In a recent commentary for Flypaper, I expressed concern regarding the growth of specialized charter schools: that is, schools designed solely or primarily to educate students with disabilities. Regrettably, my commentary failed to convey the nuance this complex and important topic deserves.
The Center for Learner Equity is excited to welcome another talented new staff member to support our work on behalf of students with disabilities. Megan Ohlssen joins The Center for Learner Equity as the inaugural Managing Director of Programs. In this role, she will be responsible for the planning, development, and delivery of The Center for Learner Equity’ services and the management of external programs such as our CMO Network and incubation of new special education collaboratives.
The charter sector cannot fulfill the responsibilities central to being a public school absent a coherent and coordinated effort to improve the capacity of individual schools to provide quality special education and related services. Focused efforts to cultivate and distribute policies and practices that ensure charter schools welcome and provide exemplary services to students with disabilities are urgently needed.
n service of the 6.8 million students with disabilities and their families, we thank the National Council on Disability and the Bipartisan Disabilities Caucus for devoting resources to investigate this important topic.
This post recounts the Center’s support of the Keeping All Students Safe Act and the benefits from it.
Regulations and protocols at the federal and state levels exist to minimize the disruption public school closures create and to protect finite funding, resources, and student privacy.
This milestone has us reflecting about the progress we have made and looking forward to the opportunities ahead. In 2013−more than 20 years into the evolution of the charter sector-we launched The Center for Learner Equity to ensure not only that students with disabilities could access charter schools, but that the schools would be prepared to help them succeed.
Mark Rynone, Executive Director of the NJ Special Education Collaborative, discusses the ways that Newark charter schools are working to ensure that students with disabilities can access and thrive in charter schools.
The Center for Learner Equity (The Center for Learner Equity) will expand its advocacy capacity for students with disabilities with the support of a $1.2 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Join The Center for Learner Equity in congratulating Laurie VanderPloeg on her appointment to serve as Director for the Office of Special Education Programs in the United States Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
