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 This blog is no longer being updated, but you can continue to explore these issues on edweek.org by visiting our related topic pages: students with disabilities, gifted education, and homeless.
Early Childhood
HHS Bureau Hosts Webinar With Early Intervention, Autism Focus
Programs in Maine and Massachusetts will be profiled during the event.
School Climate & Safety
'Timeout' Room Use Not a Violation of Student's Rights, Judge Says
The parents of an Oklahoma student contended that a school district violated their son's rights by placing him in a 'timeout' room even after his IEP was amended to stop its use.
Special Education
School Leader Group Proposes Change to Special Education Due Process
The American Association of School Administrators is proposing that an independent consultant be brought in when parents and districts cannot agree.
Standards & Accountability
Testing Group Proposes Accommodations For Students With Disabilities
The PARCC accommodations manual, now open for public comment, offers guidance and restrictions on who should be allowed to use accommodations on the new tests coming in 2014-15.
Special Education
Series on Group Home Abuses Earns Journalism Honor
California Watch's reporting on problems with the state-run police force tasked to protect the vulnerable residents of California group homes was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for public service.
Special Education
Education Department: Testing Policy Does Not Violate Student's Rights
Mary Washer, an Oklahoma high school student with severe disabilities, was not able to use a particular accommodation to pass required state tests.
Education Funding
Scant Increase for Special Education in President's Proposed Budget
The main part of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act would be funded at $11.6 billion under President Barack Obama's proposed budget, released today.
School & District Management
Minorities in Special Education: Are They Underrepresented?
Federal policy has been focused on reducing the numbers of minorities enrolled in special education, but some research shows minority students are underenrolled in special programs.
Special Education
Response to Intervention Policy and Practice Inconsistent Across States
Data from a soon-to-be published report on RTI implementation shows that some states don't have a framework for evaluating program effectiveness.
Special Education
ADHD Diagnoses on the Rise, New York Times Reports
Earlier this week, the New York Times reported that 11 percent of school-age kids in the U.S.—and one in five boys in high school—have received a medical diagnosis of ADHD.
Education Funding
Special Education Essential to Preschool Plans, Says Advocacy Group
Programs that serve young children with disabilities should be part of any federal preschool expansion, according to a letter to the Obama administration from the Council for Exceptional Children.
Special Education
State Maintenance of Effort Rule Gets Congressional Tweak
States that reduce spending on special education no longer have to face a continuing penalty from the Department of Education.
School & District Management
CDC Study Pegs Autism Prevalence at One Child in 50
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention drew its numbers from a telephone survey of parents conducted in 2011 and 2012.
Education Funding
Pennsylvania Ponders Changes to Special Education Funding Formula
A system under consideration would provide more state funding for students with high-cost educational needs.