News: IDEA

How the “System” Forces Schools into Decisions that Harm Struggling Students: The “Groundhog Day” Impact of Fear on Staff Mental Health and Job Retention

The movie Groundhog Day is metaphorically used to describe recurring experiences with MTSS Teams across the country who continue to use “mystifying” procedures, practices, and strategies—typically wit...

Read Full Article

Judy Heumann, Special Education’s History of Litigation, and the Continuing Fight: Complacency and Defensiveness Still Stand in the Way of Students with Disabilities’ Rights

The passing of Judy Heumann, a special education advocate and legend, prompts this Blog’s review of the history of special education. The author reflects on his interactions with the advocates and lit...

Read Full Article

Was a First Grade Virginia Teacher Shot Because Her Student was Denied Special Education Services?

Blog describes how some districts do not have access to a continuum of special education services for students with behavioral challenges—including self-contained special education, day treatment, or...

Read Full Article

Generation C (COVID) is Entering School with Significant Language, Academic, and Social Delays

This Blog reports the results of a number of recent studies and their descriptions of some of the delays exhibited by infants, toddlers, and preschoolers who have grown up during the pandemic. It then...

Read Full Article

Should the U.S. Supreme Court Limit the Powers of the U.S. Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP)?

Should the U.S. Supreme Court strike down specific regulations and legal interpretations made by the U.S. Office of Special Education Programs? New Blog reviews (a) a recent Supreme Court decision lim...

Read Full Article

Do Black and Students with Disabilities’ Lives Matter to the U.S. Department of Education?

Institutional Bias, Power-Based Decisions, and Ineffective Practices?Dear Colleagues,Is Institutional Bias Driving the U.S. Department of Education?Friday, July 10, 6:14 AM   I rolled over i...

Read Full Article