NASET.org Home Page

NASET News Alert

Teachers Appeal to Lawmakers for Funding

Monday 01. of March 2010

Right now, the state of Illinois owes tens of millions of dollars to school districts across the QCA, something local educators are saying is making it hard to provide kids with the education they deserve. On Saturday, those teachers met with Rep. Phil Hare to plead their case for federal funding and major changes to No Child Left Behind. "I think it's really in a crisis situation and it needs to be addressed," says Rowva High School teacher Chris Campagna. Teachers say their districts are reaching a breaking point when it comes to funding. The state of Illinois owes districts across our area millions of dollars. Without that money, superintendents say they're going to have to make some painful changes. To read more, click here

Bipolar Diagnosis Jumps in Young Children

Wednesday 20. of January 2010

The research suggests that while it is still rare to prescribe powerful psychiatric drugs to 2-year-olds, the practice is becoming more frequent. The data, compiled from 2000 to 2007, and published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, could inform testimony at the upcoming Boston-area murder trials of the parents of 4-year-old Rebecca Riley. The girl died of an overdose of mood-stabilizing medication in 2006. A Boston child psychiatrist, Kayoko Kifuji, diagnosed Riley with bipolar disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder when she was 30 months old, and placed her on several powerful drugs: Depakote, an antiseizure medication also used for bipolar disorder, and clonidine, a blood pressure medication. To read more, click here

Earlier Bedtimes May Help Protect Adolescents Against Depression and Suicidal Thoughts

Wednesday 06. of January 2010

A study in the Jan. 1 issue of the journal Sleep found that adolescents with bedtimes that were set earlier by parents were significantly less likely to suffer from depression and to think about committing suicide, suggesting that earlier bedtimes could have a protective effect by lengthening sleep duration and increasing the likelihood of getting enough sleep. Results show that adolescents with parental set bedtimes of midnight or later were 24 percent more likely to suffer from depression (odds ratio = 1.24) and 20 percent more likely to have suicidal ideation (OR=1.20) than adolescents with parental set bedtimes of 10 p.m. or earlier. This association was appreciably attenuated by self-reported sleep duration and the perception of getting enough sleep. To read more, click here

Dyslexia: Some Very Smart Accomplished People Cannot Read Well

Thursday 24. of December 2009

Contrary to popular belief, some very smart, accomplished people cannot read well. This unexpected difficulty in reading in relation to intelligence, education and professional status is called dyslexia, and researchers at Yale School of Medicine and University of California Davis, have presented new data that explain how otherwise bright and intelligent people struggle to read. The study, which will be published in the January 1, 2010 issue of the journal Psychological Science, provides a validated definition of dyslexia. "For the first time, we've found empirical evidence that shows the relationship between IQ and reading over time differs for typical compared to dyslexic readers," said Sally E. Shaywitz, M.D., the Audrey G. Ratner Professor in Learning Development at Yale School of Medicine's Department of Pediatrics, and co-director of the newly formed Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity. To read more, click here

'Day Of The Special Educator' Recognized In California

Thursday 10. of December 2009

Special educators throughout the state of California were honored on December 3, 2009, as districts around the state celebrated the Day of the Special Educator.   CARS+, the California Organization for Special Educators, sponsored the day along with support from the California School Board Association (CSBA), California Teachers Association (CTA), Family Empowerment Centers, Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), and the newly formed Special Education Collaborative.

On December 2, 1975, President Gerald Ford signed Public Law 94-142 which ensured a free appropriate public education (FAPE) to all students with disabilities.  Not wanting to detract from the students for who this law was written, CARS+ chose December 3rd as the day to honor those educators who advocate for the rights and services that special needs students need and to make sure that they have access to FAPE.

Marci Marino, a parent of a student with disabilities, commented "without the dedication of my son's special education teacher, he would not be able to succeed in school.  All special educators deserve to be honored for the important work they do."  This sentiment was echoed throughout the state. Activities were held at local and regional levels to celebrate the work that is done by dedicated special educators who deliver more than just curriculum to the students on their caseloads.

