Stories tagged: special needs
A focus on 'extended school year' services in District's expanded summer program
by Janet Stotland Posted in Summer 2010 Edition | Permalink
This is the story of a partnership between a dedicated group of advocates and Philadelphia School District leaders. This teamwork has resulted in new opportunities for a group of especially vulnerable Philadelphia students with disabilities.
Because of a 1979 lawsuit called Armstrong v. Kline, Pennsylvania became the first state to require “extended school year” (or ESY) programs for some children with disabilities. The children who filed the lawsuit had very severe intellectual or emotional disabilities.
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What about Alyiah?
by Benjamin Herold Posted in June 2010 NEWSFLASH | Permalink
Nine-year-old Alyiah Pegues started her school career three years ago at Daroff Elementary in West Philadelphia.
Alyiah, who has Down syndrome, didn’t say a single word during her entire first year.
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Learning how to advocate is a game-changer for parents, children … and even schools
by Fran Sugarman Posted in February 2010 Edition | Permalink
Natalie Wieters has a nine-year-old son, Jesse, who attends the Kearny School in lower North Philadelphia. Jesse is on the autism spectrum and has multiple disabilities.
Wieters has been advocating for her son since he was two and has been trained in special education advocacy. But understanding her son’s issues and obtaining the needed services for him is an ongoing challenge, with always more to learn.
Jesse has difficulties communicating and has low muscle tone, Wieters said. He has been in a regular ed classroom and only gets pulled out for academic support.
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Immigrant students and their mental health
Submitted by Gustavo Martínez on Thu, 12/10/2009 - 15:38 Posted in Social justice in education | Permalink
Last week several Asian students were attacked in South Philadelphia High. They have complained that school and District authorities haven't responded to their concerns sufficiently.
The relevance of caring for these students' needs is highlighted in the work of Eileen Gale Kugler and Olga Acosta Price in their report "Helping immigrant and refugee students succeed: It’s not just what happens in the classroom," in which they stress the need to provide newly arrived children and their families with the culturally competent assistance they require.
This is the first part of a series of postings in which we will talk about these issues. Check for a follow-up soon.
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An unlikely partnership helps families get needed social services for kids
by Dennis Barnebey Posted in Winter 2009 Edition | Permalink
“Innovation” is a term not often associated with large systems such as the School District of Philadelphia or the city’s Department of Human Services (DHS). Nevertheless, for the past 10 years, these two systems, with similar missions but separate funding streams, have maintained a partnership to help children overcome barriers to learning.
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Q & A: How young children with disabilities can access free Early Intervention services
Posted in Fall 2009 Edition | Permalink
Is my child eligible for Early Intervention services?
Children under age three (“infants and toddlers”) are entitled to Early Intervention services if they have a “developmental delay” in one or more of these areas: cognitive (thinking), communication, physical (including vision and hearing), social/emotional, or self-care, or if they have a physical or mental condition that has a high probability of resulting in a developmental delay.
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Conozca sus derechos
por Connie Langland Posted in 2009 Edition | Permalink
Querer asistir a una de las escuelas superiores más destacadas de la ciudad puede ser una proposición inalcanzable para los estudiantes con necesidades especiales y sus padres.
Pocos de los estudiantes de educación especial o ELL (English Language Learners) que empezarán 9no grado este otoño han solicitado a las escuelas más populares, y muchos menos han sido aceptados.
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Recruiting special education teachers proves to be a challenge for the District
by Connie Langland Posted in Summer 2009 Edition | Permalink
As the school year ends, parents of special needs children have one question: Who will teach my child next year?
Special education teachers are hard to recruit and retain, and the School District of Philadelphia’s current vacancy list shows dozens of special education teaching positions.
The District does some recruitment of these teachers through Teach for America and The New Teacher Project, locally called the Philadelphia Teaching Fellows. But while using these has met some success, these pathways can be viewed as a stopgap measure.
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A national trend: Black and Latino boys predominate in emotional support classes
by Sylvia Morse Posted in Winter 2008 Edition | Permalink
African American boys make up 59 percent of students enrolled in “emotional support” programs in Philadelphia but less than a third of the general student population. They are six times more likely to be labeled emotionally disturbed than White girls.
White girls are four times more likely than Black boys to be identified as mentally gifted.
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Pennsylvania needs new funding system to educate its students with disabilities
by Baruch Kintisch Posted in Summer 2008 Edition | Permalink
A budget proposal now before the state legislature would bring us much closer to providing adequately funded schools across Pennsylvania. But on the issue of funding for special education, disability advocates still have a long row to hoe.
The recent "costing-out" study prepared for the state legislature showed that, just as with regular education, the state is falling far short of the need in its funding of special education.
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Black and Latino boys disrespected, task force finds
by Dale Mezzacappa
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