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At Wrightslaw, our goals are to help you gain the information and skills you need navigate the confusing world of special education.
Highlights: What is your IEP IQ?; IDEA reauthorization - advocates speak out, organize, demonstrate; IEP meetings - play hearts, not poker; how to use a parent IEP attachment; IEP info and resources; Wrightslaw programs sell out; get help from the Yellow Pages for Kids; discounts on Wrightslaw books; exam copies.
Wrightslaw
is ranked #1 in education
law, special
education law, and special
education advocacy. (2003 Alexa
rankings) 
The
Special Ed Advocate newsletter is free - please forward this
issue or the subscription
link to your friends and colleagues so they can learn about
special education law and advocacy too. We appreciate your help!
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1. What is Your IEP IQ? Take the IEP Quiz to Find Out!
To be an effective advocate for your child, you need to learn the law. You also need to learn how to use the law without starting no-win battles.
Few parents or educators learn about legal rights and responsibilities by reading statutes, regulations and cases. Most people get information from training sessions, articles, listserv advice, and informal discussions with others. Parents get advice from educators and other parents - and this advice is often wrong!
Your knowledge can rise no higher than your source.
You
must read the law. The only way to fully understand
your legal rights and responsibilities is by reading and rereading
the law.
Take our IEP Quiz to test
your
knowledge. (Complete instructions for taking the IEP quiz are
in What
Is Your IEP IQ?)
The IEP Quiz consists of 18
questions from Appendix A. When you finish the IEP Quiz, you can
send an email to Wrightslaw for the correct answers.
What
Is Your IEP IQ?
If you enjoyed the IEP
IQ test, you may want to test your knowledge on other Wrightslaw
quizzes.
What
is Your Bell Curve IQ?
What is your No
Child Left Behind IQ?
2. IDEA Reauthorization: Advocacy Groups Speak Out, Organize, Demonstrate
Last
summer, the Senate HELP Committee voted
to approve the controversial Senate Bill 1248 to reauthorize
the IDEA. In December, Congress
adjourned before voting on Senate Bill 1248.
We hear that the Senate will vote on S. B. 1248 in a few
weeks. This may happen in March - or sooner - or later.
(Dates may change.)
In recent months, advocacy groups have formed with the
goal of preserving the IDEA. You need to learn about these
groups, the issues - and the stakes.
Advocacy
Groups Speak Out, Organize, Demonstrate (February
2004)
More
IDEA Reauthorization News
3. 8 Steps to Better IEP Meetings: Play Hearts, Not Poker by Jennifer Bollero, Esq.
In
Play
Hearts, Not Poker, Jennifer Bollero, an attorney and mother
of a child with autism, advises that if you learn "the rules"
and strategies, you reduce the risks when you negotiate for your
child.
"Your child's IEP should never be a gamble. Know what your
goals are and work them. Many roads lead to the same place. Many
different cards can win the game." This article includes
8 Steps to Better IEP Meetings.
Play
Hearts, Not Poker
More about
Advocacy
4. Tip: How to Use a Parent IEP Attachment
Frustrated
at IEP meetings? Are your questions are not answered?
In How
to Use a Parent IEP Attachment, advocate Judy Bonnell teaches
you how to use a simple form to track your requests, the school's
response, issues that were resolved, and issues that are still
on the table.
More
Advice & Tips
5. IEP Info & Resources
If you are like most people who visit Wrightslaw, you have questions about IEPs. We built the IEP Page with articles, law and regulations, tactics and strategies, tips, recommended reading, and free publications to answer your questions.
Learn about IEPs
More Topics
Deb
writes, "Your Florida Boot Camp was 'sold out.' I was on
a waiting list with at least 100 others and could not attend.
I will always regret this. Will the program take place
again in the future? If so, when?"
On January 30-31, Pete and Pam put on a Wrightslaw Boot Camp for
200+ parents in Ft. Lauderdale. The Boot Camp "sold out"
and had a waiting list of more than 100 parents.
In
December, we did a one-day Advocacy Training Program in Oklahoma
- sold out!
In November, we did a Boot Camp for 200+ parents in Jackson, Mississippi
- sold out!
The Wrightslaw programs scheduled for this winter and spring are filling up fast. If you plan to attend, please register soon. If you wait, you may find yourself in Deb's shoes - feeling regret.
Midwest
Tour in February
Jefferson
City, Missouri -February 17, 2004
Skokie,
Illinois - February 20, 2004
Indianapolis,
Indiana -
February 24, 2004
Troy, Michigan - February 28, 2004
Spring 2004
Manchester,
New Hampshire (Boot Camp) - March 26-27, 2004
Juneau,
Alaska (Boot Camp) - April 8-9, 2004
Anchorage,
Alaska (Boot Camp)- April 13-14, 2004
Annapolis,
Maryland (Boot Camp) - April 30-May 1, 2004
Birmingham,
Alabama -
May 25, 2004
Knowledge is power. When you have information
and skills, you will be a more effective advocate
for your child. Our role is to help you gain this
knowledge so you can negotiate on your child's
behalf. When our programs
sell out, we know parents and advocates hear our
message and are taking action.
Wrightslaw
Programs
focus
on
four
areas:
special
education
law;
using
the
bell
curve
to
measure
progress;
SMART
IEPs;
and
tactics
&
strategies
for
effective
advocacy.
For
information
about
other
programs
that
will
be
held
over
the
next
few
months,
please
check
our
Seminars
&
Training
page.
7. Need Help? Visit the Yellow Pages for Kids with Disabilities
Are
you looking for a tutor or therapist? A psychologist or educational
diagnostician? A speech language therapist? An advocate or attorney?
If you are looking for help - or
a helper - visit the Yellow
Pages for Kids. Your
state Yellow Pages
has many resources - evaluators, therapists, tutors, special ed
schools, grassroots organizations, and support groups.
You should also check the database
of service providers from the International Dyslexia Association.
Are
you looking for a research-based
reading program? Review the list
of providers who use structured, multisensory, alphabetic
techniques.
Yellow
Pages for Kids with Disabilities
Research-Based
Instruction
50% Discount on Bulk Purchases of Wrightslaw Books -The Advocacy Challenge Discount is a 50 discount on bulk purchases of Wrightslaw books.
Exam Copies - Teachers in colleges and universities around the country use Wrightslaw books in education, special education and special education law courses. Learn more
Wrightslaw books are reasonably priced ($29.95) - easy on tight student budgets.
Wrightslaw Books:
Wrightslaw:
Special Education Law (ISBN
1-892320-03-7)
Wrightslaw:
From Emotions
to Advocacy - The Special Education Survival Guide
(ISBN 1-892320-08-8)
Wrightslaw:
No Child Left Behind (ISBN:
1-892320-12-6)
The Special Ed Advocate is a free online newsletter about
special education legal and advocacy issues, cases, and tactics
and strategies. Subscribers receive "alerts" about new
cases, events, and special offers on Wrightslaw books.
| Law Library | Seminars & Training |
| Advocacy | Yellow Pages for Kids |
| No Child Left Behind | Free Newsletter |
| IDEA Reauthorization | Newsletter Archives |
Contact Info
Pete
and Pam Wright
Wrightslaw & The Special Ed Advocate
P. O. Box 1008
Deltaville, VA 23043
Website: https://www.wrightslaw.com
Email: newsletter@wrightslaw.com
