School Districts
The Case for Classical Christian Education
Newspapers are filled with stories about poorly educated children, ineffective teachers, and cash-strapped school districts. In this greatly expanded treatment of a topic he first dealt with in Rediscovering the Lost Tools of Learning, Douglas Wilson proposes an alternative to government-operated school by advocating a return to classical Christian education with its discipline, hard work, and learning geared to child development stages. As an educator, Wilso… More >>
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Will No Child Left Behind Still Rule the Education System
One thing is for sure: educators are very much hoping that President-Elect Obama’s administration will overhaul the No Child Left Behind act. This is largely because the legislation that was so popular when it was first proposed has proved to be a large…we’ll go with “mess” since this is a family site.
When it comes to education, the No Child Left Behind act had noble goals: make sure that students were really learning and that school districts were not getting paid to merely baby-sit kids but to actually teach them. The problem stems from how learning is judged under the act. Under No Child Left Behind, a child’s education is judged solely upon his or her performance on a standardized test.
The standardized test has been used for decades to determine how well students were learning basic skill sets in individual states. Because schools are publicly funded, tax payers wanted to make sure that their teachers (who have the hardest job in the world) were earning their (tiny) salaries. Before the No Child Left Behind act, however, teachers weren’t forced to teach “to the test” and were able to cover a wider variety of materials that taught students how to think. Now, after the passing of this act, students are taught how to test well.
Another criticism of the No Child Left Behind act is that it provides incentives for teachers and school districts to lower education standards to both keep their federal funding and to keep from having to push the students who do not perform well from the district altogether.
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Lies About Special Education Eligibility and 6 Ways to Overcome Them!
Are you the parent of a young child who thinks that their child may have autism? Do you think your child’s reading difficulty may be related to a learning disability? Have you tried to have your child tested for special education eligibility and your school district said no? This article will discuss lies that are related to special education eligibility and 6 ways to overcome the lies for the good of your child.
Lies associated with special education eligibility:
- We will test your child but we get to pick the tests, and the areas to be tested. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) states that parents must give informed consent for testing (and to give informed consent the parent must know areas to be tested and what tests are going to be performed), and that the child is to be tested in all areas of suspected disability.
- You must sign this medical release form so that we can get your child’s medical records before we do the testing. Medical records are private under HIPPA and school districts do not have a right to them.
- Your child is on the waiting list for testing, be patient. IDEA does not allow waiting lists for testing or special education services. Testing must be complete within 60 days after the consent form is signed.
- Your child has a disability but it does not affect their education. To be eligible for special education a child must have two things: A. A disability, and B. Educational needs; that is it, nothing else.
- Your child does not have autism but has an emotional/behavior disorder. Many school districts state that a child does not have a particular disability; without even testing them.
- We do not do those type of tests for initial eligibility. Remember that IDEA requires a child to be tested in all areas of suspected disability.
- We met and decided that your child does not meet the criteria for special education. Parents must be included in all meetings and receive a 10 day written notice for all meetings for their child. Also, parents are equal members in the team that make any decision about their child, including eligibility for special education.
6 Things that you can do to overcome these lies:
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