Autism Awareness Month, special education and personalized learning, and nationwide teacher walkouts in This Week’s AcceliBEAT
April 6, 2018
As many of our readers know, April is National Autism Awareness Month. In light of this, we will be highlighting news stories this month related to Autism to help raise awareness. Sesame Street said they’ll be adding more resources to include kids on the spectrum on their TV show, online sites, and theme park, and the popular Archie Comics series is adding a character with Autism to spark conversation on kindness, inclusion, and diverse intelligences. Continuing with last week’s insights from special education teachers, one teacher shares how he adapted personalized learning strategies like playful learning and open-ended challenges to motivate his students. In other news, nationwide teacher walkouts and protests in response to funding issues continue, a new type of tutor is emerging that blends academic tutor and therapist, a recent report notes that black students, boys, and students with disabilities are disproportionately disciplined across the country, and new data highlights the downsides to the four-day school week. All this and more in this week’s AcceliBEAT!
Thousands of Teachers. 4 States. Your Guide to the Protests Sweeping the Nation
How did teachers get here? Here’s a roundup of Education Week’s reporting on the teacher walkouts and protests in Oklahoma, West Virginia, Arizona, and Kentucky.
New Rules Let Ed Department Ignore Disability-Related Complaints
Since January 2016, Marcie Lipsitt has filed 2,400 complaints with the U.S. Dept. of Education’s Office for Civil Rights over web accessibility for people with disabilities.
‘Sesame Street’ Expands Autism Focus
On television, online and at their theme park, the people behind “Sesame Street” say they are adding more resources and increasing efforts to include kids on the spectrum.
Why I Had to Develop a Unique Learner Profile to Meet the Needs of My Students
Every learner is unique. Working with students with special needs for over 13 years, I can attest that the adage, “If you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met but one person with autism,” holds true.
Homework Therapists’ Job: Help Solve Math Problems, and Emotional Ones
Neither a traditional tutor nor a straight-up therapist, she is an amalgam of the two: “Homework therapists.”
Disparities Persist in School Discipline, Says Government Watchdog
According to a new report from the non-partisan federal watchdog, the Government Accountability Office, black students, boys, and students with disabilities are disproportionately disciplined in K-12 schools across the country.
Four-Day School Weeks, a Nationwide Symptom of Tight Budgets, Lead to More Youth Crime, Study Finds
As school districts across the country have faced budget crunches, a number have landed on a cost-saving solution: cancelling school one day a week.
Here’s an Intervention to Keep Our Youngest Learners from Falling Behind
A study shows that verbal engagement can influence child development more strongly than parental income or education.
Why I Introduced a Character with Autism
Her name is Scarlet and she is highly skilled at building things. She attends Riverdale High in the Archie Comics universe and has a hard time expressing friendship or the fact that she likes to be included.
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