On Special Education

I'm off to Boston this week for the annual Council for Exceptional Children convention. It's not quite as jam-packed as the American Educational Research Association meeting, ably covered by Eduwonkette, but I know there will be several times during the convention when I will want to clone myself so that I can attend interesting sessions that just happen to be running concurrently.

I already know to check out the sessions on response to intervention and federal policy, because those topics affect many of our readers. But what other sessions should I make sure to visit on Thursday, Friday, and part of Saturday?

Some odds and ends:

I hope to be a frequent blogger during my time in Boston. If you don't want to miss anything, please sign up for the RSS feed of this blog with that big orange button to the right that says "Get RSS." You'll never miss a post!

Education Week is running an "open house" through April 7, so you can read any story without registering first. So dive into those archives; many of my past blog posts have referenced Ed Week stories, so now you can see what I've been talking about.

And finally, also in the "things that are free" category, today is the last day you can see Autism: The Musical for free on the HBO Web site. I found it to be a sweet and touching documentary, but it had its painful moments, too. Though you can only go so deep in 90 minutes, observing the strains and fractures among the parents were just as affecting as seeing these children learn and grow.

The Web site includes a "Meet the Families" link that gives additional information on what the children are up to now. It's better, though, that you watch the movie first before reading those links. Otherwise, it's like picking up a good book and skipping to the end.

Posted by Christina Samuels at 3:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

After I wrote two weeks ago about Missouri lawmakers' considering vouchers for students with autism, Piet van Lier directed me to an analysis he did for a Cleveland-based public policy group on Ohio's autism voucher program. It grants parents up to $20,000 a year in state aid in order to pay for educational services. The program served 734 children in the 2006-07 school year, at a cost to the state of about $10.8 million, and the policy analysis suggests that money would be better used to expand programs that can serve more children with autism.

My article will be in next week's print edition, but it's already up on the web. The comments on my Missouri blog post, plus the interviews I did for the Ohio story, make it clear to me that the parents who use such programs really love them. I asked parents if they were concerned that school districts might avoid bolstering their autism programs if they believed they could just shift parents onto the voucher program. Lori Peacock, a mother I quoted in the article, said she has heard of districts very pointedly making parents aware that they can take voucher money and go elsewhere.

Peacock, who has a 12-year-old son with autism, said she doesn't feel like she can wait for districts to get their acts together. "They've had nine years to get it right for him, and they still haven't gotten it right," she said. "We need to have options."

OK, teachers and administators--what do you think?

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It's the time of year when high school seniors' thoughts turn to graduation, so two reports from Project Forum and the Center for Education Policy are perfectly timed.

The CEC policy brief linked to on this page takes a look at how high school exit exams affect students with disabilities. The conclusion is that they're not so great. States that require students to pass an exam in order to receive a diploma tend to have low graduation rates overall, particularly among students with disabilities.

Project Forum, a federally funded program of the National Association of State Directors of Special Education, takes a broader view by looking at graduation rates overall, not just exit exams. The report offers 14 recommendations, including allowing "multiple measures" for students to meet graduation requirements and allowing a range of course options that satisfy minimum graduation requirements.

(Project Forum used material from other research on this issue, including some reports from the National Center on Educational Outcomes, which I wrote about last month.)

One thing I've heard from a lot of disability advocates is their concern that without federal pressure, teachers won't hold students with disabilities to a high standard. So, the advocacy of "multiple measures" makes me wonder if they also might be seen as a backing away from high standards, or if they're just part of the reasonable accommodations schools should make for students with a variety of needs.

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Be sure to catch the premiere of Autism: the Musical at 8 p.m. tonight on HBO. This 90-minute documentary follows five children with autism and their families over six months as they prepare for a full-length musical production.

Even better, people without HBO (like me) will be able to see the entire production online beginning Wednesday and ending March 31.

The documentary has received positive reviews in Variety, The New York Times, and the Newark Star-Ledger (scroll down past the farewell to Jericho.). I'll be back to update this with my thoughts, but please feel free to post your own.

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Liz at the blog I Speak of Dreams had a fascinating analysis of "black cultural learning styles," an idea which she believes should be laid to rest. This idea suggests that black children are shortchanged in "euro-centric" schools because their learning styles are incompatible with most classrooms.

This link, though critical of the theory, is helpful because it gives some examples of what a black cultural learning style supposedly is: cooperative rather than competitive, impulsive, and passive, among other characteristics.

