Students With Disabilities

Read about the needs and experiences of students with disabilities in schools
Photo of teacher and blind student using braille slate.
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English Learners English Learners With Disabilities: The Rules Schools Have to Follow
Schools can't force English learners with disabilities to choose between special ed. and language instruction—and other tips from OCR.
Ileana Najarro, November 14, 2024
4 min read
Neurodiversity. Thinking brain. Difference concept.
iStock/Getty Images + Education Week
Special Education A Guide to Bringing Neurodiverse Learners Into the Fold
Three tips for teachers and principals to accommodate learning differences.
Olina Banerji, October 18, 2024
3 min read
Black teacher smiling and giving a student a high five in a classroom of Black elementary students.
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Special Education 5 Key Ways to Support Students With Learning Differences
Teachers are often uncertain about how to support students who have dyslexia, dysgraphia, or dyscalculia.
Arianna Prothero, October 14, 2024
4 min read
Illustration of a silhouette of a person standing on a white path that drops off into a cliff. The other side of the cliff shows a flag on the path where it picks up.
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Student Well-Being Are Schools Responsible for Students Who Avoid School? A New Lawsuit Says Yes
A class action argues that the New York City schools aren't adequately supporting students with disabilities who are school-avoidant.
Brooke Schultz, October 10, 2024
5 min read
An illustration of a small person of color dragging a very large bookbag on their back.
DigitalVision Vectors
Special Education How Students With Disabilities Fare in Both Charter and Regular Public Schools
Students with disabilities experienced inequities in both types of schools, a new analysis shows.
Brooke Schultz, October 8, 2024
6 min read
Special Education Video Dyscalculia FAQ: The Math Disability Teachers Should Know About
Dyscalculia is a math learning disability that affects 5 to 8 percent of the population. Here's what teachers should know.
Jaclyn Borowski, October 7, 2024
4:55
An adult holds a child's hand in front of a large grid representing neurodiversity. Some tiles are missing, where it's hard to explain.
Nix Ren for Education Week
Special Education Explainer Talking to Students About Their Learning Differences: A Guide for Teachers
Teachers who talk to kids about why learning is difficult equips students to understand themselves and become their own advocates.
Arianna Prothero, October 7, 2024
13 min read
A child contemplates throwing a paper airplane while sitting at the center of a large abstract flower resembling a brain.
Nix Ren for Education Week
Special Education How Teachers Can Motivate and Engage Neurodiverse Students
A balanced approach of addressing students' strengths and weaknesses is best, experts say.
Elizabeth Heubeck, October 7, 2024
5 min read
Two student silhouettes face each other one overflowing with vegetation and the other almost empty by comparison. Learning Differences. Over and under diagnosis.
Nix Ren for Education Week
Special Education 'Handcuffed and Pushed Out': How Schools Fail Some Students With Disabilities
What can happen to students and schools when disabilities are over- and under-identified in children.
Brooke Schultz, October 7, 2024
8 min read
Psychology, Dream, Mental Health concept illustration. Brain, neuroscience and creative mind.
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Special Education Q&A Is Dyslexia a ‘Superpower’? What Students Want Their Teachers to Know
5 students with dyslexia discuss what it feels like to be described as having special "powers."
Elizabeth Heubeck, October 7, 2024
5 min read
Silhouettes of diverse students, each growing a different type of plant. Neurodiversity represented by biodiversity.
Nix Ren for Education Week
Special Report Understanding Learning Differences
This special report explores neurodiversity and some key issues shaping the experiences of students with learning and thinking differences.
October 7, 2024
Special Education Video What Educators Should Know About Dyscalculia, a Math Learning Disability
Dyscalculia impacts 5 to 8 percent of students. Here's what educators need to know about this disability and how to support students who have it.
Jaclyn Borowski, October 7, 2024
1 min read
Special Education Video Diagnosed at 14, One Student's Experience With Dyscalculia
Jacquelyn Taylor shares her experience with dyslexia and dyscalculia on social media. Here's her advice for teachers.
Jaclyn Borowski, October 7, 2024
2:23
A 4th grader writes her group's lyrics in Chevonne Dixon's home room class at Tunica Elementary School in Tunica, Miss., on Dec. 16, 2018. Dixon is one of the first teachers in the state to incorporate the Mississippi Blues Trail Curriculum into lessons for science, math, social studies and English.
A 4th grader writes her group's lyrics in Chevonne Dixon's home room class at Tunica Elementary School in Tunica, Miss., on Dec. 16, 2018. Dixon is one of the first teachers in the state to incorporate the Mississippi Blues Trail Curriculum into lessons for science, math, social studies and English.
Rogelio V. Solis/AP
Special Education Video The Relationship Between Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, and Math Anxiety
Dyscalculia is at times referred to as “math dyslexia.” Learn how the math learning disability is related to dyslexia and math anxiety.
Jaclyn Borowski, October 7, 2024
2:31