Special Education

Education Department issues guidelines for restraining, isolating disruptive students

The Center for Public Integrity | Posted 05.18.2012

Read More: Department of Education, Arne Duncan, Social Issues, Washington, Education, u.s. Department of Education, Congress, United States, Special Education, Teacher, Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, Educational Psychology, Disability, D.C., Management of Dyslexia, Senate, Education News
The Center for Public Integrity

By Susan FerrissiWatch NewsIn response to simmering concerns over reported abuses, the U.S. Department of Education issued multiple guidelines Tuesd...

Read Post

Teachers' Lounge: The Mustachioed Advocate

Teach Plus | Posted 05.11.2012

Read More: Los Angeles Unified School District, Special Education, Teachers, Teaching, Students, John Deasy, Teach, Education News
Teach Plus

We should not expect the most vulnerable in our community, those who could most benefit from a proper education, to bear the highest burden in times of economic crisis.

Read Post

Mother's Day Tribute: Areva Martin, Founder of Special Needs Network

Chantal Sicile-Kira | Posted 05.09.2012

Read More: California, Mother's Day, Areva Martin, California Legislative Black Caucus, Autism, Special Needs Children, The Special Needs Network, Special Education, Los Angeles, Impact News
Chantal Sicile-Kira

Mothers such as Areva Martin are necessary for our society to evolve. The disparity that exists between equal rights and equal opportunities is obvious, and not just to neurotypicals.

Read Post

Gap in Teacher Training

Jessica Minahan | Posted 04.26.2012

Read More: Teaching Advice, Children's Behavior, Special Education, Mental Health, Teacher Training, Psychology, Teaching, Children's Psychology, Education News
Jessica Minahan

Most degree programs include one or possibly two courses focused on teaching students with mental health disabilities and subsequent challenging behaviors. This leaves teachers to learn on the job in a busy classroom.

Read Post

Struggle Over How To Evaluate Special Ed Teachers

AP | CHRISTINE ARMARIO | Posted 04.24.2012

Read More: Special Education Teachers, Special Ed Teacher Evaluations, Special Ed, Florida Schools, Teacher Evaluations, Video, Florida Teachers, Special Education, South Florida Schools, Race to the Top, Teachers Unions, u.s. Department of Education, Teachers, National Association of Special Education Teachers, Education News

MIAMI -- Since the first day of class this school year, Bev Campbell has been teaching her students how to say their names. Some of the children in h...

Read Whole Story

What Every Mother Needs

Leda Natkin Nelis | Posted 05.26.2012

Read More: Special Education, Asperger's Syndrome, Parenting, Dyspraxia, Special Needs, Moms Groups, Support Network, Parents News
Leda Natkin Nelis

We are not only mothers, we are warriors -- forced to fight for our children, to often question the medical community and seek alternate therapies.

Read Post

8 California School Workers On Leave During Student Abuse Probe

AP | Posted 02.10.2012

Read More: Video, Child Abuse, Special Education, Special Education Teacher, California Schools, Redwood City Schools, Teacher Abusesed Student, Child Cruelty, Alexia Bogdis, Redwood City School District, Education News

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- Eight school district employees were placed on leave during an investigation of their handling of allegations that a special e...

Read Whole Story

The Autism Controversy Revisited

Allen Frances | Posted 03.23.2012

Read More: Dsm 5, Autism, Special Education, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Autism-Dsm-5, School Services, Science News
Allen Frances

The possible DSM 5 return to a narrower definition has created an uproar and caused a sharp division of opinion among advocates.

Read Post

Ohio Teacher Pushes Bill To Bring Dyslexia Specialists Into Schools

northcanton.patch.com | Posted 03.17.2012

Read More: Orton-Gillingham Method, Greatest Person of the Day, Special Education, Dyslexia, Rebecca Tolson, International Dyslexia Association, Ohio, Impact News

It was the same thing year after year: A small percentage of students in Rebecca Tolson's class struggled with reading because of dyslexia. And the...

Read Whole Story

We Are The 40 Percent, Now A Few Words From The 60 Percent

Julie Z. Rosenberg | Posted 03.12.2012

Read More: Special Education, Itc, Parents of Special Education Students, Integrated Co-Teaching, Parents News
Julie Z. Rosenberg

As a member of the 40 percent -- that is, the parent of a child on the special education side of an Integrated Co-Teaching (ICT) class, I've often wondered what the other "half" (the 60 percent) thinks about these inclusion classes.

Read Post

Music Therapy in Early Childhood Classrooms

Ronna Kaplan, M.A. | Posted 03.10.2012

Read More: Special Education, Music Therapy, Arts Integration, Early Childhood, Ideia, Music Therapy Children, American Music Therapy, Music Therapy Kids, Education News
Ronna Kaplan, M.A.

Music can stimulate a variety of the senses and involve the child at many levels.

Read Post

Teacher Faces Sanction For Verbally Abusing Special Needs Student

AP | Posted 11.18.2011

Read More: Julio Artuz Bullied, Bankbridge Regional School, Gloucester County Special Services, Video, Special Needs Students, Special Education, Teacher Sanctions, Student Bullied by Teachers, New Jersey Schools, Bullying, Teacher Bullies Student, Student Bullied, School Bullying, Julio Artuz, Education News

DEPTFORD, N.J. -- A New Jersey teacher faces discipline after being recorded telling a special-needs student that he was a "tard" and responding sarca...

Read Whole Story

Are We Being Bankrupted by Our Humanity?

