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Featured News Articles 2006
2007 Brings Special Education Opportunity and Challenges ...
CEC is the Council for Exceptional Children. In this brief, the President of CEC summarizes opportunities and challenges in the field of special education. CEC supports inclusion, providing access to the general education curriculum, and testing all students with special needs to make all educators accountable for teaching them. CEC also supports RTI, response-to-intervention strategies instead of taking a wait-to-fail approach to identifying learning disabilities. CEC advocates using evidence-based teaching practices, welcomes more accessible materials for students with exceptionalities, and states that advancements in science and medicine will help educators refine instructional strategies.
Challenges faced in special education are "efforts to improve the No Child Left Behind Act. Some issues that will be addressed include assessment of students with disabilities, highly qualified teacher requirements, school vouchers, adequate yearly progress consequences and funding." Filling the void for certified special-education teachers, preventing students of diversity from being misidentified for special education, and securing adequate funding continue to be significant issues.
Results from a recent survey on special education issues indicate that the majority of responders said that NCLB has negatively affected students and is in conflict with IDEA.
There's much work to be done, and hopefully, some changes in the wind. (12/20/06)
Adolescents with Learning Disabilities: Unique Challenges and Reasons for Hope,
by Donald D. Deshler (2006) (posted 12/12/06)
While adolescents with LD present significant instructional challenges, there is reason to be optimistic about the magnitude of gains that they can make if they are taught using validated interventions with fidelity and intensity. Additionally, there is a distinct and important role for both general and special educators to play in the educational process. Collectively, these factors and conditions can result in positive outcomes for older students with LD. A sobering reminder that these conditions and factors are not as commonly adhered to as they should be is the fact that an unacceptably large number of adolescents with LD still drop out of school.
Drop out? Not an option: Birmingham HS in LA school district takes steps to keep students in school. (12/12/06)
Trying New Ways to Cut Dropout Rates
New ways to rescue droputs include online courses, flexible schedules, classes at the local community college for college credit, and a personal house call. Schools in MO will partner with state businesses to pay for these efforts, but pay now or pay later: "When they drop out of school they drop out of the community, and the associated cost at the other end is an increased crime rate -- not only law enforcement, but eventually prison. You have other costs in welfare ..." It will also help if NCLB disappears and vocational classes reappear.
Rescuing Recess! A team of experts, parents, and teachers support a website to save recess.
Report from Indiana University: No Child Left Behind is out of step with special education:
The authors of this report summarize the good and the bad arising from the conflict between NCLB and IDEA and make suggestions for sensible solutions.
Don't Call It School: More like a YMCA for home-schoolers, North Star runs on its students' independence. Writer Daniel Robb visits a school in MAwhere non-conformist students share
" ... a place to begin remembering how to learn again." (11/24/06)
Bipolar Disorder and ADHD: Diagnosis and Treatment Issues,
by David Gottlieb, PhD and Thomas Shoaf, MD
Bipolar disorder and ADHD can occur together in children, but the dual disorder is difficult to diagnose and treat. One of the problems is making an accurate diagnosis. Clinicians have not yet agreed on the criteria that are primary in mania in pre-adolescent children. One aim of this article is to propose a tentative classification scheme for pediatric mania. Subsequently, the authors explain why it is important to determine whether these children have characteristics of ADHD as well. After looking at diagnostic issues, the authors outline treatment strategies, both medical and psychological, for bipolar disorder when it occurs along with ADHD. Treatment of bipolar disorder in children is still in its infancy, and treatment of the dual diagnosis with ADHD is even newer. The dual diagnosis is difficult to treat and requires a team approach: the psychiatrist, psychologist, teachers, and parents need to communicate with each other and work together to help these children develop self-control. (11/22/06)
Some good news for adolescents who struggle with reading, and it's about time: NIH grant will establish center to examine causes of reading disorders, including national 'fourth grade slump' in which successful learners suddenly falter.
