In 2021–22, 7.3 million students ages 3–21 (the equivalent of 15% of all public school students) received special education and/or related services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). A recent Washington state survey showed that the majority of students with intellectual disabilities don’t move on to college or employment a year after graduation. How do we help these students in school and transitioning to adulthood and a life they love?

Support mental health access and awareness

A study by the American Academy of Pediatrics showed that students with autism and intellectual disability were more likely to receive services such as speech and occupational therapy but less likely to receive mental health services. As we prepare special needs students to journey to adulthood, we must ensure they have the support to maximize their skills and strengths.

Social-emotional and behavioral support are critical components of this journey for special education students. For students who face a roadblock, we should ask ourselves, “Are there social-emotional or behavioral challenges that may need to be addressed?”

Build prosocial skills

Many prosocial skills are at the heart of what it takes to navigate daily life as an adult. Some students with exceptional needs might need support with skills such as following directions, getting along with others and problem-solving effectively. This support could come in the form of breaking down components of and explaining school-wide expectations, building skills in classrooms or small groups, practice and monitoring.

‘Talking Out of School’ podcast: Why K12 branding and marketing are more important than ever

I’m reminded of a student who would shout, “No!” and sometimes run out of the classroom when instructions were given too rapidly. After skill-building and practice, the student learned coping skills, including asking for written instructions. When nurtured and developed, these skills can transform lives, making for successful and fulfilled adults.

Facilitate and build self-advocacy skills

Transition-age youth should attend their IEP team meeting and participate in planning. IDEA requires that students with a disability be invited to attend the IEP meeting if the meeting includes consideration of postsecondary goals and the transition services needed to assist them in reaching those goals.

For students, attending their own IEP and hearing and sharing about their strengths and needs can be daunting and may be made more approachable through preparation. Social narratives, role plays, and rehearsals are several available strategies. Additionally, counselors can utilize strategies such as solution-focused brief counseling (Sklare, 2014) and motivational interviewing (Miller & Rollnick, 2013) to build self-advocacy skills with students.

The transition to adult life doesn’t start at age 16

We often think of the transition to adult life starting in high school, but it begins much earlier. When we highlight transition skills with our students, we build and deepen the connections between “what we do today” and “how it will impact us in the future.”

These links may assist a student in learning to manage frustration over, for example, not being first in line to the cafeteria. Students develop the patience needed to navigate a busy checkout line to purchase a new shirt for a job interview. Making these connections explicit for students with exceptional needs is crucial and something counselors and educators can do daily.

We have a unique opportunity to support more than academics. We can assist our students in recognizing and growing life-long skills that will carry through to adulthood. That climb to Mt. Everest is challenging but working together to take our students to the top is worth it.

The post 3 ways to improve postsecondary planning for special education students appeared first on District Administration.

A national keyword search conducted by K12 data tracker Burbio suggests growing momentum behind STEM-related initiatives at school board meetings as we head into summer. In this month’s dataset, Burbio highlights five states/regions where STEM-centered conversations have been most prominent in their discussions. The share of districts that have mentioned STEM (or STEAM) at least once include:

• Florida (46.3%)
• California (43.5%)
• New England (42.7%)
• Southern states [AL, MS, NC, TN and SC] (27.5%)
• Texas (13.3%)

Discussions at school board meetings in these locations have also spent significant amounts of time discussing special education:

• New England (84.6%)
• California (82.7%)
• Southern states (38.6%)
• Texas (36.3%)
• Florida (19.5%)

More from DA: This California leader is using AI to expand his reach—and become multilingual

What about K12 grants?

Shifting away from school board discussions, Burbio gathered data that reflects the scope of state-specific funding for K12 schools. Below, you’ll find a chart summarizing 10 of the most common categories of grants, the total number of grants in each category and the market size for the categories listed.

Note: The data represents grants that were available during the 2023-24 school year and several that have been announced for 2024-25.

The post School boarding meetings: How much time is devoted STEM? appeared first on District Administration.

As I worked with more and more children with dyslexia, I learned about the world of special education. Each case was like a microcosm of how the problem was playing out across the country. Every party was unhappy and frustrated with the situation.

