Wrightslaw logo

2008 Progress Report...and
A Thank You Note

Wrightslaw        Law      Advocacy     Training      Products      Store      Subscribe       Sitemap       Contact Us

January 27, 2009

ISSN: 1538-3202

Issue: 471
Subscribers: 67,440

In This Issue:

Thank You from Pete & Pam

2008 Progress Report

Top 10 Articles

Top 10 Topics

Top 10 Cases

Top 10 Blog Posts

Wrightslaw Awards

Wrightslaw Press Room

 

Wrightslaw Way Blog

Community Helpline

The Wrightslaw Way Blog

From Barb - "I would like to participate in a live seminar with Pete and Pam but finances do not allow this. What DVD or CD’s are available for me to purchase that would be equivalent to the live seminars..."

Advocacy Training on CD-ROM

special eduation law and advocacy webex training ad

Legal Requirements of IEPs

Understanding Your Child's Test Scores

Special Education Law & Advocacy Training


W
rightslaw Advocacy Training

icon Jan.30: Williamsburg, VA
icon Feb.5: Charlotte, NC
icon Feb. 17: San Diego, CA
icon Mar. 12: Tucson, AZ
icon Mar. 19 : Bowie, MD
icon Apr. 2 : West Boylston, MA
icon

Full Schedule

What's in Store at Wrightslaw 2009?

Combo Sale

10% off all Wrightslaw Combos



Save 10%!

on Combo #4
includes
all Wrightslaw publications

$114.00 NOW $103.32

Order

Nominate your smart kids today!

smart kids with learning disabilities

Smart Kids with LD 2009 Youth Achievement Award Deadline!
January 31

Get Help!

Yellow Pages for Kids with Disabilities

Yellow Pages for Kids With Disabilities

Free Publications

Free Newsletters

Advocacy Topics

Law Library

ATTN! VA Parents
& Advocates


 Candle in window

What Happens Next on Special Ed Regs?

 

Contact Info

Pete and Pam Wright
Wrightslaw & The Special Ed Advocate
P. O. Box 1008
Deltaville, VA 23043

Website

   

Copyright © 2009, Peter W. D. Wright and Pamela Darr Wright. All rights reserved. Please do NOT reprint or host on your web site without explicit permission.

Wrightslaw 10th AnniversaryIt's hard to believe 2008 was our 10th anniversary year. You'll see in our annual progress report how Wrightslaw continues to change and grow.

You, our subscribers, are a big part of that progress! Today we want to say thank you for your input, encouragement, and support during the past year.

We are blessed to have so many people who offer advice and ideas, send new cases, and share their struggles and successes.

Knowledge is power. With knowledge you are a more effective advocate for your kids with disabilities.

Our role is to help you gain the knowledge you need so you can navigate the confusing world of special education.

We look forward to the next decade with great anticipation of the new things to come.

Thank you! Pam & Pete Wright

In this issue of the Special Ed Advocate, you will find links to the Top 10 articles, topics, cases, and blog posts in 2008.

Next week! New caselaw. Two unanimous (9-0) education decisions from the Supreme Court.

Please don't hesitate to forward this issue to other families, friends, and colleagues.

forward to a friend

Sign up free today!  l Read previous issues


2008 Progress Report

In 2008, the number of hits on the Wrightslaw website practically doubled from 2007, almost 75 million hits. More than 2.5 million people visited Wrightslaw. You downloaded 9.5 million files.

Wrightslaw
Summary of Site Activity

Total Visitors: 2.6 million
Total Page Views: 9.5 million
Total Hits: 74.9 million

View 2008 User Summary (in pdf)

Busiest Months: April and May
Slowest Months: August and December

Wrightslaw Yellow Pages for Kids
Summary of Site ActivityYellow Pages for Kids

The Yellow Pages for Kids is a premier source of reliable referral information.

Every year, traffic increases on The Yellow Pages for Kids. There were 4,098,453 hits on the Yellow Pages in 2008.

The Yellow Pages is tailored specifically to the advertising needs of advocates, attorneys and service providers. We still have some limited space available for sponsorships. Place your ad today while space is available.

Special Education Law & Advocacy Training

In 2008, Wrightslaw did 26 Special Ed Law & Advocacy Training Programs all over the country. To meet the needs of those who want training but cannot travel, two new programs were added to the Wrightslaw Special Education Law and Advocacy multimedia training program series.

Over the next few months, Pete and Pam are scheduled to speak in cities across the country. North and South from CT to FL. East and West from MD to AZ to CA. In May, they travel to Hawaii to train.