Larry Strauss | Posted 01.10.2012

Read More: Developmental Disabilities, Disability, Special Education, Disability Education, Special Needs Education, Special Needs, Education News
Larry Strauss

Fifty years ago, I watched my parents try to help my developmentally disabled brother. They were told multiple times to dispose of their defective child in an institution. I'm not sure how much less agonizing it is today.

Read Post

Mandate Relief Needed for Special Education in New York

Elizabeth Lynam | Posted 01.07.2012

Read More: Ny Education, Special Education, Education Budget Cuts, Special Education Funding, New York Education Budget, New York News
Elizabeth Lynam

It will be impossible to curb school spending to the extent required by fiscal realities without addressing the significant and rapidly increasing expenditures for special education.

Read Post

Family: Special Needs Student Locked, Alone, In School Bus For 3 Hours

Posted 12.21.2011

Read More: Video, Ruthel Crosby, Special Needs Students, Special Education, White Transportation, Chicago Public Schools, Chicago Schools, Special Needs Student Left on Bus, School Bus, Left on School Bus, Student Left on Bus, Chicago News

The grandmother of an autistic seventh grade Chicago Public School student reportedly left alone on a school bus for three hours is considering filing...

Read Whole Story

Detroit In Compliance With Special Education Mandates For The First Time In 4 Years

Posted 12.06.2011

Read More: Education, Video, Special Education, Detroit Schools, Michigan Department of Education, Detroit Public Schools, Detroit, Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, Detroit Special Education, Federal Funds for Education, Special Education Funding, Education News

Detroit Public Schools is in compliance with state and federal mandates for its Special Education evaluation system for the first time since 2007, DPS...

Read Whole Story

Millions Of Public Education Dollars - For Swordfish, Golf And Booze

The Huffington Post | Emmeline Zhao | Posted 11.01.2011

Read More: Southeastern Massachusetts Education Collaborative, Education Misspending, Special Education Spending, State Audits, Auditor Suzanne Bump, Merrimack Special Education Collaborative, Video, Special Education, Education Funds Misused, Education Spending Audits, Education Reform, Massachusetts Schools, Massachusetts, Special Education Funding, READS Collaborative, Suzanne Bump, Education Spending, Education News

Massachusetts' state auditor is calling for sweeping reform of oversight and financial accountability for the state's 30 special education agencies af...

Read Whole Story

Cutting Special Education Spending Gets Easier For Districts

Education Week | Nirvi Shah | Posted 10.31.2011

Read More: Department of Education, Special Education Spending Cuts, Special Education, Spending Cuts, School Spending Cuts, Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, Special Education Spending, Education Reform, Special Education Funding, National Association of State Directors of Special Education, Education News

School districts that want to reduce special education spending from one year to the next without restoring what was cut now have the blessing of the ...

Read Whole Story

My Favorite Teachers, Part 3

Steve Mariotti | Posted 10.30.2011

Read More: Teachers, Parenting, Special Education, Education News
Steve Mariotti

My mom's motto was, "A great teacher can affect eternity." She made every one of her physically and emotionally challenged students feel special.

Read Post

Educational Alphabet Soup

Kristen Houghton | Posted 10.29.2011

Read More: Special Education, Special Education Needs, Special Education Evaluations, Parents Special Education, Special Ed Parenting, Special Education Parenting, Parents News
Kristen Houghton

Another school year and the hassle of knowing all you need to know for your special needs child to receive a fair and equal education begins anew.

Read Post

The Girl Who Played With an Imaginary Rope

Shira Hirschman Weiss | Posted 10.26.2011

Read More: Children With Learning Disabilities, Special Education, Learning Disabilities, PL 94-142, Adhd, Add, Special Needs Children, Education Reform, Special Needs, Education News
Shira Hirschman Weiss

Teachers need to empower students with confidence rather than creating an environment of "learned helplessness" by placing the majority of the emphasis on "weaknesses" and "fixing problems."

Read Post

South Carolina Could Lose $111 Million In Funding For Special Education

Education Week | Nirvi Shah | Posted 08.25.2011

Read More: Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, Education, Special Education, Special Education Funding, South Carolina Education, Education News

South Carolina may lose about $111 million in federal special education money for cutting its spending on students with disabilities for the last two ...

Read Whole Story

Special Ed Director Allegedly Pockets $10 Million In Public Funds

The Huffington Post | Posted 08.23.2011

Read More: Massachusetts Special Education, Special-Education-Funding, Special Education, Education Funding, John Barranco, Gregory Sullivan, Education News

Massachusetts State Auditor Suzanne M. Bump has identified criminal wrongdoing in the investigation of John B. Barranco, the Merrimack Special Educati...

Read Whole Story

Joy Resmovits

ACLU: Milwaukee's Voucher Program Segregates Schools

HuffingtonPost.com | Joy Resmovits | Posted 08.07.2011

Read More: Aclu, Education News, Complaint, Milwaukee Schools, Americans With Disabilities Act, Private School, Catholic Schools, Education, Special Education, Students With Disabilities, Department of Justice, School Choice, Education Reform, Voucher Programs, Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, Special-Needs Students, Education News

NEW YORK -- Milwaukee's voucher system, which allows low-income students to attend private schools using tax dollars, discriminates based on disabilit...

Read Whole Story

DOE To Set Guidelines On Student Restraint, Seclusion

The Huffington Post | Jessica Prois | Posted 11.29.2011

Read More: Florida Schools, Special Education, Doe, Seclusion in Schools, Children, Prone Restraint, Students With Disabilities, Restraint in Schools, Alexa Posny, Autism, Special Needs Children, Palm Beach County School District, Education News

The U.S. Department of Education said last week that it will administer guidelines by this fall regarding the use of restraint and seclusion when dea...

Read Whole Story