Most reading research has been done with young readers, now some attention will be directed toward "an examination of the phenomenon known as the 'fourth grade slump,' whereby children who were successful learners in the primary grades begin to show achievement declines at grade four. It is widely recognized that this descent occurs at the precise time when classroom instruction shifts from teaching and practicing 'bottom up' skills (basic word recognition and decoding) to 'top down' skills (fluency and comprehension of content). While it is increasingly acknowledged that the leap from 'bottom up' to 'top down' skills is not automatic as once presumed, the roots of this problem remain largely a mystery. " Read more about it ... (11/15/06)
Earlier Help for Troubled Kids: Champions from local businesses, colleges, and the Court are addressing the special learning needs of students in a juvenile detention center in Ohio. Students in this JDC will be screened for learning problems and, if appropriate, referrals for assessment for special education services will be sent to the school system. The court will then track the school system's response. Now that's accountability and caring about kids! Go Cleveland. (11/02/06)
Young Offenders Struggle with Learning
This is an educational issue close to my heart. I taught in a juvenile detention center in VA for one year. Approximately 40% of these students had "junk" IEPs which we had to track down, modify, and try to implement without the resources to do so. With a revolving door population and only one certified special educator (myself), this was an impossible challenge. I estimate that another 40% had undiagnosed learning disabilities or behavior disorders, and all had mental health issues. Here's one truth I know: A student will choose to be bad over dumb every time in front of peers. One judge in Ohio says, "One way to stop incarceration is through education."
Schools Arresting Kids for Minor Behaviors: Pete writes, "When a child with a disability is arrested for school-related behavior, this is an excellent opportunity to use the power of the juvenile court to force the school district to implement a good plan for the child - and have the Court monitor the school's progress."
ADHD Ignores Gender: Researchers believe just as many girls have ADHD as boys, but because their symptoms are not as "hyper" or aggressive, they are not diagnosed or diagnosed much later after damage has been done to their academic progress and self-esteem. Undiagnosed and untreated, girls with ADHD are more prone to eating disorders, depression, and suicide attempts. (10/26/06)
"Never give up on a kid" is easier said than done. But here's a success story ...
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, kids need to play to learn: "Play now or pay later." Incorporating video games into curriculum will definitely not fit with the NCLB test-em-to-death mantra and this may benefit the gaming industry, but it will also invite more students to learn, especially students who learn best with interactive, hands-on activities. I've heard many parents say that their kid can't pay attention to the teacher or focus on completing homework, but he can spend hours playing his video-games. The Federation of American Scientists is investing in creating games with the goal of raising achievement. "The theory is that games teach skills that employers want: analytical thinking, team building, multitasking and problem-solving under duress." Getting some educators to move away from the blackboard or whiteboard and to accept games as a learning tool, not a waste of time, will be a huge challenge. Read more ...
Let children play -- to excel: Play now or pay later.
A very creditable body — the American Academy of Pediatrics — has released a report highlighting the virtues of play. What young children learn, often through play, is unparalleled.
Through the early years, children approach learning full of zest as they acquire knowledge, skills, and begin to form dispositions about learning. Play helps them make sense of the world in which they interact. As children engage the environment, they do so on their own terms. It can be fun or drudgery. When they do not enjoy the activity, they dismiss it and move on to something else.
An over abundance of structured learning activities and technological-based toys can either stifle or deprive children of their natural curiosity. The need to play is a commonality among all children regardless of background or social class.
Does homework help or hurt? And of course, much of the debate over the existence and quantity of homework ignores the obvious question: quality. Not all assignments are created equal -- some are busy work, others inspired.
At this point, the only common ground is that everybody seems to agree on the value of reading at home for pleasure, whether the reader is in first grade or high school.
Editorial: Dealing with School Violence ... Bush summit left out issues regarding cuts in school safety budgets and gun control.
The Literacy Project: Google Inc. is based on a desire to help people find information. More than one billion people around the world over the age of 15 are considered illiterate. "We hope this site will serve as a bridge to even greater communication and access to important information about literacy problems -- and solutions." (10/06) Read more ...
School Safety: While we may not be able to shield children from the news of the recent school tragedies, we can use these incidents as teachable moments. (10/06) Read more ...