The children. There are two classes of students with reading difficulties: those who get special services and those who do not. Both groups may be performing in the bottom third, but schools can only afford to provide services to barely half of them.

Superintendent turnover: 2 important hires and a big departure

Neither group is happy. The students who do not get any support feel hopeless. The ones who do get services are equally frustrated. Research shows that a struggling reader in third grade will likely struggle throughout school regardless of intervention. Imagine getting a lion’s share of teacher assistance yet still failing in class. “Defeatism” in education describes children who have become empty shells of their former vibrant selves.

The parents. It is heartbreaking to see your child call themselves “stupid.” But quiet moments of reflection are often overwhelmed by evenings of meltdowns and tears as adults and children tussle over how to get homework done.

The world of special ed is not easy to navigate. There are IEPs, 504s and an alphabet soup of assessments. Families often have to hound school staff all year to get their children on the waiting list for one-on-one evaluations with certified specialists. One parent I know had to stage a sit-in at her school to get her child evaluated and classified with a disability, a prerequisite to getting services.

The teachers. After meeting college and certification requirements to become teachers, reading specialists have to undergo more training. Some schools pay $10,000 for this training for each teacher.

After all this training and support, a special ed teacher in New Jersey told me why she quit. The work had become impossible. A sixth-grade special ed student may have gone through 20 different assessments, not counting state and quarterly tests and dyslexia screeners. Teachers are supposed to interpret these results pupil-by-pupil and differentiate instruction when planning lessons.

The administrators. This intervention is also not feasible fiscally. As a nation, we pay over $120 billion for special ed every year. A big chunk goes to reading intervention. It is too costly due to the extensive teacher training, labor-intensive instruction and administration—plus the year-over-year services for the same students who cannot read on grade level.

So, schools are forced to ration this costly service. Denying services to students with reading or learning disabilities violates a federal mandate. Yet schools have to make up for a $10 billion shortfall in federal funding in this area every year. Occasionally, violations are exposed in the media, as in Texas.

The taxpayers. $120 billion is a lot of money to pay out every year. Yet literacy outcomes for students with disabilities are often considerably worse than for others. In my school district in New York, this group does not meet state standards on nearly all measures every year.

All children. Ineffective interventions harm all students. Special ed already claims a disproportionate share of the education budget. A bigger crisis looms ahead due to school shutdowns during the pandemic. It is not yet clear how the language development of young children has been impacted and how much this additional problem will cost. Higher special ed spending means cutting the education budget in other areas, such as enrichment, extracurriculars, the arts and field trips for all students.

Society. By now, you probably realize that this is the biggest and costliest problem in education. Lack of literacy exacts a huge toll on individuals and society. Lost human potential and lifetime earnings among those who cannot read and write—these you already know.

Lesser known is that at least half the prison population in the U.S. has a learning disability (mainly dyslexia). Once again, taxpayers assume the high cost of supporting this population.

AI breakthrough

This problem can be solved with autonomous AI. In 2017, Dysolve AI was launched for individual users. The experiences and the swift successes of the beta testers were documented in our book, Dyslexia Dissolved: Successful Cases of Learning Disabilities, ADHD, and Language Disorders. The early users later thrived in high school and college, recounting their transformations in the press. The struggles of these children and families became a thing of the past.

The Dysolve AI platform for schools was completed last year. I hope that the struggles of schoolteachers and administrators will become a thing of the past, bringing relief to taxpayers and benefits to all children and society.

The post Even if you don’t have kids, special education still impacts you appeared first on District Administration.

But how does successful inclusive learning design manifest in an end product? What should school administrators and educators look for to ensure they’re choosing edtech solutions that are inclusive of neurodiverse learners and different kinds of minds?

I’ve spent over a decade researching digital games and creative learning at MIT. And, most recently, during the development of an instructional tool called Sparks, incubated at LEGO Foundation’s Play for All accelerator program, we uncovered six key components and examples of inclusive learning design in edtech.

Read more from DA: The highest-paying states for teachers in 2024

Edtech solutions are inclusive for neurodiverse learners when:

1. They are open to multiple modes of expression. Only allowing students to answer questions or communicate in one way can make it difficult for many students to showcase their knowledge fully. When a solution offers multiple ways students can express themselves—such as writing, drawing or verbal communication—it allows learners to express themselves in ways that work best for them.

