Yes, We Can Meet the Needs of Every Student in the Classroom Even When Their Needs Are So Different

Imagine teaching a classroom of 25 students. It’s an English class. You have to assign an essay based upon a grade-level text and are planning…

Even as a Disability Advocate I Still Did Everything Wrong When My Daughter Was Diagnosed With Autism

November 6, 2018, is the day my daughter was officially diagnosed with autism. That’s the day my world collapsed. For the first hour of her…

Here’s What Happens When You Incorporate Equity Into Every Part of a School

In 2015, I co-founded Kingsman Academy Public Charter School. We welcome all high school students and center those who are overage and under-credited, who have…

‘Twas the Night Before the IEP Meeting

November is IEP (Individualized Education Plan) meeting time for most parents. This is dedicated to all of the parents preparing for their yearly IEP meetings.…

It’s Not ‘Inclusion’ If You Leave Out Kids With Special Needs

Way back in 1990 on this day, then-President George H.W. Bush signed into law the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA. The law’s provisions…

Your Neighborhood School May Not Make the Rankings But That Doesn’t Mean It Isn’t Right for Your Kid

When moving into my neighborhood, my husband and I never considered our neighborhood school a viable option for our children. It wasn’t “good” based on…

Our Private School Didn’t Fight For My Son or Daughter, But Chicago Public Schools Did

Come January 2018, Illinois parents will have the chance to apply for tax credits when they donate to scholarship funds for private schools. But I…

Here’s Everything You Need to Know When You’re Done Denying Your Kid Has Special Needs

Before I had my younger daughter, I had no idea about special education. I had never heard of an IEP (Individualized Education Plan). And if…

The Supreme Court Does the Right Thing for Students With Disabilities But Now Here Comes the Hard Part

Here’s Chief Justice John Roberts, issuing the Supreme Court’s unanimous opinion today in a case called Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District. When all…

Coffee Break: New Orleans’ Ben Kleban on Saying Goodbye to the School Board You Used to Know and Looking to the Future

Say goodbye to the New Orleans school board you used to know. When Senate Bill 432—which called for a return of certain Recovery School District (RSD)…