What really caught my attention was a comment she linked to within her essay, where she quoted a person who said there was a push in a school district to note "learning styles" on a student's individualized education program. The black kids, however, were getting the "kinesthetic learner" label, this commenter noted, while the white children tend to be called "auditory/visual learners."

When you say X is a "kinesthetic learner," you are basically saying, "forget all that higher-level thinking; algebra, critical reasoning, abstraction, language and mathematics are not for you, you can only learn with your hands. Off to McJobs!" Of course the people bandying about these stereotypes don't realize the import of what they're saying -- black kids better stick to menial labor -- but it's the soft underbelly of the crocodile.

There's tons of great links within the original essay. Have others noted what this commenter is suggesting, particularly within the area of special education and IEPs?

Tip of the hat to JohnL at Teach Effectively, for pointing out the blog post.

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I thought New York Gov. David Paterson's blindness was interesting enough to blog about, but it turns out that's not the only interesting thing about him.

I think I may leave future political news to my friend Michele over at Campaign K-12!

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I was excited to see an article about disability advocates' view of No Child Left Behind in the Washington Post earlier this week. It offers an interesting perspective about what the federal law has meant for children with disabilities. One of the articles featured source-extraordinaire Ricki Sabia, the associate director of the National Down Syndrome Society Public Policy Center. I've had the pleasure of interviewing Sabia several times.

An accompanying article asked whether a push toward inclusion by a local school district has, indeed, left some children behind who might be better served in "special schools" with other children who have disabilities. It's clear from parents quoted in the story that they believe inclusion isn't a panacea.

You can read my earlier take on the issue of NCLB reauthorization and children with disabilities here.

Posted by Christina Samuels at 4:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I admit it: I am a habitual Web surfer. But trolling the Web leads to some fascinating places, including this blog by a 24-year-old teacher of middle school students with behavioral disorders in Newark, N.J.

The writer, who goes by the delightfully random name of "liquidwafflegirl," doesn't post half as much as I would like, because I'm always looking for commentary by teachers. But when I read her blog, I understand why she doesn't write often. She really seems to be struggling with demanding students (in one post she said she broke her thumb trying to stop a fight) and a difficult school bureaucracy. Her posts are personal, funny, and often sad. This excerpt from a September 2007 really grabbed me:

I can show up everyday to work and do my job and teach kids what they need to know from the core curriculum content standards, and try my best to keep their behavior under control. I know that this is something that I CAN DO. The thing is, ANYONE can just show up to work and do their job, I want to be able to go to work everyday and do something extraordinary. I want to do my job exceptionally well, and I want to be able to enjoy it.

Liquidwafflegirl hasn't posted since January. Has she received the support she needed? Did she leave the profession? How many thousands of young teachers may be out there like her, feeling the same way? As a writer, I'm used to knowing the end of the story. I wish I could say I knew how this one is going to turn out.

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Lawmakers in Missouri are considering following the lead of four other states that offer vouchers to parents of students with disabilities. I wrote about this issue about a year ago. Now, as then, I wonder: Even when such bills pass, are there enough schools available to accept these children?

The Missouri bill would be specifically for children with autism, and the lawmakers for and against vouchers in Missouri make familiar arguments. Those in favor say that such programs are a necessity for parents who don't have good options available to them in public schools. Opponents think it's a ploy to eventually spread vouchers to all students.

The bill under consideration is known as Bryce's Law, named for the grandson of the legislator who is behind the measure.

An alternative plan proposed by opponents of the measure would create an autism advisory council, an ombudsman to assist parents and districts, and early childhood education centers.

Posted by Christina Samuels at 10:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Wow! Well, that was fast. With today's resignation of New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, Lt. Gov. David A. Paterson now becomes not only the state's first black governor, but the nation's first blind governor.

The New York Times has a profile of Paterson today, which talks about his refusal to learn Braille as a child, his parents' determination to forgo special education for him, and his subsequent high achievement.

However, he has been actively involved in disability groups, including serving on the American Foundation for the Blind's board of trustees for nine years. The board has released a statement saying that once again, Paterson is "making history."

"Paterson has shown the world that people with vision loss can lead full and independent lives—running marathons, being a great father and husband, and becoming a major political leader," says Carl R. Augusto, the president and CEO of the foundation.

But the media's depiction of Paterson's "independence"—he also doesn't use a cane or a guide dog—has struck a nerve with at least one blogger, who writes:

I'm always perplexed by these articles that talk about how "independent" someone is because they don't use a mobility aid. I remember reading an article about one woman who said her doctor suggested a cane, but she wanted to be more independent. Her solution? Make sure a coworker was around to yell to her when she was approaching the top of the stairs.