2. They invite many ways of getting a question “right.” Programs and apps can go beyond setting one correct answer for each question and instead create an open-ended experience that encourages students to explore, experiment, ideate and share their creativity with others. Social Cipher’s World Builder, for example, allows players to design their own “world” using a set of tools, somewhat akin to how someone might use LEGO bricks to design and build a structure or play setting. If an instructor asks students to build their ideal home, then there is no “wrong” answer—only limitless creative expression of students’ inner worlds.

3. They allow flexibility in time. Time limits can be stressful for any learner and may result in them not doing well on a question, even if they have a deep and nuanced understanding of the concept. Inclusive edtech solutions can allow educators to adjust or remove time limits. Solutions should also consider replacing time limits with other elements to drive engagement, such as creativity and collaboration.

4. They reduce sensory overload. Too much sensory input—bright lights, loud noises or overwhelming visual stimuli—or being asked to do too many things at once can lead to stress, anxiety and decreased cognitive functioning for many learners. Inclusive edtech solutions should let users reduce visual clutter and adjust sound levels, as well as break down a given task into smaller steps and allow learners to focus on one step at a time.

5. They celebrate everyone’s strengths and ways of thinking. Rather than awarding one winner based on the number of correct answers, an inclusive learning experience may allow for multiple different success criteria, thereby recognizing that different ways of thinking each have merit.

6. They provide multiple ways to engage with the activity. By offering a variety of ways students can engage with the experience—for example, through both independent and collaborative tasks—more students can find something in the experience that resonates with them.

The goal of inclusive learning is not to create separate solutions for neurodivergent and neurotypical learners but rather to develop solutions that can foster richer learning experiences for everyone. To accomplish this, the flexibility and customization of an edtech solution is vital.

In addition to considering the features highlighted here, administrators and educators can evaluate how flexible and customizable a solution is by examining the kinds of thinking, synthesizing and creativity the technology enables learners to practice. The Universal Design for Learning framework, which emphasizes multiple means of engagement, representation, action and expression to develop expert learners, is another useful tool in determining the inclusivity of an edtech solution.

Inclusive design is crucial when considering how best to create positive learning experiences for learners of all types. When evaluating edtech solutions, administrators and educators should try to see the design of potential options through the lens of inclusivity, because this aligns with what we know about making learning better for everyone. The design elements we’ve mentioned, which emphasize flexibility and customizability, lead to more open-ended learning experiences and higher-order thinking—which benefits not only neurodivergent learners but all learners.

Rosenheck authored the recent whitepaper, “Designing for Inclusion, Designing for All.”

The post How to find inclusive edtech for neurodiverse students appeared first on District Administration.

Stages Learning, a frontrunner in the edtech space, is proud to announce an exciting development that promises to transform how educational outcomes are measured and improved for students with autism and related cognitive delays.

Innovating with a purpose

Stages Learning is known for its Language Builder: Academic Readiness Intervention System (ARIS for short), designed to support students with autism and related cognitive challenges specifically. This comprehensive program includes everything a teacher needs to be successful in supporting learning readiness for children, including lesson plans, physical materials, and a rich emphasis on data collection and compliance.

Stages’ new venture, a collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS), exemplifies their shared commitment to innovation in special education. Together, the two organizations are exploring the digitization of ARIS data collection and assessment results, aiming to streamline the process and enhance the accuracy of data analysis.

This partnership is not just about technological advancement; it’s about solving a critical issue faced by educators and parents alike—ensuring that special education curricula makes a tangible impact on student learning.

Understanding the challenge

The prevalence of autism in our schools is on the rise, making support for this population a top priority for superintendents nationwide. The challenge is twofold: not only do district leaders seek effective solutions to support this growing population, but they also need robust assessment and data tracking tools. These tools must enable educators to track and study student growth metrics, providing insights that are both substantive and aligned with individualized educational goals.

Moreover, they must facilitate clear communication of progress to parents and families, ensuring that every stakeholder is engaged and informed. Compliance is critical, and effective and easy-to-implement data collection is at the heart of this work.