CARS+, and other special education advocates in California, are hoping that the Day of the Special Educator will occur every year and in every state.

Are States Following Stimulus Plan Rules For Schools?

Wednesday 21. of October 2009

Creating and saving jobs while boosting investment in the future are among the top goals of the Obama administration's $787 billion economic stimulus plan. And according to a preliminary report on stimulus funding for schools by the Department of Education and the Domestic Policy Council, the stimulus plan has created jobs. State governments have created and saved at least 250,000 education jobs -- and restored nearly all their projected education budget shortfalls for fiscal years 2009 and 2010 -- according to preliminary findings releasedMonday by the White House. But some states that used the funds to fill existing budget gaps could face a crisis when the money runs out after 2010. And the Department of Education has chastised certain states for their stimulus funding programs and warned them that they risk their chances at getting other DOE grants down the road. To read more, click here

Is A Federal Ban On Restraint Tactics For Special Needs Students Needed?

Thursday 09. of July 2009

In a recent report from the Government Accountability Office hundreds of allegations of school-related "death and abuse" were found, most involving children with disabilities. Included are a case from Florida where a teacher's aide gagged and duct-taped children as young as 6 for misbehaving, and a case where a 14-year-old in Texas who refused to stay seated in class was restrained by his 230-pound teacher by lying on top of him on the floor. The report also shows that over four thousand (4000) students were restrained almost nineteen thousand (19000) times In Texas during the 2007 and 2008 school year alone. Many of the children in the report were apparently not out of control or aggressive. While restraint is often an affective means to calm and restore order to a person who is emotionally out of control, it must be done correctly, yet most teachers are not taught these safe restraint tactics to use on neurotypical school students, let alone the children with special needs or disabilities. To read more, click here

Supreme Court - Parents Of Special Education Students Can Seek Reimbursement

Wednesday 24. of June 2009

In a decision that could cost school districts millions of dollars, the United States Supreme Court ruled on Monday that parents of special-education students may seek government reimbursement for private school tuition, even if they have never received special-education services in public school. The case before the court involved a struggling Oregon high school student, identified in court documents only as T.A., whose parents removed him from public school in the Forest Grove district part way though his junior year, and enrolled him in a $5,200-a-month residential school. Although Forest Grove officials had noticed T.A.'s difficulties and evaluated him for learning disabilities, he was found ineligible for special-education services. Only after he enrolled in the private school was T.A. diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and other disabilities.

To read more, click here

Corporal Punishment Of Special Education Students Crosses The Line

Thursday 11. of June 2009

Mentions of being paddled at school or having a corporal punishment policy tend to conjure up mental images of one room school-houses and boys in suspenders who were caught putting a frog in the lunch pail of a little girl with pigtails. In fact, many parents are confounded to find out that their state actually allows children in public schools to be spanked by teachers and administrators. While Illinois has outlawed corporal punishment since 1993, there are still 22 states that still permit paddling, with only three have laws that restrict that use (AZ, OH, UT). The other eighteen are law-less when it comes to applying a paddle to the rear end of a child who is misbehaving. These include Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. Not every school in these states spank children as a form of punishment. And those that do often have policies and guidelines in place so that parents are notified of an issue and given the option of the corporal punishment. To read more, click here

Students With Learning Disabilities Finding More Success After High School

Thursday 28. of May 2009

Kayla Constantine and Ashley Long are looking forward to college. "I'm excited about getting out there and being on my own," Long said. "I like to learn," Constantine said. "I want to take up French, culinary arts, history." The Penn-Trafford High School seniors, both 18, will graduate in June and start at Westmoreland County Community College in the fall. But they have worked harder than most to get to this point. Now poised and articulate young women, Constantine and Long have struggled with learning disabilities since they were in elementary school. "It affects you as much as being in a wheelchair, but you can't see it," said Long, one of thousands of students across the nation who have made life-altering progress with the help of special education classes increasingly focused on helping students transition to their adult lives.This trend seems to be having a positive impact, according to a long-term Department of Education study that will be completed this year. To read more, click here