On January 7, the Center submitted public comments to the District of Columbia’s Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) regarding proposed amendments to Chapter 30 (Special Education) of Title 5-A in the District of Columbia’s Municipal Regulations.
As we prepare for the urgent work of 2020, we’re taking a moment to reflect on the highlights and accomplishments of the last year. It was a year of significant growth for the Center, with new initiatives at the programmatic and policy levels, new staff, and renewed energy for our mission of ensuring that students with disabilities are able to fully access and thrive in charter schools.
As we evolve into an increasingly global and information-rich economy, the promise of virtual learning is enticing. Unfortunately, the reality falls short of the promise, and far too many virtual providers are attempting to hide behind the profile of their students as an excuse for low performance. Recent developments in Nevada highlight the dangers of this trend.
The Center’s analysis highlights clear trends in how students with disabilities are accessing and being served by charter schools and offers specific recommendations for improvement.
On Sunday, October 27, the Center received the 2019 NASDSE Martha J. Fields Award of Excellence in Louisville, Kentucky.
This week, National Center for Special Education in Charter Schools (NCSECS) and the Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE) released a report that brings fresh insight into how charter schools are working to improve education for students with disabilities.
Washington, D.C. – Today, Representatives Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) and Mark DeSaulnier (D-Concord) reintroduced the IDEA High Cost Pool Funding Act, innovative legislation to help cover the exceptional costs that can be associated with educating special needs children.
On September 9, The Center awarded education advocate Eileen M. Ahearn the inaugural Eileen M. Ahearn Education Visionary Award for her foresight and commitment to ensuring students with disabilities have the same access to a high-quality charter school education as do their peers. The Center’s Executive Director, Lauren Morando Rhim, stated, “Eileen’s recognition of the challenges that might emerge at the intersection of federal civil rights laws and state charter school laws have resulted in more than 300,000 children with disabilities exercising choice in charter schools across the nation. We are indebted to her vision and work, which created a foundation for the Center’s, and we look forward to recognizing her achievements annually as we honor other leaders having an impact in this movement.” The Center’s Senior Fellow, Paul O’Neill, added that “Eileen was the trailblazer, tirelessly insisting to all stakeholders that access, equity, and academic success for students with disabilities in charter schools must be a priority. She was right, and they listened.” The Eileen M. Ahearn Education Visionary Award was established in 2019 to honor an individual or organization that has made an outstanding contribution to ensure that students with disabilities who are interested in attending charter schools are able […]
Earlier this month in Nashville, the National Governors Association held a two day convening of Governors’ offices to discuss policies that support equity and collaboration in education.
As I sat on the stage at the National Charter School Conference in Las Vegas last week, minutes before kicking off our “Special Education Policy: Key Challenges and Opportunities” session, those words from Field of Dreams popped into my head.