Our response to the challenge

Educators consistently share the need to collect data on physical sheets so as not to distract students with electronic devices, yet they also need to have the data in a digitized format so that they can more efficiently monitor progress. Recognizing these needs, Stages Learning and AWS have embarked on a pilot program designed to simplify the transition of student learning data to a digital platform, and remove the obstacles of duplicative data entry.

In essence, this partnership creates a program that will enable educators, using their cell phones, to convert their handwritten data collection into a digital format that can then be easily analyzed. The success of this initiative will empower district leaders to analyze trends and tailor learning experiences to the individual needs of each student with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and related cognitive delays.

By leveraging our partnership with AWS, we are not just advocating for technological innovation; we are championing a cause. We believe, as articulated by Jennifer Womble, that “Autism education is everyone’s business.”

A call to action

We stand at the threshold of a significant shift in the narrative surrounding special education. By embracing technology and innovation, we can overcome the challenges faced by educators, parents, and students alike. Our collaboration with AWS is a testament to our dedication to this cause, and we invite you to join us in this journey.

To learn more about how ARIS data collection can transform special education in your district, we encourage you to reach out and become part of this groundbreaking initiative.

As we look to the future, the partnership between Stages Learning and AWS symbolizes more than just technological progress; it represents a shared vision for a world where every student, regardless of their learning needs, has access to the best educational opportunities. Together, we are setting a new standard for special education, one that prioritizes innovation, inclusivity, and above all, the success of our students.

Dr. Kari Stubbs is senior vice president of business development and Anish Raguraman is director of product management at Stages Learning.

The post Revolutionizing special education: New partnership innovates data collection appeared first on District Administration.

Building a strong team is crucial for special education directors to effectively support students with disabilities. A team that works collaboratively, communicates effectively, and is committed to the mission of the special education program can make a significant impact on the success of students.

When building a team, special education directors must prioritize hiring individuals with the necessary skills and experience, as well as those who share a commitment to serving students with disabilities. By investing time and resources into building a strong team, special education directors can ensure that students receive the best possible support and services.

Strategies for hiring and retaining top talent

Job Descriptions That Attract the Right Candidates: To build a strong team, it’s essential to hire the right people from the beginning. One way to ensure that is by writing a job description that accurately represents the position and attracts the right candidates. A well-written job description should include information about the role’s responsibilities, qualifications, and expectations.

Using Diverse Recruitment Avenues: To broaden your search and attract a more diverse pool of candidates, special education directors should use a variety of recruitment channels. This may include job boards, social media, and career fairs. Additionally, it’s crucial to reach out to organizations that serve underrepresented communities and to foster relationships with colleges and universities.

Interview Tips and Techniques: The interview process is a critical step in hiring the right candidate. Special education directors should develop interview questions that assess a candidate’s skills, experience, and fit for the team. They should also consider using behavioral interview techniques, such as the STAR technique, problem-solving scenarios, and open-ended questions to gain insight into a candidate’s problem-solving skills, ability to work in a team, and how they handle stress.

Competitive Compensation: Offering competitive compensation packages is an essential strategy for attracting and retaining the best talent. Special education directors should research compensation trends in their area and make sure they are also offering benefits such as healthcare, retirement plans, and professional development opportunities.

More from DA: In one district where teachers practice yoga, student behavior is better

While special education directors in private and independent schools have much more authority over their staffs’ overall compensation, those in public schools can still work with those in their district offices to help determine what is appropriate. Building strong relationships with district leaders can also help special education directors promote understanding and collaboration when it comes to compensation. You need to work together to develop a comprehensive compensation plan that aligns with the district’s budget and goals.

Creating a Positive and Professional Work Culture: Creating a positive work culture is vital for building a team that is committed to the success of the students. Directors should foster an environment that values collaboration, open communication, and mutual respect. Additionally, professional development opportunities are also crucial for retaining top talent and building a strong and knowledgeable team. Special Education Directors should invest in staff training and development to help their team grow professionally and meet their career goals.

Staff Retention: Retaining staff can be a significant challenge in special education, especially in today’s educational climate. Directors should regularly assess the needs of their team and implement strategies to address retention challenges. This may include offering flexible scheduling, creating opportunities for growth within the organization, and providing ongoing support and recognition for their hard work.

