Special Education

Navigating the special education system is NYS is challenging for parents. Federal law mandates that children with special needs are entitled to a individualized public education in the least restrictive environment, but parents, their child’s greatest advocate,  often struggle to get their child’s needs met. Our children are often underestimated and we strive to maximize their potential.

My Worlds Converge: A Personal Story About My Special Needs Son and The Contraction of Education Reform
Accountability

My Worlds Converge: A Personal Story About My Special Needs Son and The Contraction of Education Reform

Laura WatersLeave a comment

March is National Disabilities Month, but in my family we observe this designation every day.  Our fourth child, Jonah, has Fragile X Syndrome, a genetic mutation that can cause (as it does in our son’s case) a constellation of symptoms including global developmental delays and autistic-like behaviors. My sister is afflicted by both physical disabilities… Continue reading My Worlds Converge: A Personal Story About My Special Needs Son and The Contraction of Education Reform

To Each Their Own: Power To the Parents!
Finding the Right School

To Each Their Own: Power To the Parents!

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

Less than 24 hours after my post, New Year, Old NYC School Argument, ran on NY School Talk, The New York Times published their piece on the same subject, Why Black Parents Are Turning To Afrocentric Schools. Now, I’m not suggesting that my post had anything to do with it. The NYT article had obviously… Continue reading To Each Their Own: Power To the Parents!

A Personal Perspective Into The School-To-Prison Pipeline: John Is Home!
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A Personal Perspective Into The School-To-Prison Pipeline: John Is Home!

Vivett DukesLeave a comment

On Tuesday, October 30th, I received one of the greatest gifts of my life: After serving 19 and a half years of a 20-to-life sentence, my husband John Dukes was released from prison. Each day he’s home is a blessing. Each day he’s home also highlights the challenges that formerly incarcerated people face along their… Continue reading A Personal Perspective Into The School-To-Prison Pipeline: John Is Home!

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In NYC’s Special Education Labyrinth, Families Need a Guide: For Proof, The Heartbreaking Case of TJ.

nyschooltalkLeave a comment

This is a guest post by Ariela Rozman who co-founded EdNavigator, where this post originally appeared. Before that, she served for eight years as Chief Executive Officer of TNTP. In October, The New York Times shared the heartbreaking story of TJ, a child with special needs who had been left behind by New York City schools. Heartbreaking because… Continue reading In NYC’s Special Education Labyrinth, Families Need a Guide: For Proof, The Heartbreaking Case of TJ.

The Dead Canary: The Problems Within NYC’s Special Education System Signify Global Dysfunction
Accountability · Blog · School Choice

The Dead Canary: The Problems Within NYC’s Special Education System Signify Global Dysfunction

Laura WatersLeave a comment

Fifteen years ago when I began my journey as an education advocate, I was in it for myself. More specifically, for my son Jonah, who has multiple disabilities stemming from a genetic mutation called Fragile X Syndrome. I saw my quest as securing a high-quality seat for my boy in a school that would provide… Continue reading The Dead Canary: The Problems Within NYC’s Special Education System Signify Global Dysfunction

A Back-to-School Love Letter to Parents of Kids With Special Needs and Disabilities
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A Back-to-School Love Letter to Parents of Kids With Special Needs and Disabilities

nyschooltalkLeave a comment

This is a guest post by ShaRhonda Knott-Dawson, the mother of two free-spirited, strong-willed girls and whose husband should be appointed a saint for co-existing in the madness that is their life. She writes on politics, education, current events and social justice. This piece was originally published at Education Post. Dear Fellow Parent Warriors, While every… Continue reading A Back-to-School Love Letter to Parents of Kids With Special Needs and Disabilities

Should Schools Push Kids Out Of Their Comfort Zones?
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Should Schools Push Kids Out Of Their Comfort Zones?

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

Earlier this month, The Atlantic ran a piece entitled, Teens Are Protesting In-Class Presentations. Taylor Lorenz wrote: “(S)tudents have started calling out in-class presentations as discriminatory to those with anxiety, demanding that teachers offer alternative options…. “Nobody should be forced to do something that makes them uncomfortable,” says Ula, a 14-year-old in eighth grade, who,… Continue reading Should Schools Push Kids Out Of Their Comfort Zones?

Not Backpacks Full of Cash: Backpacks Full of Rights! NCSECS Takes On Special Education Equity in Charter Schools
Accountability · Educational Equity · Finding the Right School · School Choice

Not Backpacks Full of Cash: Backpacks Full of Rights! NCSECS Takes On Special Education Equity in Charter Schools

Laura WatersLeave a comment

It’s a common complaint among those who turn down their collective nose at public charter schools: they don’t serve their fair share of students with disabilities, or at least those with moderate to severe disabilities, and they counsel out kids who can’t deal with academic rigor, either back to their sending districts or to private… Continue reading Not Backpacks Full of Cash: Backpacks Full of Rights! NCSECS Takes On Special Education Equity in Charter Schools

Nobody Puts My Baby In The Corner (Except When They Do). A New Report on Inclusion with Relevance to New York.
Blog · Finding the Right School

Nobody Puts My Baby In The Corner (Except When They Do). A New Report on Inclusion with Relevance to New York.

Laura Waters1 Comment

Parenting typical children is hard. Parenting children with special needs is harder. (I get to say this; I’ve got three of the former and one of the latter.) For our youngest son with multiple disabilities that range from moderate to severe, we have committed ourselves to finding the best educational placements for him. But what… Continue reading Nobody Puts My Baby In The Corner (Except When They Do). A New Report on Inclusion with Relevance to New York.

My Take on the Trump Administration’s Disregard for Students with Disabilities
Accountability

My Take on the Trump Administration’s Disregard for Students with Disabilities

Laura WatersLeave a comment

My friends and colleagues at Education Post, Lane Wright and Ikhlas Saleem, asked me to join them on their Voices4ED podcast to talk about the Trump Administration’s stripping away of civil rights protections for students with special needs under the direction of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. To listen, click here. Episode Details: Why Laura’s recent article about Betsy DeVos resonated with so… Continue reading My Take on the Trump Administration’s Disregard for Students with Disabilities