Industry News
School Shocks Students with Disabilities. The FDA Is Moving to Ban the Practice
January 23, 2019
By: Jenifer McKim
Source: NPR Luigi Disisto is a 47-year-old man who has autism and lives at a private special education center based in suburban Boston best known for being the only school in the country that shocks its students with disabilities to control their behavior. Disisto wears a backpack equipped with a battery and wires […]
LA’s School Counselors Strike Back
January 23, 2019
By: E. Tammy Kim
Source: The Hechinger Report LOS ANGELES — Thirty years ago, when United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA), the union representing rank-and-file educators in the county’s public schools, went on strike, Nadia Morales and Pedro Martinez were students at Los Angeles High School. Morales was the straight-A, Advanced Placement type and Martinez a class […]
Shutdown Day 32: School Districts Step Up to Help Students and Families
January 23, 2019
By: Denisa R. Superville
Source: Education Week With federal workers feeling squeezed from not receiving a paycheck during the longest shutdown of the federal government in history, school districts are stepping up to help families make ends meet. Across the country—from Tulsa, Okla., to Atlanta—districts are offering jobs to idled federal employees, raising money to help […]
Study Links Longer-Distance Moves to Lower Student Performance
January 22, 2019
By: Linda Jacobson
Source: Education Dive Dive Brief: Students who move at least a mile away to a new home experience a greater and longer-lasting drop in math and English language arts performance than those who move a shorter distance — especially if that move involves changing schools. A short-distance move, however, often has a positive […]
For Many Kids with Autism, Health Care Needs Go Unaddressed
January 22, 2019
By: Shaun Heasley
Source: Disability Scoop Children with autism are twice as likely as those with other disabilities to have unmet health care needs, according to a new report. Nearly 1 in 5 kids on the spectrum have gone without a needed medical or mental health service. By comparison, fewer than 10 percent of children with […]
These Oregon Students with Disabilities Say They Often Spent Just 20 Minutes at School a Day. Now They’re Suing the State
January 22, 2019
By: Mark Keierleberg
Source: The 74 In a lot of ways, Aidin Schell is a typical 8-year-old. He loves Legos, The Avengers, and Jackson, the family’s Yorkshire terrier. But sometimes, he has uncontrollable outbursts. In first grade, Aidin was diagnosed with autism and placed in special education. Often unable to control his behavior due to his […]
What Happens to the 62,500 Students with Special Needs During Los Angeles Teachers’ Strike?
January 15, 2019
By: Kristin Lam
Source: USA TODAY When Sonia Hernandez explained the Los Angeles teachers’ strike to her 10-year-old son, who has autism, he almost started to cry. “I don’t want the teachers to miss school,” Daniel told her. “I don’t want to go to another class. I want to be in the same classroom with my same classmates.” The […]
Girls on the Spectrum Often Go Unnoticed
January 15, 2019
By: Rita Giordano, The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS
Source: Disability Scoop PHILADELPHIA — “Weird.” Nichole Lowther has heard the word her whole life. Bright, even charming, she nonetheless never felt comfortable in groups or making small talk. A hard worker, she had a tough time finding or keeping a steady job. Could it have been her unvarying wardrobe, […]
Study Pinpoints Down Syndrome Milestones
January 15, 2019
By: Shaun Heasley
Source: Disability Scoop Individuals with Down syndrome continue to learn new skills well into adulthood, according to a study that’s offering a timetable of what to expect from those with the chromosomal disorder. Most people with Down syndrome are able to walk by 25 months of age, speak reasonably well by the time […]
NYC Announces $6M Expansion of Free Glasses Program
January 14, 2019
By: Amelia Harper
Source: Education Dive Dive Brief: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced during his State of the City address Thursday that all the city’s kindergarten and 1st grade students will be eligible to get free prescription glasses next school year if they need them, Patch.com reports. Dive Insight: Students who can’t see well […]