Managing Case Loads: One of the most important parts of staff retention is maintaining appropriate workloads for your team. Special education directors play an important role in ensuring that their team members are not overwhelmed by caseloads. One effective strategy is to work with school district administrators to monitor caseloads and ensure that they are within manageable limits. This can involve analyzing caseload data and adjusting assignments as needed to balance the workload across the team.

Directors can also work to prioritize caseloads and ensure that team members are assigned to cases that match their strengths and expertise. By doing so, directors can help prevent burnout and ensure that team members are engaged and motivated in their work.

Developing a collaborative and supportive work environment

Collaboration and team building are crucial aspects of building and maintaining a successful special education program. Special education directors must work closely with teachers, paraprofessionals, related service providers, and administrators to ensure that each student’s needs are met effectively. Collaboration and team building efforts help to ensure that all team members feel valued and supported, which can lead to increased morale, job satisfaction, and ultimately better outcomes for students.

To build an effective team, special education directors must create a culture of respect and trust, where all team members feel comfortable sharing ideas, asking for help, and working together to achieve common goals. This can be achieved through regular team meetings, professional development opportunities, team-building exercises, and positive and constructive feedback.

Effective Communication Strategies: Effective communication is essential for the success of any team. Special education directors must communicate clearly and frequently with team members, parents, and administrators to ensure that everyone is on the same page regarding student needs, program goals, and expectations. Communication strategies such as regular team meetings, progress reports, and open-door policies can help to facilitate effective communication across all community members.

Special education directors must also be mindful of different communication styles and preferences among team members. For example, some team members may prefer face-to-face communication, while others may prefer email or other forms of written communication. By understanding and accommodating these preferences, special education directors can ensure that all team members receive the information they need in a way that works best for them.

Addressing Team Conflicts and Difficult Conversations: Even the most effective and well-managed teams will encounter conflicts and difficult conversations from time to time. Special education directors must be prepared to address these situations in a timely and effective manner to prevent them from escalating and negatively impacting team morale.

When conflicts arise, special education directors should facilitate open and honest discussions to identify the root cause of the conflict and work together to find a resolution. It is important to maintain a focus on the best interests of the staff and the students and to work towards a solution that benefits all team members.

Encouraging Team Members’ Self-Care and Work-Life Balance: Special education can be an especially demanding and stressful field, and team members need to take care of themselves both inside and outside of work. Special education directors should encourage team members’ self-care and work-life balance by promoting wellness habits and stress-reduction techniques. It is important to make sure that you are not only encouraging these things but providing a space in which they are possible to achieve as well.

For example, special education directors can also explore flexible work arrangements such as telecommuting or flexible schedules to help team members manage their work and personal responsibilities. By supporting team members’ self-care and work-life balance, special education directors can help to prevent burnout and ensure that team members can provide the best possible support for their students.

Supporting student success through evidence-based practices

As a special education director, it’s very important to stay up-to-date on the latest evidence-based practices in the field. These practices are backed by research and can be effective in improving outcomes for students with disabilities and learning differences. By implementing these practices in your district or on your team, you can ensure that your students receive high-quality instruction and support.

Using Data to Inform Decision-Making and Problem-Solving: Data is an essential tool for special education directors and teams. By collecting and analyzing data, you can make informed decisions about instructional practices, interventions, and services. Data can also help you identify areas where your team or district may need to improve and track progress toward meeting goals and objectives.

Implementing Effective Instructional Practices and Interventions: Effective instructional practices and interventions are critical for supporting students with disabilities and learning disabilities. Special education directors should work with their teams to identify evidence-based practices and ensure that they are being implemented with fidelity. It’s also essential to provide ongoing training, professional development, and support to staff to ensure that they have the knowledge and skills to implement these practices effectively.

Addressing Behavioral and Mental Health Needs: Behavioral and mental health needs can be significant barriers to learning for students with disabilities. Special education directors should work closely with their teams to ensure that students receive appropriate support and interventions. This may involve partnering with mental health professionals or developing a multi-tiered system of support to address behavioral challenges.

