New York Legal Assistance Group’s Post

Have you seen this article in Sunday's NY Times? OF COURSE we know that older students who are struggling readers need to learn the SAME INFORMATION as primary grade students. Is this news? Should these students be 'pushed along', getting nothing but a band aid of volunteer tutors who do not truly understand how the brain learns to make sense of print and text or getting minimal reading instruction due to the 'lack of time' in favor of core courses? I say NO! New York City and likely everywhere else needs to think long and hard about an approach based upon the Science of Reading that will reach ALL students--not just a 'redo' for the incoming elementary schools students. Information like this makes my blood boil. If you check out my book, Calling All Neurons! How Reading and Spelling Happen, you can learn how the brain learns to make sense of print and text. You can also learn more about dyslexia. One of my colleagues is using this book with her HIGH SCHOOL students who are struggling readers with good results. It's a start--but RESOURCES are needed--that would be human resources (WELL TRAINED TEACHERS) and the TIME necessary to help our older learners. They WANT to attain literacy. They know what it feels like to be disenfranchised in the school environment. https://lnkd.in/eSFiRsYt

New research from CTS and The Civil Rights Project/Proyecto Derechos Civiles at UCLA explores the obstacles of recruiting and retaining Teachers of Color and Indigenous Teachers (TOCIT) in California schools. Despite California’s recent, large investments toward improving educator diversity, persistent high rates of burnout, turnover, and early retirement among TOCIT reveal that other factors are at play. We interviewed teachers and system leaders to understand the current policies and practices in place that contribute to these alarming statistics. Researchers found persistent discrimination and racism in teacher training processes and school working environments, disproportionate economic barriers, and limited access to educational, professional, and other supports needed to become and thrive as a teacher. Click to read the executive summary or full report of “Barriers to Racial Equity for Teachers of Color and Indigenous Teachers in California’s Teaching Pipeline and Profession”: https://lnkd.in/gbS7n3uv #teachersofcolor #indigenousteachers #educatordiversity #teachereducation #education #teachers #Californiateachers #k12 #edchat #teachershortage #uclaresearch #eduresearch #blackeducators #latinoeducators #chicanoeducators #aapieducators #indigenouseducators #teacherchat #teachersofinstagram #teachersofig #uclaresearch #DEI

Friends & Colleagues, please consider sharing and reaching out to your political leaders. If you have a child or adult student in your life with a #disability, or support education for #StudentsWithDisabilities, this action is desperately needed. The current regulations, outdated by nearly 50 years, have left significant gaps in access to reasonable accommodations at institutions of higher education. Additional guidance is needed to ensure we have the tools, support and information necessary to succeed in college. #bidenadministration release updated Section 504 guidance for students. We are calling on President Joe Biden; U.S. Department of Education; Department of Justice to release updated Section 504 guidance for students now! #Section504 #RehabilitationAct If you would like to reach out via email, just copy and paste what I have written above, and make it your own: DPCscheduling@who.eop.gov Ask.CRT@usdoj.gov ocr@ed.gov Thanks for any consideration to support this call for action!

When students have access to less educational opportunity based on their race, does it matter if that discrimination was intentional or not? According to a recent ruling by the Minnesota Supreme Court, intention does not matter, but impact does. As long as students can show that school-based segregation (whether intentional or not) damaged their educational prospects, they will be entitled to protection under the state constitution. Why does this matter so much? In the past, Courts have protected students from intentional educational segregation (think Brown v. Board), but not unintentional educational segregation (fueled by redlining and other such systems), so this ruling represents a major step forward toward eradicating all forms of segregation in our schools. #educationpolicy #civilrights #minnesota

Last week I had the opportunity to give testimony on S-2526, a robust bill designed to provide crucial support and provisions for our special education students and parents. As the Director of Policy and Public Outreach for Decoding Dyslexia Rhode Island, it was an honor to advocate for the rights and needs of children, including those with dyslexia, in the educational system. During my testimony, I highlighted the importance of parental involvement, emphasizing the need for parents to have a say in their child's education when it comes to disagreement. I expressed my concerns for the need to reinstate parental consent, receiving evaluations prior to team meetings, and observation of placements. I also expressed concerns about timelines, ensuring they align with federal law, and the significance of parental observation before placements occur. One particularly noteworthy aspect of the bill is Section (l), which mandates the Rhode Island Department of Education to revise regulations, involving public engagement for transparency and inclusivity. This provision is a significant step towards creating a more equitable and supportive educational environment for all students, including those with dyslexia. I urge Rhode Island families to stay tuned for further updates on the progress of S-2526 (and H-7721) and continue advocating for the rights of special education students. Together, we can make a difference and ensure that every child receives the support they need to thrive academically and beyond. link to Bill S-2526 https://lnkd.in/eAYrekV4 #Advocacy #SpecialEducation #S2526 #DecodingDyslexiaRI #EducationMatters

During the past decade, the nation's 25 largest suburban areas saw a doubling of the number of districts that are 90%-100% nonwhite, 30% of the nation's entire public school enrollment is in those largest 25 suburban areas. In 10 years, those suburban schools saw a steep drop of about 850,000 white students — and an increase of more than 1 million new Latino students.

A functioning academic accountability system is crucial for both the causes of school choice and parental rights in education. The following post explains some of the shortfalls of the current iteration of A-F Accountability, how Texas continually works to improve the system, and the roadblocks faced by those who seek true transparency in academic accountability. Simply put, while some try to provide parents with honest data, others attempt to obfuscate the truth surrounding public school performance. #accountability #education #learning #edchat #students #studentsuccess #parentalrights #schoolchoice #txed #txlege

Last academic year, students in kindergarten through 3rd grade lost 3,000 days of learning due to school suspensions. The consequences are serious – exclusionary discipline for minor offenses in these early grades pushes children out of the classroom at an essential time when they are building their educational foundation, worsening academic disparities and fueling the school-to-prison pipeline. It's also tied to Massachusetts’ current literacy crisis, in which thousands of students are reaching the end of 3rd grade without the reading skills they need. As Citizens for Juvenile Justice's Executive Director Leon Smith puts it, this is “the recipe for a future dropout crisis.” We’re working alongside CFJJ, Massachusetts Advocates for Children, and other educational justice partners to ban suspensions for Massachusetts’ youngest students. By replacing unnecessary exclusionary discipline with effective alternatives, we can keep kids in class where they are safe, supported, and available to learn.

As of 2023, students of color and indigenous students made up about 38% of Minnesota’s K-12 population, but teachers of color and indigenous teachers made up only about 6% of the total workforce. Because of these gaps, EdAllies convened a Community Action Team (CAT) cohort in 2023 to examine the barriers that discourage and prevent teachers of color from entering the workforce. The report generated by that team is available now! Read about the barriers our CAT cohort members experienced firsthand and the proposed solutions to improve teacher pathways for people of color. Download the report at https://lnkd.in/grTHSnK2