Our Interim Executive Director Jennifer Coco sheds a light on how education advocates, nonprofit leaders, and philanthropists can work together to uphold the rights of students with disabilities. Read the full article here.
Mar 14
Mar 12
Washington, D.C.– The Center for Learner Equity (CLE) condemns the Trump Administration’s gutting of the U.S. Department of Education (Department) through its massive Reduction in Force (RIF) of thousands of staff this week, and will continue to oppose any related federal actions that abolish its important role protecting the rights and preventing discrimination of students with disabilities.
Feb 13
“If I were to read the tea leaves,” said Lauren Morando Rhim, a co-founder and the executive director of the Center for Learner Equity, “I think that we’re going to see a huge decrease of staffing and simply reducing the function of the department.” Morando Rhim thinks that what Trump and Musk have done to U.S.A.I.D. could be a blueprint for their plans for the Department of Education. Read the article here.
Jan 27
CLE responds to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to hear the Oklahoma case on religious charter schools, standing with the Oklahoma Supreme Court’s June 25, 2024 decision that ruled religious charter schools unlawful.
Oct 08
CLE’s Analysis of the Civil Rights Data Collection In September 2024, we completed the fifth analysis of the U.S. Department of Education’s Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) on access and opportunities for students with disabilities. Our key findings show progress in certain areas, substantial opportunity gaps for students with disabilities in others, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on outcomes during the 2020-21 school year. Our analysis examines data trends regarding the enrollment, placements, disciplinary removals, and post-secondary outcomes of students with disabilities in traditional and charter public schools. We also focus on charter schools specializing in educating students with disabilities to understand their growth around the United States and some of their key characteristics. Key Findings Traditional public schools educate a greater proportion of students with disabilities than charters. Charters educate different types of students with disabilities than traditional public schools. In charters, students with disabilities are more likely to spend time in general education settings. Students with disabilities continue to experience higher rates of disciplinary practices and lower access to college preparation than their peers. Specialized charter schools, concentrated in a handful of states, are increasingly focusing on autism. View the Executive SummaryLetter from Executive Director & [...]
Oct 02
A recent District Administration “Talking Out of School” podcast explores how charter schools can improve support for students with disabilities, featuring insights from a two-year study by Lauren Morando Rhim, our Executive Director.
Aug 18
A recent District Administration “Talking Out of School” podcast explores how charter schools can improve support for students with disabilities, featuring insights from a two-year study by Lauren Morando Rhim, our Executive Director.
Aug 16
CLE’s executive director, Lauren Morando Rhim spoke with Vox about why many families are turning to homeschooling and microschools to better accommodate children with disabilities and learning differences.
Aug 15
CLE’s Senior Director of Strategy and Impact, Jennifer Coco, is quoted in the Axios New Orleans “New Orleans schools may centralize services for students with disabilities” article.
Aug 12
CLE’s Senior Director of Strategy and Impact, Jennifer Coco, is quoted in the “Charter school leaders support centralized approach to special education, report” from the New Orleans Public Radio.