Providing Assistive Technology and Accommodations: Assistive technology and accommodations can make a significant difference in the lives of students with disabilities and learning differences. Special education directors should work with their teams to identify and provide appropriate technology and accommodation to students who might need them. It’s also important to ensure that staff members are trained on how to use these tools effectively and that they are integrated into students’ daily routines.

The post How special education directors can build the best teams appeared first on District Administration.

This is especially true when coordinating transportation for the nation’s most vulnerable students, those with disabilities, who may require extra physical or emotional support to ensure safe transportation. Monitors play a key role with these students, and in recent years, there has been a sharp increase in demand for monitors, especially in alternative student transportation.

Alternative student transportation, which involves transporting students in small-capacity vehicles, offers school districts a safe and cost-effective way to provide crucial transportation services to students, including those with unique needs. That includes students with disabilities, students experiencing housing insecurity, students in foster care, and students who attend a school that is out of their district or in a hard-to-reach location.

Benefits of transportation monitors

Having a transportation monitor in the vehicle can be a major benefit to both the driver and the student. Their role goes beyond simply being an extra pair of eyes—they can be instrumental in creating a controlled, safe, and peaceful environment, which is especially important when it comes to setting the student up for a successful day at school.

More from DA: Another wave of new superintendents is taking the helm

Monitors provide:

• Safety and Security: Monitors can help ensure the safety and security of students and drivers during transit.
• Behavior Management: Their presence alone can deter disruptive behavior, and they can intervene when necessary to address any issues. This can lead to a more controlled and peaceful environment, reducing the risk of interfering with the driver and thus accidents.
• Parental Peace of Mind: Parents often feel more at ease knowing that there is adult supervision on the school vehicle.
• Special Needs Support: For students with disabilities, having a monitor on board can help with securing mobility devices and ensuring the comfort and safety of vulnerable students.
• Compliance: Monitors can help ensure that the transportation service complies with safety regulations and district policies.
• Improved Driver Focus: With a monitor onboard, drivers can concentrate on the road and their primary responsibility of safely operating the vehicle.

Demand continues to grow

As already mentioned, the demand for monitors in alternative transportation has increased rapidly in recent years. EverDriven, the nation’s largest provider of alternative student transportation, has seen a nearly 106% increase in trips requiring monitors since School Year 21/22, which is over double the 46% increase we have experienced for trips overall. This increased demand reflects school districts’ commitment to keeping students safe, and keeping risk to the district low when transporting medically fragile children or students with unique needs.

One of the most significant reasons behind the need for more monitors is the increase in students requiring transportation services with individualized support. Federal regulations, including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Every Student Succeeds Act and McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, require that public schools provide services to students to meet their unique educational needs.

Yet with many schools facing funding challenges, school transportation services tend to dwindle, with monitor jobs frequently being eliminated or going unfilled. The problem can be especially severe in larger school districts that have more students with disabilities. This could pose not just a safety risk to schools but a legal one as well. Financial challenges also mean that it can be a struggle for schools to ensure these roles are fully funded.

What does this mean for the future of school transportation?

Monitors play a vital role in ensuring the safe transportation of students. The growing demand for monitors, in alternative transportation, reflects school districts’ commitment to provide safe and reliable transportation options for all students.

School districts should continue to work creatively to accommodate the growing need for monitors. Given the ongoing staffing shortages, ensuring availability of monitors internally and with their vendors will be critical. School district administrators, in conjunction with families, teachers and community stakeholders, should also continue to advocate for transportation solutions with more monitors to ensure a safe ride to school for the students who need them.

Our students deserve reliable and safe transportation—and monitors are a key part of making that happen.

The post Safe trips: Why more schools are hiring transportation monitors appeared first on District Administration.

As a former special education teacher with nearly 20 years in the field, I can safely say that most special education teachers begin their careers with a passion for helping students. I certainly did.

The shortage of resources and inherent stress of the job can take a toll on even the most dedicated. Special education teachers and coordinators are pulled in a million directions, often doing the jobs of three people, working long hours and battling burnout. We need to help teachers go the distance by finding more ways to elevate and support their teaching experiences with the new and challenging student needs and behaviors that are taking place in the classroom.

