Wrightslaw - Special Ed Advocate Newsletter, July 10, 2002 (Issue 170)

At Wrightslaw, we help you gain the information and skills you need to navigate the confusing world of special education.

Highlights: Kids from 8,652 failing schools can transfer to better schools this fall - what to do if your child's school is on The List; learning about the No Child Left Behind Act; Wall Street Journal recommends Wrightslaw; help for college kids with disabilities; accommodations & waivers for college students; new Yellow Pages for Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, and Vermont.

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!

https://www.wrightslaw.com/subscribe.htm

Do you want to learn more about special education advocacy? Start a FETA Study Group?

https://www.wrightslaw.com/info/advo.feta.groups.htm

1. Kids from 8,652 Failing Schools Can Transfer This Fall - Is Your Child's School on "The List"?

Sec. of Education, Rod Paige with children in Atlanta On July 1, 2002, U. S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige announced that students in more than 8,600 schools will be able to attend a higher-performing school in their district because the schools they currently attend failed to meet state academic standards for the past two years.

Dr. Paige's announcement drew protests from school superintendents and the National School Board Association. The National School Board Association was distressed because Sec. Paige made public the number of failing schools by state. The organization complained that failing schools do not have time to comply with the law ("It's summer.")

Sadly, the National School Boards Association did not express concerns about the millions of children who are not being taught the skills they will need in the real world. Who represents the needs of these vulnerable children? Dr. Paige is in their corner - and so is Wrightslaw.

Does your child attend a failing school?

To learn about failing schools and parent options, read this news release from the U. S. Department of Education. The release includes a table of failing schools by state:

https://www.wrightslaw.com/news/2002/nclb.8600.schools.htm

To learn what the U. S. Department of Education is telling school districts about parent options, school choice and supplemental services for children under the No Child Left Behind Act, read this Letter from
U. S. Secretary of Education to School Leaders (June 14, 2002):

http://www.ed.gov/News/Letters/020614.html

What are State Improvements Lists?

https://www.wrightslaw.com/info/nclb.facts.state.lists.htm

Learn more about your choices under the No Child Left Behind Act:

http://www.nclb.gov/next/faqs/choice.html

What should you do if your child's school is on the list?

Contact your state department of education and ask about your options. Contact information for your state department of education is in the Directory of State Departments of Education at:

http://www.fetaweb.com/help/seas.htm

Contact information for your state Department of Education is also available at:

http://www.nochildleftbehind.gov/next/where/sea.html

2. Assignment: Learn About the No Child Left Behind Act

If you have a child in public school, the No Child Left Behind Act is likely to have a big impact on your child's education. You need to learn about this new law.

Begin your course of study at our No Child Left Behind Page:

https://www.wrightslaw.com/info/nclb.index.htm

Get Fact Sheets about Reading Achievement, Reading First, 21st Century Technology, State Standards, Getting Students Help, Measuring Progress, Good Teachers, School Safety, and other topics from U. S. Department of Education:

http://www.nochildleftbehind.gov/start/facts/index.html

Subscribe to the No Child Left Behind Newsletter, an electronic newsletter with information, events, and announcements about the No Child Left Behind Act.

http://www.nochildleftbehind.gov/subscribe.html

3. Wall Street Journal Article Recommends Wrightslaw to Parents of Disabled Children

In a hard-hitting article about parents of adult disabled children, reporter Kelly Greene recommends Wrightslaw for "Advocacy resources for parents of children with disabilities." (July 2, 2002)

Read Wall Street Journal Recommends Wrightslaw for Parents of Disabled Children at:

https://www.wrightslaw.com/news/2002/wsj.advocacy.resource.htm

4. Help for College Kids- New Flyer from Wrightslaw

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College-bound students need to learn self-advocacy skills - how to present information about their disability and accommodations so professors want to help. If students master these skills, they are more likely to make a successful transition from high school to college.

The resources in our new Help for College Students with Disabilities Flyer are divided into three categories:

Rights and Responsibilities under Section 504
Planning and Preparation
Keys to Success

Download Help for College Students with Disabilities Flyer:
https://www.wrightslaw.com/flyers/college.504.pdf

Recommended Strategy

We suggest that you make two copies of the Help for College Students with Disabilities Flyer - one for your child, one for yourself. After you and your child have reviewed these resources, sit down and discuss what you learned.

Help for College Students with Disabilities Flyer (2 pages, pdf):

https://www.wrightslaw.com/flyers/college.504.pdf

Learn more about Section 504:

https://www.wrightslaw.com/info/sec504.index.htm

More Flyers from Wrightslaw:

https://www.wrightslaw.com/flyers.htm

5. Accommodations for College Students by Dr. Mike Brown

Dr. Brown writes, "I have some suggestions for parents whose kids are having difficulty getting universities to waive course requirements. Although universities are not eager to waive requirements, they can often be persuaded to do so."

To read Dr. Brown's advice about accommodations and course requirements, read Accommodations for College Students:

https://www.wrightslaw.com/advoc/ltrs/accoms.colleges.drbrown.htm

6. New Yellow Pages for Kids with Disabilities - Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont

30 states down, 20 states and 6 territories to go!

We continue to build our Yellow Pages for Kids with Disabilities so people who love and work with our children can get reliable information and support. You will find many different resources on the Yellow Pages - government programs, grassroots organizations, and support groups.

This week, we added 7 new State Yellow Pages to the Fetaweb site:

Illinois: http://www.fetaweb.com/help/il.htm

Louisiana: http://www.fetaweb.com/help/la.htm

Maine: http://www.fetaweb.com/help/me.htm

Michigan: http://www.fetaweb.com/help/mi.htm

Minnesota: http://www.fetaweb.com/help/mn.htm

New York: http://www.fetaweb.com/help/ny.htm

Vermont: http://www.fetaweb.com/help/vt.htm

Master list of State Yellow Pages: http://www.fetaweb.com/help/states.htm

Please visit the Yellow Pages for your state. If you know about a good resource that we have not included, please send this information to resources@fetaweb.com

In the subject line of your message, type your state's two letter designation: NY, MN, TX, NH followed by the words YELLOW PAGES - for example, NY YELLOW PAGES. Thanks!

If you have a website about education or special education, we hope you will create a link to your state Yellow Page.