• Pete Wright was a guest on NPR's Justice Talking, the weekly public radio program on legal issues and public policy. The topic was A Special Look at Special Education.
  
  Moderator Margo Adler asked: "Whose job is it to educate students with special needs? What is the reality of special education?"
  
  Pete said, "In large part of the country, school districts say to parents, 'This is all we have to offer for your child, take it or leave it' and a line is drawn in the sand."

 

• Justice Talking: A Special Look at Special Education

Program Description: "This fall the U. S. Supreme Court will examine the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the law that requires school systems to develop individualized education programs for children with mental and physical disabilities."

"As the Court looks at how to resolve disputes between parents and schools, Justice Talking will take a special look at special education: Is the special ed system working for students? For schools? For families? For taxpayers?"

Find out which stations will carry the show and when. (For example, in the DC area, the show airs on WETA at 90.9, on Sunday, November 6 at 4 p.m.)

You can also click this link to listen to the show.

Other guests were:

Alicia Broderick, assistant professor of Education in the Department of Curriculum and Teaching at Teachers College at Columbia University

Patti Ralabate, senior professional associate for Special Needs with the National Education Association. She authored Meeting the Challenge: Special Education Tools that Work for All Kids and co-authored The New IDEA Survival Guide.

Sarah Mead is a fellow with the Progressive Policy Institute's 21st Century Schools Project and a senior policy analyst with Education Sector, an independent Washington, DC-based think tank focused on Education Policy.

• News Show Explores Special Education

		Next Broadcast Special Education November 15 8-9 p.m. EST

Ensuring students with special needs receive the quality education all children deserve is the topic of the November broadcast of Education News Parents Can Use, the U.S. Department of Education's monthly television program.

Recognizing that this month marks 30 years since Congress enacted the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the news show will explore how the law has increased opportunities for this population in the classroom, in higher education and in the job market. In addition, it will look at how the accountability provisions of No Child Left Behind are helping to ensure students with disabilities achieve high standards.

Panelists and guests will discuss the Department's efforts for helping classroom teachers and special educators establish an instructional partnership; suggestions for parents on early intervention for children suspected of having a disability; and the effectiveness of the Individualized Education Program in meeting the needs of students with disabilities.

Each month, Education News Parents Can Use showcases: schools and school districts from across the country; conversations with school officials, parents and education experts; and advice and free resources for parents and educators.

To learn about viewing options, including webcasts, visit www.ed.gov and click on "Parents," then "News Parents Can Use," or call toll-free (800) USA-LEARN.

Please note that the show will take a break in December and resume its broadcast in January.

• Some more web sites. These are for Sensory issues. http://www.sinetwork.org or http://www.sensoryint.com
• a Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) website http://cecp.air.org/fba/default.asp . 
• In NY on the VESID website, there is this great publication called the Sample Individualized Education Program (IEP) And Guidance Document http://www.vesid.nysed.gov/specialed/publications/policy/iep/home.html

 

• "Country Boys" to Air on PBS Television January 2006
  "Country Boys" is an inspirational and gripping coming-of-age story about two boys from Eastern Kentucky's Appalachian region. The individual stories of Cody Perkins and Chris Johnson reveal two classmates at The David School, a private alternative high school who, while they inhabit the same world, are light years apart. Filmmaker David Sutherland interweaves the distinct narratives of two at-risk adolescents grappling with and overcoming daunting emotional and physical obstacles related to their unique family lives and the economic circumstances of this region. At the same time, their individual stories offer valuable insights into the universally complex problems faced by all teenagers and those who love and support them. Country Boys will premiere on the PBS series Frontline on January 9-11, 2006, 9-11 p.m. ET/PT. The Country Boys Community Engagement Campaign was created to build awareness and community participation in support of youth. http://www.itvs.org/outreach/countryboys
   

Information and Articles

• Senate approved a spending bill last week that would provide only
  minimal increases for Title I and special education, the two largest
  federal K-12 education programs.
  
  Though a flurry of unsuccessful amendments by Democrats sought to
  increase funding for those and other programs, Republicans held the
  bottom line on an appropriations bill that includes $56.7 billion in
  discretionary spending for the Department of Education for the 2006
  federal fiscal year, which began Oct. 1. The bill, approved Oct. 27
  on a 94-3 vote, contains an increase for education of only $143
  million, or 0.25 percent, over fiscal 2005.
  
  The Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations
  bill contains a $100 million increase to the Title I program for
  disadvantaged students, to $12.8 billion, which if adopted would make
  it the smallest increase for the program in eight years. The bill
  also includes a $100 million increase, to $10.7 billion, for services
  under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The amounts
  for each program would constitute an increase of less than 1 percent.
  