In my roles as a special education coordinator and advisor, I’ve found these five practices to be particularly beneficial in helping teachers feel both appreciated and better equipped for success.

1. Be transparent in special ed

We too often think that we need to shield parents from the difficulties their children may be experiencing, or we avoid those hard conversations with teachers about the challenges we see ahead. As leaders, we need to bring them all into the conversation to problem-solve, share ideas, and think outside the box to find solutions.

The same with students—we can’t just talk at them. Student ownership is imperative, and we need to make them part of the team for them to be successful. It’s important in all of these courageous conversations to be empathetic, and encouraging, and to use clear language—not special education vernacular with its unfamiliar acronyms and jargon.

2. Find the leaders in your district and grow their capacity

Don’t miss the talent that already exists on your teaching staff. Invest the time to help them develop and extend their skillsets.

Early in my career when I was working in a resource room, our school principal saw something in me that suggested leadership potential. Through mentoring, that principal not only helped me contribute more to our team, but also helped me discover a passion for coaching that set my career on that trajectory.

Finding leaders in your building helps promote a culture of growth and reinforces a climate of teamwork that is needed to help combat teacher burnout.

3. Provide meaningful professional development

When you’re planning a professional development day, make sure the content and training you provide is relevant. It should fill real gaps and always involve actual student work, an articulated outcome, and feedback so that teachers can immediately apply that knowledge in their classrooms.

From FETC: Dan Fitzpatrick forecasts the future of AI in education

Don’t neglect your paraprofessionals—teachers will tell you that paraprofessionals are worth their weight in gold, so make sure they also have the training they need.

4. Integrate clinical expertise

Clinical advisors—speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, behavior analysts, and others—can contribute valuable and practical insight. Bring them in to work with a particular staff member or group of staff or provide additional perspective in the development of individual education plans.

I’ve seen great success come from including clinical advisors in professional development programs. In one session, for example, a speech-language pathology advisor introduced the district staff to alternative communication devices that could be helpful to nonverbal students.

5. Provide behavior and classroom-management training to your general education teachers

In the post-COVID classroom, teachers are encountering more behavioral problems, trauma, and students with special-needs who have not yet been identified. The better you can equip general education teachers to manage such issues in their classrooms, the better you can focus your special education resources on the areas of highest need.

While we cannot instantly fix the teacher shortage problem, education leaders can absolutely provide a climate of support for current staff. Be proactive, visible, and keep communications open. Remember that at the end of the day, we’re all here to grow students.

Talk to your teachers about what they need most and be transparent about the ways you can help them. Make sure they know that you’re not after perfection. The process of helping students grow will have its ups and downs, but working together as a team increases student and staff success.

The post 5 ways to support and elevate your special education teachers appeared first on District Administration.

The guidance comes after nearly half the states reported noncompliance with IDEA Parts B and C. In 2022-2023, the department reported that only 22 states (and territories) met IDEA Part B requirements. Other data reveals that students with IEPs lag behind their peers post-graduation. Twenty-two states saw declining graduation rates among students with disabilities in 2020-21, compared with 10 states the previous year, according to an Edweek report.

In 2019, the adjusted cohort graduation rate for students with disabilities was 18 percentage points lower than for all public school students on average, according to The Institute of Education Sciences. By providing this guidance, the federal government looks to districts and states to help improve these outcomes.

Success starts with district-level goal-setting

Research shows that closing the achievement gap at a younger age can change the whole scope of a child’s life. However, you can only predict what students can accomplish in 12th grade if you understand what they know and can do at age 3 or 4. That’s why schools and districts must build into their special education programs benchmarks and processes that allow them to measure and adjust interventions throughout a child’s academic career.

First, districts must establish those metrics, working backward to determine:

• What they want high school graduates to know and be able to do after graduation.
• What students with disabilities need to be successful in high school.
• How they’ll accommodate and modify standards to ensure students with disabilities can access them.

While this work is relatively straightforward, it comes at a time when schools nationwide are experiencing significant special education staffing shortages. These districts may also lack the technological infrastructure to measure targeted outcomes and build interventions to address any shortfalls. However, the sooner districts start putting these pieces in place, the sooner they can move the needle on student outcomes.

