The Center for Learner Equity (CLE) is thrilled with Secretary Cardona’s announcement today that the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) will collect data via the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) from all public school districts and their schools, two years in a row, for the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school years.
In 2016, the federal government rescinded a 2014 disciplinary guidance package that had served as a much-needed resource to schools and districts across the country, a decision that CLE opposed.
It is now time for the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to issue new comprehensive guidance that advances equity for all students, especially those with disabilities. Guidance should ensure districts and schools stop using harmful exclusionary practices, including suspensions, expulsions, and seclusions, in lieu of individualized supports and services that address and ameliorate the behavioral needs of students with disabilities.
What are the qualities of a leader who is committed to equity? How might we cultivate more equity-centered school leaders who hold a firm and pressing commitment to students with disabilities?
Over the last year, we set out to explore these questions.
If a special education director gets pushback from his superintendent about where he thinks he should spend the COVID-19 relief funding to improve equity for students with disabilities, show him the data, said Lauren Krempecki, program manager at the Center for Learner Equity in New York, N.Y.
This brief comes out of our examination of leadership pipeline programs and specifically with individual leaders who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to improving education for students with disabilities. In particular, it focuses on their motivations and how to use that information to create future leaders.
This brief, written as part of a collaboration with Pathways 2 Tomorrow, introduces what we propose are critical components of a strategic, city-based framework, along with details regarding how this multi-pronged approach can drive systemic and sustainable change that will lead to better access and outcomes for students with disabilities.
Harassment. Abuse. Taunting. Menacing. These are the kinds of words that appear in laws that address bullying, said Paul O’Neill, a school attorney at Barton Gilman LLP in New York City.
This brief comes out of our examination of leadership pipeline programs and collaboration with these programs to infuse inclusive mindsets and strong programs for students with disabilities into their training models. In particular, it focuses on our findings regarding how future charter school leaders are trained in pipeline programs, specifically on educating students with disabilities.
Our latest publication, The Rising Tide that Lifts All Boats: Investing Stimulus Dollars with an Equity Focus, provides several specific strategies that districts, schools, and educators should consider to optimize the positive impact of stimulus dollars on students, especially those with disabilities.
On March 31, Edsource reported on a new study that shows that students with disabilities, especially those who are students of color, will need extra assistance to catch up, quoting Executive Director Lauren Morando Rhim.
