When a family is choosing a new home, moving to a new city, or even just looking to change schools after a negative experience, they have ample tools at hand. Great Schools, Niche, and state accountability ratings can tell a… Continue Reading
After this summer’s racial reckoning, it should surprise exactly no one that special education services are among the things affected by systemic racism and implicit bias. An open records request of Texas public schools 2019–2020 special education services disaggregated by… Continue Reading
In 2018, I delved into my first special education story. With no understanding of the learning curve ahead of me, I sat down in a room with a group of parents at IDEA Mays, and listened to them tell me… Continue Reading
Numerous studies have now shown that the way millions of American children are taught to read is not actually making them fluent readers. It is, instead, leading to lifelong learning struggles and, in some cases, the need for special education… Continue Reading
“These headphones aren’t working,” nine-year-old Jeremiah Ryan said to his mom, Sheila. They fished around for another pair. Those were “broken” too, he said. And so were his brother’s ear buds and his sister’s headphones. After some back and forth,… Continue Reading
Precilla Pena’s story started out like many stories in the special education world. Things seemed to go well for her daughter Ava throughout preschool and kindergarten. There were little things, here and there, she said, a turned letter, typical pre-literate… Continue Reading
It was a gorgeous, crisp, spring morning when I sat down on Jasmin Dean’s back porch to walk through the dyslexia simulator. I had my pen ready, my Experience Dyslexia packet printed and neatly stapled. Like Dean, I grew up… Continue Reading
Growing up, Jasmin Dean remembers being a “teacher’s pet.” Her husband had been a teacher’s pet as well. They assumed that their bright, pleasing first born would be the same. The student who was “a delight to teach” and “the… Continue Reading
I have to admit that I was shocked when Maribel Gardea said that she was pleased with San Antonio ISD’s special education services during the COVID-19 school closures. Gardea’s son has multiple medical complexities, and she has been an active,… Continue Reading
IEP. ARD. LRE. 504. FAPE. PBIS. IDEA. ADA. RTI. ESY. MTSS. SPED. Somewhere, drowning in alphabet soup, are the vital services your child needs. For the parents of students receiving special education services, some of the acronyms become so familiar… Continue Reading