US School Shootings Raise Fresh Questions: About the right to bear arms and gun control ...
Of the three tragedies in schools within a week, the 15-year old who killed the Principal in CT tugged at my heart strings. He had been complaining of being bullied to no avail, then he is punished for a tobacco violation. His pleas for help were ignored, but his minor infraction was disciplined. (10/06)
Rebuilding Shop Classes in US High School: Vocational education classes are beginning to enjoy a renaissance. Not everyone is college-bound and some common sense has returned. We need carpenters, auto-mechanics, welders, and computer repair guys. (10/06)
Who Pays for Special Education? Parents want the best for their disabled students. Public schools say they can't handle the cost. Some parents can afford to challenge the school system to provide their child with special needs a "free appropriate education," but many can not. (09/06)
Want to Improve Education? Let Kids Sleep: As a father of two teenage boys, I can attest to the fact that the single greatest teen crisis in America is not drugs, alcohol, smoking or early sexual activity, but sleep deprivation. Tuesday marks the start of the school year in our district in Fairfax, Va., and for the better part of the next nine months my kids will shuffle through the day resembling the zombies from "Night of the Living Dead." ... ~ Stephen Moore (09/06)
CNN’s Gupta Unravels Mystery of Genius for Prime-time Special:
It's all still a mystery to me, but this show did explain the importance of ZIP CODE in fostering super smart kids and spotlighted some amazing savants. (09/06)
Workout for mind and body: Exercise makes learning easier. (09/06)
* Kindergarten is a killer and some children are getting their first taste of failure before they learn to tie their shoes. Read more about "The New First Grade: Too Much Too Soon?" (09/06)
*Learning Differences: Most parents intuitively sense that their child has his own so-called learning style but may be at a loss as to how to capitalize on it. But determining your child's learning style is no more complicated than figuring out what kind of books he likes or the types of games he likes to play. There are three main ways people learn: by listening, looking, or doing. Your child might lean heavily on one of these modes, or he might use a combination. (09/06) Here's how to figure it out ...
Volunteers in Texas knock on doors to personally invite students to come back to school: "If something is not important, you write a letter. If something is important, you knock on doors."
District officials recognize that circumstances outside the school, such as having a child or needing to hold a job, often cause a student to drop out and not return.
"Those obstacles are where we can help them," Cusack said. "When we bring them back to school, we have to make sure the school will meet their needs — meaningful curriculum, small learning community, personalization. Those things are huge." Read more about it. (09/06/06)
Diplomas Count 2006! This is a special state-focused online supplement to Diplomas Count. It features detailed data on high school graduation rates at the national, state, and district level. The report also examines how states calculate graduation rates, tracks state policies related to high school graduation requirements, and explores ways in which states and districts might improve graduation rates based on research. How did your state do?
This report warns that over 1.2 million students will not graduate from high school in 2006 and freshmen will be the most likely to drop out! (06/06)
About Autism
What I know about autism, I learned from Robert who had Asperger's Syndrome. An article written by Claudia Wallis in TIME magazine (5/16/06) recently shared some "new insights in the hidden world of autism." This article includes a graphic of the anatomy of an autistic brain, a summary of recent research, and spotlights on two schools with different approaches to working with children with autism. The ABA or applied behavioral analysis approach is based in much scientific data using positive reinforcers for desired behaviors, but it is much more complicated than this, and the DIR/Floortime, developmental, individual-difference, relationship-based approach is founded on the premise that an exchange of emotional signals form the basics of learning in childhood. Of course, I must question, why one or the other? Will a combination of these two programs work for some kids? Answer: "While the majority of US programs for autistic dhildren are based on ABA techniques, DIR has made inroads, and many programs now mix elements of both." More research is underway.
This same TIME issue addresses "How to Combat Senioritis" with programs that motivate seniors by allowing them to explore their passions with dual-enrollment college courses and participating in unpaid internships in their areas of interest in the workplace. Both of these are great school-to-work/world transition ideas! (06/06)
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