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U.S. DOE Emphasis on Goals and Ambitions for Children with Disabilities – AcceliBEAT Weekly Round Up

December 15, 2017

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Early this year, the U.S. Department of Education clarified the Supreme Court’s ruling that children with disabilities must not only be provided with educational services, but also have the support needed to empower them to grow and achieve ambitious goals from year to year. This week, the U.S. DOE issued an extensive Q&A document that describes how that landmark ruling should be applied in real-world settings. This is much needed guidance, especially given how many families report needing to move in order for their children with disabilities to receive better services, like the mother featured below that has had to fight tooth and nail to make sure her daughter with Down syndrome has access to resources she needs. In other news, a study on the correlation between standardized test scores and socioeconomic factors of students highlight new data on what makes a school district effective and in South Carolina, districts are piloting a program that uses an amazing robot named ‘Milo’ to engage with students with autism. All this and more in this week’s AcceliBEAT!


Sec of edu Betsy DeVos with children in classroomTrump Administration Weighs In On FAPE, IEPs
The Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision in the case in March finding that the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act provides students with disabilities the right to more than minimal progress from one year to the next.


group of happy young schoolgirls How Effective Is Your School District? A New Measure Shows Where Students Learn the Most
In the Chicago Public Schools system, though enrollment has been declining, budget has been insufficient, and 3 in 4 children from from low-income homes, students here appear to be learning faster than those in almost every other school system in the country.


Milo the Humanoid (robot) helping autistic children with facial and social interactionsMeeting Milo: Robot Uses Spectrum of Facial Expressions to Engage with Autistic Students at Kingsbury Elementary
Robots are slowly becoming an increasing part of our culture in the U.S., with much debate as to whether that’s good or bad. He’s Milo the Humanoid.


Rachel, with Down syndrome, playing basketball

For Students With Disabilities, Quality of Education Can Depend on Zip Code
The law says these students deserve to learn. In some districts, parents say that’s not happening.



School to Prison pipeline model and minorities with disabilities getting an education

Civil Rights Commission Takes on Issue of Minorities in Special Education
Too many students with disabilities are being placed in special education, and once there, they face punitive discipline that puts many of them on a rocky path to incarceration.


group of kids and 2016 statistic of number of children insured by CHIP

Parents to Congress: My Child Depends on CHIP for Health Insurance
Funding for the federal program ran out on Sept. 30, and Congress has yet to reauthorize it. “It’s really scary that your child’s life is a game of football to people.”


dyslexia in colored letter blocksAre You Dyslexia Aware? Take This Short, 10 Question Quiz
Dyslexia is the most common disability affecting young learners today, with 5 to 20 percent of the student population affected, say some studies.



silhouette of a man hitting a child with a stickNo Corporal Punishment for Children With Disabilities
On June 16, Gov. John Bel Edwards signed House Bill 79, which bans Louisiana school districts from paddling students with disabilities.



autism and cannabis with puzzle pieces in the backgroundResearchers to Study Effects of Marijuana on Kids With ASD
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia is pairing with an Australian biopharmaceutical company in what some advocates say could be the first major effort in the United States to study the effects of medical marijuana on children with autism.



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