Wrightslaw - The Special Ed Advocate, December 21, 2001

Highlights: Progress report and thank you note; top articles for 2001; special ed year in review; From Emotions to Advocacy Cruise.

Seasons Greetings

Christmas Trees Pam, Pete, Debra, and Traci from Wrightslaw wish you Happy Holidays and a Healthy, Peaceful and Prosperous 2002.

1. Progress Report & Thank You Note

It's time for the annual progress report on the Wrightslaw site and Special Ed Advocate newsletter.

Progress Report: Wrightslaw

Total Visitors: 763,823
Total Pageviews: 2,142,563
Total Hits: 5,391,113

In 2001, more than 750,000 people visited the Wrightslaw site. You downloaded 2.1 million files - that's 5.3 million hits.

View our 2001 Traffic Log.

You come from dozens of countries -- from Antigua, Argentina, Austria, Australia, to Zimbabwe.

This week, we've had visitors from Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Finland, France, Croatia (Hrvatska), Hungary, Israel, Italy, India, Japan, Mexico, Malaysia, The Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Thailand, Taiwan, United Kingdom, and South Africa.

Busiest Month: November 2001

#1 Special Education Site

In January 2001, Alexa (website ranking service) ranked the Wrightslaw site at 72,541 out of 4 million sites. In December 2001, Alexa ranked Wrightslaw at 36,501 out of 10 million sites.

Special Ed Advocate Newsletter

In April 1998, we published the first issue of The Special Ed Advocate newsletter to 200 people. On December 21, 2001, more than 34,000 people subscribe to The Special Ed Advocate.

January 1 1999: 2,533 subscribers
January 1 2000: 8,948 subscribers
January 1 2001: 18,357 subscribers
December 21, 2001, 34,471 subscribers

Subscribe to The Special Ed Advocate Newsletter today!

Progress Report: Wrightslaw Books

In 1999, Wrightslaw: Special Education Law was published. The success of the law book surpassed our expectations. Wrightslaw: Special Education Law is in the sixth printing with more than 17,000 copies in print.

In October 2001, Wrightslaw: From Emotions to Advocacy was published. Newsletter subscribers received advance notice and a pre-publication discount. Because of your support, FETA will soon go into the second printing.

Learn more about our books.

To supplement From Emotions to Advocacy, we built a companion website called FetaWeb.

Thank You!

As we reflect on these staggering figures, we want to thank you for making 2001 a more successful year than we imagined possible.

"If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem."

By working together, we can make a difference for the 6 million children who receive special education services and their families.

2. Top 10 Articles in 2001

The top 10 articles in 2001 are:

# 1. Understanding Tests and Measurements

# 2. Your Child's IEP: Practical & Legal Guidance for Parents & Advocates

# 3. LD Students Settle Class Action Suit Against Oregon

# 4. Tests & Measurements Slideshow

# 5. Wrightslaw Game Plan - IEP Goals & Objectives

# 6. What is Your IEP IQ? (Quiz)

# 7. The Art of Writing Letters

# 8. From Emotions to Advocacy: SMART IEPs Chapter

# 9. Back to School on Civil Rights (IDEA Compliance Report)

# 10. Wrightslaw Game Plan for the New Parent

3. Special Education: 2001 in Review

The year 2001 began with a bang! In January, decisions were issued in two important cases. In Fales v. Garst, three trailblazing special education teachers brought suit against the principal of their school.

And in Burriola v. Greater Toledo YMCA, a day care center was ordered to readmit a child with autism and train their staff.

As the year ended, you learned about the one million dollar jury verdict for Pamella Settlegoode, the special education teacher who fired for because she advocated for kids with disabilities.

We are working on a new e-book, "Special Education: 2001 in Review" about cases and news in special education law and advocacy. Stay tuned.

4. From Emotions to Advocacy Cruise (Jan. 14-18, 2002)

Do you want to learn more about special education advocacy? Join Pete and Pam Wright on the "From Emotions to Advocacy Cruise - A Very Special Cruise Seminar and Fund-raiser for Special Education."

Cruise organizer Geri Brown explains, "I am the mother of two sons with learning disabilities. I have personally experienced the frustration and heartbreak of attempting to gain an appropriate education for my children."

"I felt that offering a seminar and training program on special education law and advocacy onboard an enjoyable cruise ship would give everyone the chance to learn, share, relax (I know the stress level!) and enjoy."

Download the flyer about the cruise.

Visit the Wrightslaw site for more information and itinerary about the advocacy cruise.