The Wrightslaw Way

If only the teacher really knew my child… That’s where you, as your child’s “case manager,” jump in. If the teacher does not know your child – then what?  You need to get to know your child’s teacher. Pat Howey advises parents to: Meet with your child’s teacher(s) to discuss your child’s special needs. Give […]

The National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) understands the desire to make ESEA/No Child Left Behind work for schools, teachers and students. To ensure students with disabilities remain a priority, they have urged Congress to set academic performance targets, graduation goals and a requirement to improve instruction in struggling schools. NCLD believes these Recommendations must […]

We have a child who excels above her classmates and should be a grade/grade & a half above her peers.  The school is refusing to adjust her challenges. She is doing work she already knows how to do, finishes before others, aces all her tests. She is 7 and reads at a 10 year old […]

Most college special education masters programs do not include comprehensive instruction in reading for dyslexics. Yet, dyslexics or children with reading disorders make up 70-80% of the special education students. Is there any wonder why special education reading scores are so low? How does this happen?

Do I have a right to know the qualifications of my child’s teachers? If the answer is “yes,” how long does the school have to provide me with this information? The answer is “yes” if your child attends a school that receives Title I funding, and “maybe” if the school does not receive Title I […]

We’ve been blogging about AYP lately. Here’s the just released AYP ratings for VA – (Wrightslaw is headquartered here). Virginia and 74 percent of the commonwealth’s public schools met or exceeded all No Child Left Behind (NCLB) objectives during the 2007-2008 school year as student achievement increased on Standards of Learning and other statewide tests […]

My school is a Title 1 school under No Child Left Behind and did not make AYP (adequate yearly progress). The school says that we only have one school within the district, therefore no change of schools is required. Why don’t I have the choice to go to another school? Where can I look for […]

After reading David’s post about his son attending a virtual school [at http://www.wrightslaw.com/blog/?p=23 ], we realized we needed to learn more about “Virtual Schools.” After doing some research, we learned about some of the pros and cons of virtual schools, and how parents should proceed when considering a virtual school. Parents tend to be positive […]