On Special Education
Explored the opportunities and obstacles educators encounter while serving students with special needs, including children with disabilities, gifted students, and those who are homeless or incarcerated. This blog is no longer being updated, but you can continue to explore these issues on edweek.org by visiting our related topic pages: students with disabilities, gifted education, and homeless.
School & District Management
Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Continue Autism Research
The Combating Autism Act, first signed into law in 2006, is set to expire Sept. 30 unless Congress renews it.
Education Funding
House Education Chairman Seeks Special Education Funding Increase
Special education funding has been a big issue in the suburban Minnesota district represented by John Kline, a Republican.
Law & Courts
FDA Panel Recommends Banning Shock Devices Used at Residential School
The Judge Rotenberg Center in Massachusetts, a residential and day school for children and adults with emotional and behavioral disturbances, is the only entity in the country known to use the devices.
School Climate & Safety
Bullying Case Involving Teen With Autism Shows Issue's Complexity
The 16-year-old, who has autism, says that he wants to remain friends with the two teens accused of mistreating him and recording the abuse on cellphone videos.
Assessment
Kansas Gets Waiver to Use Common-Core Alternate Assessments
Even though the state has withdrawn from the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, it still plans to use the common-core-aligned field tests under development for students with severe cognitive disabilities.
Special Education
In Move Hailed by Advocates, Iowa Defines Dyslexia in Change to State Law
The move marks a shift in Iowa's "non-categorical" method of providing specialized service to children with disabilities.
Teaching
Teaching Conceptual Math Skills to Students With Disabilities
A mother-daughter team argues that reasoning and modeling, rather than teaching math "tricks," is essential for students to gain skills that can transfer to other areas.
Special Education
Justice Department Settles With Rhode Island Over Disabilities Complaint
Federal officials investigating Americans with Disabilities Act violations in Providence, R.I., had expanded their work to the whole state after settling last year with the Providence school system.
States
Mississippi Special Education Voucher Bill Defeated
The bill would have provided up to $6,000 for some special education students to use for private school or tutoring, but voucher opponents pushed back hard.
Early Childhood
Federal Initiative Aims at Early Screening for Developmental Delays
Several federal agencies are promoting screening tools intended to help families and care providers evaluate children early to make sure they are meeting age-appropriate milestones.
School & District Management
Autism Spectrum Disorder Prevalence Rises in New CDC Data Report
Researchers are now seeing 1 in 68 children identified as having autism spectrum disorder, compared to 1 in 88 the last time statistics were collected.
Special Education
Special Education Funding a Priority for House Education Committee Chairman
The federal government currently pays less than 20 percent of the excess costs of educating a student covered by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
School & District Management
Report: Students With Disabilities Face Harsher School Discipline Than Peers
The most recent release of data from the U.S. Department of Education's office for civil rights shows broad disparities in restraint, seclusion and suspensions for students covered by IDEA.
Special Education
S.C. Charters Agree to Accessibility Changes After Federal Investigation
The Education Department's office for civil rights said that the district needed to make courses fully accessible for the 9,000 students enrolled in online schools.