We Need a Cooperative Approach to Improve Education for Students With Disabilities

Ten years ago last month, a team of advocacy organizations filed the New Orleans special education lawsuit (P.B. v. White) in federal court. The class-action…

I Thought Vouchers Were Wrong, But Now I Realize They Helped My Son

Recently I wrote that a residency hearing with two children, Kayla and Tasha, represented to me our deeply-embedded structural inequities in education that decades of initiatives,…

Karega Rausch Says Charter Schools Get Better Outcomes for Kids When They Listen to Communities

With all the ruckus around charter schools, it’s easy to forget they can’t be painted with a broad brush. Each state has its own charter…

If I Hadn’t Been in Class the Day We Talked About ‘Rules,’ My Classmates Would Have Some Strange Ideas about Autism

In class a few days ago, we started reading the book “Rules.” The book is about a girl about my age who has a brother…

How I’m Helping My Child With Special Needs Navigate Remote Learning

My children always start school two weeks before everyone else. So after two weeks of e-learning—or what I am calling two-weeks “in the trenches”—I feel…

5 Ways School Leaders Can Respond to the Challenges Ahead and Open Stronger

There is no doubt educators are exhausted from a trial-by-fire school year. As a virulent pathogen spread, we were forced to abandon brick and mortar…

Students With Disabilities Deserve More During Distance Learning

At Alliance College-Ready Public Schools (Alliance) in Los Angeles, when we say that all scholars can learn and achieve, we mean all. That’s why, in…

No, It’s Not OK to Leave My Child Behind, Even in a National Crisis

As a disability advocate and a parent of a child with autism, I’m hearing stories from other parents of children with autism that break my…

Gavin’s Story Shines a Light on the Inequities Special Needs Students Face With Remote Learning

Ten-year-old Gavin Williams is a lively and affectionate youngster who loves to visit museums, experiment with computer-coding and plunge into ocean waves with his boogie-board. …

If You Want to Know What Works for Students With Dyslexia, Ask Them

Imagine you are a mature, intelligent middle-school student who finds it difficult to write anything—numbers or letters—on paper in a way that makes sense. You…