So, if we want to *look* independent (as opposed to *being* independent), maybe we're going about it all wrong. Maybe it's like a status symbol if we can have all of these people around to guide us so we don't have to rely on one of those canes or dogs.

I see the same thing in articles about braille--someone is "independent" because they spend hours and hours memorizing stuff rather than reading braille.

Is our cultural fear of blindness so great that it shapes our perceptions of what constitutes independence?

UPDATE: The New York Times is reporting that Paterson is not the nation's first blind governor. That honor goes to Bob Cowley Riley, who was governor of Arkansas for 11 days in 1975. Riley, a Marine, lost his sight due to injuries he received in World War II.

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The biggest problem for teachers these days? Overbearing parents, according to a survey of teachers in a well-to-do suburb outside Baltimore.

A Baltimore Sun article cited a soon-to-be-released survey of teachers in Howard County, Md., a district of about 48,500 students. The survey reports that 60 percent of teachers have reported harassment, primarily by parents. Those working conditions make it particularly difficult to retain special education teachers, according to the Howard County Education Association, which conducted the survey. The association is an affiliate of the National Education Association.

An official with the Carroll County Education Association, the NEA affiliate in a neighboring county, said parents of children in special education are among the worst offenders.

"A teacher is a pretty prime target when the child is not meeting their potential," Barry Potts, the president of the association, said in the article.

Interesting thoughts from teachers are included in the article, and in the lively side discussion on the paper's Web site, where people are posting their comments anonymously. The article left me wondering if at least part of the issue is related to technology. With Blackberries, instant messaging and e-mail, parents may expect instant responses from teachers.

However, isn't communication with parents what all teachers want? I've certainly heard stories about parents who don't bother to show up at individualized education program meetings. IDEA mandates that districts promote parental involvement, and districts are being evaluated by the federal government on parental satisfaction, among other things. No one wants a teacher to be physically threatened, as the article describes. But, how much communication with parents is too much?

Posted by Christina Samuels at 4:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (10) | TrackBacks (0)

John McCain has been busy lately--clinching the Republican nomination for president, visiting the White House to receive an official endorsement from President Bush. Not too busy, however, to wade into one of the most controversial issues roiling the autism community.

According to a recent New York Times article, McCain said during a campaign stop in Texas that “It’s indisputable that autism is on the rise among children." He continued, "The question is, what’s causing it? And we go back and forth, and there’s strong evidence that indicates that it’s got to do with a preservative in vaccines.”

Many medical experts say he's half right: diagnoses of autism cases are on the rise. But, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there's no link between the communication disorder and thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative once used in vaccines.

McCain's comments have rolled across the highly sensitized autism community. Campaign U., a blog of the Chronicle of Higher Education, has collected a sample of critical web commentary. Many of the comments on ABC News journalist Jake Tapper's blog offer an opposing view.

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Kudos to Rachel A. Holler, the principal of Stewart Middle School in Norristown, Pa., and go-to special education law expert Perry A. Zirkel of Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa., for a recent research article that attempts to take a crack at quantifying just how many "section 504" kids are in public schools. Their work has been published in the March issue of the National Association for Secondary School Principals Bulletin.

But first, a quick primer on "Section 504:" Section 504, a part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, actually predates the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act by two years. It prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities by organizations that receive federal money, like schools. One major difference between the two laws is how "disability" is defined. IDEA has 13 disability categories, while Section 504 has a three-part definition that is broader than IDEA. So, though all students covered by IDEA are also covered by Section 504, there's also a smaller group of Section 504 kids who are not a part of IDEA.

Confused yet?

Another major difference is in funding: The federal government provides some money to school districts to educate children in special education, along with a specific legal framework for doing so. Accommodations for Section 504 students is a mandate, but does not come with specific federal funding.

Holler and Zirkel extrapolate their results from 549 surveys sent to public schools. Among the nuggets of information they uncovered:

• 504-only students represent about 1.2 percent of the population covered by the survey.


• Districts may be inflating even that small percentage, based on recent judicial opinions that have restricted the definition of a 504 impairment.


• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder was the most commonly listed impairment for Section 504 students. Diabetes came next.


• There was no significant difference in the number of Section 504-only students in a wealthy school compared to a less affluent school.


• High schools and middle schools had significantly more Section 504-only students than elementary schools.

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