Three Ways to Foster a Love of Reading in Students With Disabilities

When it comes to literacy, how do we help our students with learning disabilities thrive? The research is clear: Vanessa Chratian, a special education reading…

Here’s What Happened Yesterday When AFT and NEA Locked Out Black and Brown Parents from a Candidate Forum

Yesterday the AFT/NEA sponsored a “Public Education Forum” in Pittsburgh. There, hand-selected union members heard from seven Democratic presidential candidates as one by one they…

Here’s How ‘Threat Assessments’ May Be Targeting Vulnerable Students

Last month, the U.S. Secret Service released Protecting America’s Schools, which sends education leaders a clear message: we can prevent school shootings and other targeted…

We Need a New Way of Talking About Students Who Face Barriers Erected by Adults and Sustained by Broken Systems

I bring John, David, Ana and Sally into every training, strategy session and decision-making room I occupy.  Well, actually I bring their stories, to remind…

Free College Is Cool But When Will Presidential Candidates Start Talking About K-12

I was a first-generation college student who considered dropping out my freshman year because I couldn’t pass math.  As an honor student who attended high…

3 Tips for a Great Summer With Your Child With Special Needs or Disabilities

School is over and summer is here! It is during the summer that I am most aware of how much work teachers do. Teachers, we…

Do We Have to Call in the National Guard to Protect the Civil Rights of Students With Disabilities?

The question must be asked: What do we have to do to get school districts to follow the law and give students who are disabled…

I’m So Focused on What My Daughter With Autism Needs That I Sometimes Forget About Her Wants

When I realized my younger daughter was disabled, my belief in what was possible for her life changed. As her parent, I had to focus…

With the Right Team of Adults Behind Her, My Autistic Child Is Killing It at School

Nationwide, health coverage for autism-related services is seriously lacking. In my home state of Illinois, advocates are pushing newly elected Governor Pritzker to expand Medicaid…

Being a School Principal and a Parent of a Special Needs Child Took Me Under, But I’m Coming Back

For five years, I was principal of one of the most difficult schools in my urban district. In those five years, I had eight supervisors.…