Special Education Blog

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 This blog is no longer being updated, but you can continue to explore these issues on edweek.org by visiting our related topic pages: students with disabilities, gifted education, and homeless.

Young boy wearing a mask shown sheltering at home looking out a window with a stuffed animal.
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Special Education Schools Struggled to Serve Students With Disabilities, English-Learners During Shutdowns
The needs of students with IEPs and English-language learners were not often met after the pandemic struck, says a federal report.
Corey Mitchell, November 19, 2020
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3 min read
Special Education Q&A How Parents Can Spot Signs of Learning Disabilities During Remote Learning
A new digital guide aims to identify students missing out on special education services and supports during distance learning.
Corey Mitchell, September 10, 2020
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2 min read
Special Education How to Support Students Who Stutter in Class
Between 5 percent and 10 percent of all children will stutter, as presidential contender Joe Biden once did, at some period in their life, federal data indicates.
Corey Mitchell, August 28, 2020
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2 min read
Special Education Flint's Special Education Students Win Support, Compensation in Landmark Settlement
A small portion of a $600 million settlement will be used to improve services and supports for children impacted by the city's water crisis.
Corey Mitchell, August 20, 2020
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2 min read
School & District Management Schools Seek Cover From Special Education Lawsuits, But Advocates See Another Motive
Special education advocates argue the push for liability protection is a veiled attempt to seek waivers from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the nation's primary special education law.
Corey Mitchell, July 29, 2020
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4 min read
Equity & Diversity Many of America's Schools Aren't Fully Accessible for Students With Disabilities
In a new report, districts cite funding constraints as the main reason for not making their buildings accessible, a longstanding problem.
Corey Mitchell, July 24, 2020
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1 min read
Special Education A Few Parents Have Sued Over Special Education During COVID-19. Will More Follow?
Districts could face a rising tide of special education-related lawsuits and complaints when schools resume, experts say, if they still cannot offer the services that students with disabilities missed out on for months.
Corey Mitchell, July 13, 2020
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6 min read
Student Well-Being Remote Learning and Special Education Students: How Eight Families Are Adapting (Video)
When it comes to parenting students with learning differences, every family's experience is unique. And that reality has never been more true than it is now as millions of students are out of school due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Bridget Fetsko, June 10, 2020
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1 min read
Special Education Q&A Virtual IEP Meetings: A 6-Step Guide for Parents and Teachers
A new resource offers tips on how to keep Individualized Education Program meetings focused and on-schedule.
Corey Mitchell, May 29, 2020
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3 min read
Student Well-Being Q&A Autism Amid Uncertainty: Expert Advice for Parents and Teachers
A leading autism researcher and former special education teacher offers advice to help students cope with the abrupt changes brought on by the novel coronavirus outbreak.
Corey Mitchell, April 22, 2020
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4 min read
School & District Management Special Ed. Administrators Press Congress for IDEA Waivers During Pandemic
The requests put the nation's special education administrators in conflict with disability rights advocates who fear waivers will place millions of special education students at risk.
Corey Mitchell, April 16, 2020
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2 min read
Special Education Just in Time: a Resource Hub on Remote Learning for Special Education Students
Nearly 30 disability rights and education advocacy organizations have launched a new resource hub and online network designed to help special educators during the coronavirus crisis.
Corey Mitchell, April 8, 2020
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1 min read
Special Education How to Handle IEPs During the Coronavirus Crisis? Some Expert Advice
Very carefully, experts say, while understanding that federal laws governing special education were not written with online education in mind.
Corey Mitchell, April 3, 2020
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6 min read
Education 'Are We Going to Get Ourselves in Trouble?': Districts Struggle With Special Education
With the coronavirus pandemic pressing tens of thousands of the nation's school districts into extended closures, education administrators across the nation are wrestling with a complex and legalistic problem: how to keep services flowing for students with disabilities.
Corey Mitchell, March 19, 2020
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5 min read
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