Leverage technology to guide IDEA monitoring and reporting

While federal and state agencies may establish the lion’s share of guidelines, growth targets or objectives for districts, local educators must put management systems in place that give them an accurate picture of where their learners are right now, what activities need to be completed and what interventions are working.

Get on Board: How this superintendent helps craft laws that will benefit her schools

By using technology platforms that manage IDEA workflows, including IEP intake, evaluation and review deadlines, local educators can more easily manage the operational aspects of IDEA compliance. However, the more challenging part of ensuring compliance and student improvement involves regularly running and analyzing reports from those systems to answer essential questions such as:

• Are we spending federal IDEA money appropriately?
• Are we meeting the metrics we’ve set?
• Have we appropriately addressed all previous findings?
• Are our special education programs and outcomes in our five-year strategic plan?

Throughout the process, administrators should explain to teachers why IDEA asks for us to put in all of these tools and measures that are in place for children. OSEP isn’t looking to find fault with a particular district or state; they’ve put these guidelines in place so that kids with disabilities have the same opportunities as other students—and we know they’re going to need some extra help to get there.

Be proactive and transparent with your state agency

Everyone from the federal government down to the state expects 100% compliance, but they also understand how difficult it is to achieve that. However, reaching 99% compliance still means there’s one child whose needs might not have been met completely, and that matters. If your district finds that it is out of compliance, it’s important to catch where you’re falling short early, so you can start making those changes and alert your state well in advance of reporting.

By putting systems in place to catch any instance of noncompliance, districts can get in front of it and correct it before it becomes an external issue. While we may not hit every target, understanding where and why we’re off the mark yields major improvements at the programmatic and student levels. Most of all, we must remember that behind every target is a kid. It’s not about completing paperwork or achieving an outcome—it’s a child’s success and future livelihood.

By building trust within the district, including educators and families early in the process and keeping lines of communication open, you can often address issues before they become official complaints of noncompliance.

The post IDEA guidance: How districts can strengthen their special education programs appeared first on District Administration.

You can watch the webinar for free on-demand here. But in the meantime, here are a few key takeaways for K12 leaders:

“Special education is everybody’s business”

Kari Stubbs, senior vice president of Business Development at Stages Learning, whose mission is to help every child thrive by increasing equitable access to quality education, says all stakeholders should be involved in the conversation.

In 2010, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicated that one in 54 children had an autism spectrum disorder. Fast forward to 2021, the rate has nearly doubled to one in 36 children.

“The reason we need to care about this is not only because it’s a large portion of our student population that we’re treating, but those students are eight times more likely to be unemployed when they’re leaving our school systems,” Stubbs said.

We’ve yet to see the pandemic’s effects

Zandra Jo Galvan, superintendent of the Greenfield Union School District in Bakersfield, California, believes we’ll continue to see these rates rise. The challenge for K12 leaders is understanding how the pandemic has impacted this student population.

“I don’t think we’ve yet seen the effects of the pandemic on families and households and what that means for delays in academic growth, but also the incredible importance of social-emotional learning and proving the support that our students need,” she said.

More from DA: Non-academic supports: How a buddy system can accelerate K5 learning

As a result, she said her district has spent its ESSER and state-provided funds to ensure each school has the proper staffing to meet these needs. Each school has two counselors, a social worker, two family community liaisons and several behavioral health specialists.

Leveraging technology for students with autism

In the Oakwood City School District in Ohio, Superintendent Neil Gupta said the district’s philosophy of education technology is built on four focus areas. According to Gupta, edtech should be:

• Individualized
• Student-led
• Authentic
• Collaborative

For instance, he shared excitement surrounding artificial intelligence and how it can create personalized learning experiences for students with autism.

In terms of keeping the conversation going with parents, Deb Kerr, superintendent of the St. Francis Public School District in Wisconsin, said remote communication technologies like Zoom have helped them conduct IEP meetings more efficiently with parents and families.

“We have seen a tremendous increase in attendance for our IEP meetings if they could be held on Zoom,” she said. “While we would prefer to do more of a hybrid unit, we try to meet parents where they are. That’s important because then they could schedule those meetings at a time that’s convenient for them.”

The post What’s in store for special education and edtech? Leaders weigh in appeared first on District Administration.