  Critics say the failure to put more money toward those two programs,
  in particular, comes at a time when the federal No Child Left Behind
  Act is putting pressure on Title I and the IDEA to help children meet
  education goals. 
• 
  GAO: More students with disabilities excluded from tests than reported
  The Government Accountability Office admits that the 5% figure it reported last July for students with disabilities excluded from the National Assessment of Education Progress should have been eight times higher. The Education Department says it should have caught the GAO error, which stemmed from comparing the number of excluded students with the general student population rather than with those with disabilities.   The Washington Post/Associated Press (free registration) (11/1)

• Study: Children with autism find normal noise painful
  Researchers from New Zealand's Massey University have found that even though their hearing may be normal, children with autism and and some gifted youngsters may perceive normal and tolerable noise as painful and intense. Researchers suggest that such children be provided quiet spaces.   The New Zealand Herald (11/2)

Test Info Understanding Psychoeducational Testing Demystify the process of psychoeducational testing and learn how to prepare your child. Take me to this article.

• Basic Principles of the Responsiveness-to-Intervention Approach
  What should parents know about this new approach to evaluating a child for LD?
  Researcher Dr. Daryl Mellard answers some key questions.
• Teachers often spot ADHD first
  Teachers are often the first ones to correctly suspect a youngster may have ADHD, even though many parents typically react to the news with denial or dismay. The American Academy of Pediatrics has created diagnostic guidelines to help doctors properly evaluate and treat a child with the disorder.   USA TODAY (11/6)
• Planning for a special-needs child's financial security
  Canadian financial advisor Dennis Mullins, who has a son with cerebral palsy, recommends families seek expert help when considering trusts and other financial arrangements for children with disabilities. Insurance broker Graeme Treeby has created a Web site to pass along estate-planning tips to families with special-needs children.   The Toronto Star (11/6)
• There is an excellent publication called "A Parent's Guide to Protecting
  Your Child From the Use of Restraint, Aversive Interventions, and Seclusion"
  which you will find on the APRAIS (Alliance to Prevent Restraint, Aversive
  Interventions, and Seclusion) website at
  http://www.aprais.org/ParentGuide2.pdf . This publication also includes a
  "No Consent Form" sample letter that parents may give to their school to
  deny permission to use aversive procedures.
• The Technical Assistance Partnership for Child and Family Mental Health has published an article written by Families Together's Director of Outreach & Development, titled "On Dealing with Stress: What I've Learned from Parenting a Child with Special Needs." The article was originally written three years ago for the Families Together newsletter, and has been updated for the TA Partnership's Families Matters Newsletter. Please share this article with parents or family members of a child with emotional, behavioral or mental health challenges who could use some stress relief and reassurance. Go to: http://www.tapartnership.org/

• Frequent Questions re Paraprofessionals

Qualifications are grnerally that they must be 18 years of age and hold a "high school diploma" and they can perform the following duties:

Teacher aides perform non-instructional duties under supervision determined by the local school district in accordance with Civil Service Law.

Certification:  Certification not required. Employment subject to New York State Civil Service laws.

Qualifications:  Qualifications are determined by local Boards of Education.

Duties: 
The following description of duties is provided as guidance in determining the appropriate role for teacher aides:

  a.. preparing scripts for recording purposes; 
  b.. assisting in oversight and technical operations of language and/or computer laboratories; 
  c.. assisting in physical care tasks and health-related activities as appropriate;
  d.. assisting students with behavioral/management needs;
  e.. assisting in the set up of laboratory equipment, conduct experiments, and performing limited reviews of student laboratory reports;
  f.. assisting in the technical preparation and production of media programs;
  g.. reading to and playing audio-visual materials for children in lower grades;
  h.. assisting in proctoring and other tasks related to the administration of examinations;
  i.. assisting in the correction of test papers, recording of grades, maintaining of files and preparing statistical reports.
  j.. managing records, materials and equipment; and
  k.. supervising students
Local bargaining agreements may address the specific duties of teacher aides. Such agreements may specify in greater detail the terms and conditions of employment, but they must be consistent with applicable law and regulation.

For more information about Teacher Aides go to Commissioners Regulations Subpart 80-5, Requirements Relating To Teaching Practice And Specialized Credentials - Subpart 80-5.6 Supplementary school personnel.
Link to Subpart 80-5. http://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/part80-5.htm#5.6

Section 80-5.6 Supplementary school personnel.

(a) Teacher aide. A teacher aide may be assigned by the board of education to assist teachers in such nonteaching duties as:
(1) managing records, materials and equipment;
(2) attending to the physical needs of children; and
(3) supervising students and performing such other services as support teaching duties when such services are determined and supervised by teacher.