 AM
Minnesota finds too many students in learning center special ed
Date CapturedMonday June 05 2006, 11:20 AM
Special-Ed Tuition a Growing Drain on D.C. (Washington Post registration)
Date CapturedMonday June 05 2006, 10:53 AM
Disabling Diplomas: How NYC is Failing Its Special Education Students
Date CapturedMonday June 05 2006, 8:41 AM
Center for Evidence-Based Practice: Young Children with Challenging Behavior
Date CapturedSunday June 04 2006, 6:13 PM
Bilingual Publication on Special Education Rights Released; Booklet Targets Parents of Hispanic Children With AD/HD
Date CapturedThursday June 01 2006, 1:17 PM
The Condition of Education 2006
Date CapturedThursday June 01 2006, 10:16 AM
The Condition of Education 2006 summarizes important developments and trends in education using the latest available data. The report presents 50 indicators on the status and condition of education and a special analysis on international assessments. The indicators represent a consensus of professional judgment on the most significant national measures of the condition and progress of education for which accurate data are available. The 2006 print edition includes 50 indicators in five main areas: (1) participation in education; (2) learner outcomes; (3) student effort and educational progress; (4) the contexts of elementary and secondary education; and (5) the contexts of postsecondary education.
Wealthy District's Special Ed Students More Likely to Graduate
Date CapturedWednesday May 24 2006, 11:02 AM
Schools closing gap for disabled pupils
Date CapturedSunday May 21 2006, 10:32 AM
Testing methods must be flexible
Date CapturedSunday May 21 2006, 10:06 AM
Charter school data flunk clarity test
Date CapturedSunday May 21 2006, 8:39 AM
New federal rule shifts more tax dollars for disabled to private schools
Date CapturedWednesday May 10 2006, 9:04 AM
Drug safety fears fueling new interest in ADHD behavioral therapy
Date CapturedMonday May 08 2006, 12:04 PM
Gallaudet Protesters Meet with New President
Date CapturedMonday May 08 2006, 11:36 AM
Special-needs kids in cell rules hangup
Date CapturedMonday May 08 2006, 7:52 AM
New President Faces Opposition at Gallaudet
Date CapturedSaturday May 06 2006, 10:28 PM
Gov. Sebelius Signs Bills to Improve Kansas Schools
Date CapturedSaturday May 06 2006, 9:02 AM
U.S. inquiry targets school for blind
Date CapturedTuesday May 02 2006, 6:45 AM
Technology No Longer Distances Deaf Culture
Date CapturedMonday May 01 2006, 6:33 PM
At Gallaudet, a Turn Inward Opens New Worlds
Date CapturedSunday April 30 2006, 7:03 PM
Special education students won't be sidelined during graduation if Pennsylvania Gov. Rendell signs bill
Date CapturedFriday April 28 2006, 6:34 PM
Troy to reduce special education
Date CapturedFriday April 28 2006, 8:23 AM
Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority Forgives $1.3M in Student Loans Held by Missouri Math, Science and Special Education Teachers
Date CapturedThursday April 27 2006, 2:18 PM
Tennessee bill would expand rights for special education students
Date CapturedWednesday April 26 2006, 11:08 PM
US Ed Dept Offers States New Resource for Teaching and Assessing Students with Disabilities
Date CapturedTuesday April 25 2006, 4:27 PM
Inclusion in Tennessee, learning for everyone
Date CapturedTuesday April 25 2006, 4:09 PM
Many special-ed students excluded under federal accountability law
Date CapturedFriday April 21 2006, 7:04 PM
Special education case argued before US Supreme Court
Date CapturedWednesday April 19 2006, 3:06 PM
Ohio Education Association Files Amicus Brief With District Court
Date CapturedTuesday April 18 2006, 5:14 PM
Delaware state to alter how it counts test results
Date CapturedWednesday April 12 2006, 9:20 AM
Special education: Teachers find federal requirements with lowered funding unrealistic
Date CapturedMonday April 10 2006, 10:31 AM
More students getting help
Date CapturedMonday April 10 2006, 8:40 AM
Top court gets Dutchess County education suit
Date CapturedSunday April 09 2006, 9:50 AM
Arkansas special session ends with education bill adopted
Date CapturedSaturday April 08 2006, 2:29 PM
Challenges of Rights-Based Law: Implementing the Least Restrictive Environment Mandate
Date CapturedSunday April 02 2006, 10:48 AM
CA bill to exempt special education students from exit exam advances
Date CapturedTuesday January 24 2006, 9:18 AM



Back to Top of Page