This year, as adjunct professors of law at William and Mary, Pete and Pam have also had the remarkable opportunity to train law students who will become child advocates to help families through the special education process. Learn more about PELE (Parents Engaged for Learning Equality).

The Special Ed Advocate Newsletter

The first issue of The Special Ed Advocate went out to 200 people in April, 1998. Today, more than 67,000 people receive the newsletter. We thank you for telling your friends and colleagues about The Special Ed Advocate! Here's how to Subscribe.

back to the top


Top 10 Articles in 2008

1. Tests and Measurements for the Parent, Teacher, Advocate & Attorney by Pete Wright, Esq. and Pam Wright, M.A., M.S.W.

2. Functional Behavior Assessments: What, Why, When, Where, and Who? by Stephen Starin, Ph.D.

3. Key Differences Between Section 504, ADA, and IDEA by Pete and Pam Wright.

4. IEPs for Children with Behavior Problems by Pat Howey, Paralegal and Advocate.

5. Questions and Answers on the Least Restrictive (LRE) Requirement of the IDEA.

6. Wrightslaw Game Plan: SMART IEPs by Pete and Pam Wright.

7. 10 Tips: How to Use IDEA 2004 to Improve Your Child's Special Education by Wayne Steedman, Esq.

8. IDEA 2004: Transition Services for Education, Work, and Independent Living.

9. Your Child's IEP: Practical and Legal Guidance for Parents by Pete and Pam Wright.

10. Roadmap to the IEP: IEP Meetings, Content, Review & Revision, Placements, Transition & Transfers.

back to the top


Top 10 Topics in 2008

1. Response to Intervention (RTI)

2. Discrimination: Section 504 and ADA

3. IDEA 2004

4. Individualized Education Programs (IEPs

5. Behavior Problems and Discipline

6. Autism, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Asperger Syndrome

7. Special Education Caselaw

8. Inclusion, Least Restrictive Environment (LRE), Mainstreaming

9. No Child Left Behind

10. Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD/ADHD)

back to the top


Top 10 Cases in 2008

1. Bd. Ed. Hendrick Hudson Sch. Dist. v. Amy Rowley

2. Honig v. Doe

3. Jarron Draper v. Atlanta Independent Public Schools

4. Burlington Sch. Comm. v. Mass. Dept Ed.

5. Florence County Sch. Dist. IV v. Shannon Carter

6. Schaffer v. Weast

7. Board of Education of City of New York v. Tom F

8. Doe v. Withers

9. Evans v. Board of Education of the Rheinbeck Central  School District

10. Cedar Rapids v. Garret F.

back to the top


Top 10 Blog Posts in 2008

Wrightslaw Way BlogThe Wrightslaw Way Blog launched online May 2008. In the opening week, we had an unbelievable 10,000 page views - which quickly climbed to 15,000. By the end of September 2008, we had more than 19,000 page views on the blog for the week!

Thanks to your support of the Wrightslaw Way, we are developing creative solutions to problems by sharing advice and getting information from others.

If you have not already visited our online community, go to the COMMUNITY HELPLINE to ask or answer a question.

Here are the top 10 blog posts.

1. A Parent's Nasty Email: Cry for Help or a Reality Check?

2. Handcuffs? Bruises? Disability Rights Files Suit Against Wake County Schools

3. Can Parents Observe Children's Classroom?

4. IEP FAQs: When Do I Get a Copy of the IEP?

5. Parents Are Not Members of the IEP Team...Say What?!

6. How Can I Develop SMART IEP Goals for Behavior Problems?

7. Does a Child Need an IEP AND a 504 Plan?

8. Pass or Fail? Check Your School District's 2008 Report Card

9. Fifth grader is reading at 2.7 grade level. Should he be tested for Special Ed?

10. IEP FAQs: Tapes are “Best Evidence” in Litigation

back to the top


What People Are Saying About The Special Ed Advocate Newsletter

"Thanks for the trustworthy information and support you provide through the Wrightslaw web site and newsletter. You helped our family act when we needed to - we are thriving now."

 

Great Products From Wrightslaw

Wrightslaw: Special Education Law, 2nd Edition, by Pam and Pete Wright Wrightslaw: No Child Left Behind

Surviving Due Process: Stephen Jeffers v. School Board

About the Book
To Order
About Book
To Order
About Book
To Order
About DVD Video
To Order
 

Visit Wrightslaw.com