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Kids Get a Lesson in Tolerance
Cape Cod Times
In an assembly that blended a pep talk with an anti-bully discussion, a police officer, travel agent, stay-at-home mom and two students told second- and third-graders what it was like to live with a disability.
(Opinion) Vouchers and Special Education
The Washington Times (DC)
In the first of a three-part series, the authors of a report from the Manhattan Institute, Marcus A. Winters and Jay P. Greene, explain the effects of Florida's McKay voucher/special education program, and why parents view vouchers and special education as a good match.
Test Shortage Has Ohio Special Education Teachers Scrambling
The Columbus Dispatch (Columbus, Ohio)
As the Ohio state-mandated school testing season kicks into high gear, some testing coordinators and special-education teachers are scrambling because of a shortage of a an adapted test form required for special needs kids. A number of districts did not receive any or all of the booklets required for students who must have the Ohio Achievement Test read aloud to them by an aide or for those who listen to it on a CD, creating a chaotic situation for special education teachers as they prepare for testing.
Judge Dismisses Connecticut's No Child Left Behind lawsuit
The News-Times (Danbury, Connecticut)
A federal judge has dismissed the last of four claims in Connecticut's challenge to the federal No Child Left Behind law. In a ruling released Monday, Judge Mark Kravitz dismissed the state's claim that alleges the U.S. Department of Education unfairly denied Connecticut's proposed changes to testing rules for special education and limited English proficiency students (LEP).
In the Classroom: Philosophy Principles for Life
Daily Pilot (Costa Mesa, California)
The special-needs students in Lynda Zussman's California high school class naturally have more obstacles than most. They have mild learning disabilities and struggle sometimes to deal with their emotions. Zussman wanted to help her students in a way that offered practical life lessons, so when she came across Rainer Maria Rilke's eight principles, she saw an opportunity for a valuable learning experience.
Residents Plan Walk for Learning Disabled
Burlington County Times (Willingboro, New Jersey)
Burlington Township, New Jersey residents will gather Saturday for an event to promote acceptance and awareness of children with learning disabilities. The third annual Awareness Walk is sponsored by a group called Township Residents: A Unified and Supportive Team, or TRUST, which includes a number of parents and concerned citizens.
The Boston Globe
As former research director for the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Education, Connie Rizoli annually monitored nearly 450 education-related bills that came through the Legislature. Through that work, she found herself naturally advocating for children with special needs. Only later would she realize how much that work would benefit her own family.
Guidance Counselors Balance Principal Discipline Through Listening, Advice
Chillicothe Gazette (OH)
One of the primary focuses of area guidance counselors is working with students on their future. For example, at Huntington school counselors act as special education coordinators. They work with the school psychologist, administration, and teachers to perform multi-factor evaluations to determine if students need additional assistance and help to coordinate individual education plans.
Too Many Structured Activities have a Negative Impact on Children
The Fort Collins Coloradoan (CO)
Research shows that unscripted imaginative play — and the self-talk that goes along with it — helps children develop executive function: to be creative, control their emotions, resist sudden impulses and maintain mental focus.
Disabled Students Raise Bar for Schools, Selves
The Press of Atlantic City (NJ)
College enrollment of students with disabilities has increased 86 percent since 1994. Advocates applaud the efforts of these students. But counselors also worry that the societal emphasis on attending college has pushed some disabled students into a stressful environment for which they are not adequately suited or prepared. Some worry that the very efforts that helped students get through high school have been almost too successful, lulling them into a false sense of just how accommodating real life will be.
Seahawks' Choice Of Red Bryant A Good Draft For Sports Columnists
The News Tribune (WA)
In Saturday's NFL draft, the Seattle Seahawks selected Red Bryant, a 318-pound defensive tackle from Texas A&M. Although diagnosed with dyslexia, Bryant earned his degree in agricultural leadership and communications. He was so skillful at communicating, in fact, that teammates voted him a captain of the Aggies all four seasons.
Parents Told Not To Give Up; Getting Resources for Special Needs Children A Struggle
The Peterboro Examiner (Canada)
Getting the right school resources for children with special needs is a lonely business for parents says an advocate for special needs. Dr. Norm Forman, a psychologist and founder of Parents Advocacy in the School says some of the parents' frustrations stem from not getting the right assessments for their children, school boards and teachers not being forthcoming with resources, or teachers that don't have the right skills.
Metro's Top Teacher Brock is on a Mission to Help Kids Read
The Tennessean (TN)
In the third grade, Melissa Brock checked out Helen Keller's biography from the library eight times, each time becoming more fascinated with how Annie Sullivan helped Keller, who could not see or hear, learn to communicate. She knew then that she wanted to be a teacher, working with kids with disabilities. She's been named Metro Nashville Public Schools' elementary Teacher of the Year.
Superintendent Responds to Special Education Program Audit
Santa Monica Mirror
After an audit faulted Santa Monica schools for its special education practices, Superintendent Dianne Talarico stressed that the district should only use settlement agreements "as a last resort when an impasse has been reached in resolving disagreements at the IEP [Individual Education Plan] level and that such an agreement will require approval at the superintendent level."
Special Need that is Hard to Diagnose, Impossible to Cure
The Eureka Reporter (CA)
Mikey is a special needs child, part of a growing population in Humboldt County. This article looks at what the National Institute of Mental Health has to say about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), how California is addressing the problem, and how it impacts local educators and families like Mikey's.
Education Week
The push to ensure that all students, not just the academically gifted, take introductory algebra and do so earlier has gained widespread acceptance in U.S. schools over the quarter-century since A Nation at Risk advocated strengthening graduation requirements in math. Last year, for the first time, California state officials approved an entire set of math programs devoted specifically to "algebra readiness," or raising the skills of students likely to struggle in that subject.
Parents of Special-Ed Students Oppose Changing Consent Rule
The Washington Post
A proposed revision of Virginia's special education rules is triggering widespread protests among parents of disabled students, who say it would strip them of power in negotiating their children's education.
Private LD School Pursues Earth-Friendly Learning Environment
Las Vegas Review-Journal
In the green room at Nevada's New Horizons Academy, students walk on carpet manufactured from recycled soda bottles. They learn in natural light collected by a solar dish and piped indoors via fiber-optic cables. The small private school serves students with learning disabilities, and school officials are eager to offer students a cleaner, greener place to learn.
Profile: First Lady and Jenna Bush Share Their Thoughts on Teaching
The Dallas Morning News
My Wednesday began pretty much like every other day for me, with a call from the White House. This time, it was actually a conference call, from first lady Laura Bush and her daughter, Jenna Bush. The mother-daughter combination has collaborated on a new children's book, Read All About It! It's derived from their shared experience of having been teachers. During her own teaching days, Jenna encountered kids with learning disabilities and others who were simply "not interested in reading…So, I tried to listen to my students, especially my boys, and find things that they found interesting." At that point, she says, she actually stood a chance of having them "fall in love with good literature."
The Aurora (Canada)
Labrador City has all the town qualities Nicole Blake dreamed of for her family, but there's something critical missing — a doctor. The Blakes moved from Goose Bay less than a month ago and the mother of four young children says she was turned down by the four family physicians when she sought to find one. Nicole's eight-year-old son Kyle is diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) as well as a more concerning disorder known as Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD). The mother painfully describes her child's problems that are manifested often in impulsive and sometimes violent behaviors.