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January 4, 2010 - Get off to a Successful Start. New Success Story: Teaching My "Unteachable" Daughter How to Read; Is Your Child Struggling to Read?; Getting Services: Hit a Home Run This Year; A Cool Hear and a Perceptive Ear.

January 11, 2011 - 2010 Progress Report...and a Thank You Note. Wrightslaw Progress Report; Top 10 Articles, Topics, Cases, and Blog Posts in 2010.

January 18, 2011 - Will Retention Help Your Child? Why Retain? It Didn't Work the First Time; Sample Letter: Request the School NOT Retain Your Child; Should We Always Say NO to Retention?; 10 Strategies to Fight Mandatory Retention and Other Damaging Policies.

January 25, 2011 - Tips: The Do's & Don'ts of Parent Advocacy. 10 Tips for Good Advocates, What Parents Should...and Should NOT Do; Wrightslaw: All About IEPs - Advocate's Tips; 14 Tips for Reviewing Your Child's Educational Records.

February 1, 2011 - Behavior Management & School-Related Behavior Problems. New Article! Behavior Management and Appropriate School Response; Help! Schools Arresting Kids for Minor Behaviors; IDEA 2004: Disciplining Children with Disabilities; Wrightslaw: Special Education Law, 2nd Edition;FBAs: Why? What? When? Where? Who?

February 8, 2011 - Behavior Problems? Suspension, Expulsion, and IEPs. Suspension & Expulsion - What Can Parents Do?; What Are Schools Required to Do for a Child with Behavior Problems?; IDEA: 20 U.S.C. Section 1415(k); IEPs for Children with Behavior Problems.

February 15, 2011 - Is Your Child's Behavior Caused by a Disability? What Parents & Teachers Need to Know about Behavior Problems & Discipline; "How To" Guide for a Manifestation Determination; From the Wrightslaw Way Blog:Child is Disrupting My Class - What Can I Do?; How Can I Develop SMART IEP Goals for Behavior Problems?; Caselaw About Discipline.

February 23, 2011 - Special Education FAQs: Quick Picks. New! 2011 Tax Tips: Tax Benefits for Taxpayers with Disabilities and Parents of Children with Disabilities; Is Child with Passing Grades Eligible for Special Ed Under IDEA?; Editor's Choice: Parent Observations v. Student Confidentiality; Tools for Good Advocates.

March 1, 2011 - Due Process Success - A Case Study. How can parents prevail at due process?; Josh Won! Compensatory Services and an IEP; New! Sample Letter: Due Process Complaint Letter; An Unsuccessful Hearing Decision; Appeals panel reverses the decision; Victory! A Successful Appeal.

March 8, 2011 - Finding Effective Reading Programs. What ARE the Criteria for Remedial Reading Programs?; 6 Qualities of Effective Reading Programs; Effective Research Based Reading Interventions; Is "Reading Recovery" an Effective Reading Program?s "Needless to Say, I Have NO Use for Reading Recovery!".

March 15, 2011 - What to Do When the School Says "No!" - Prior Written Notice. Throwing the Flag - What To Do When the School Says "No"; Power to the Person Who Holds the Pen; New! Sample Letter to Request Prior Written Notice; The PWN Form - A Show Stopper; Prior Written Notice: Model Form.

March 22, 2011 - Will Your Child Need ESY This Summer? Legal Requirements for ESY Services; ESY Eligibility - When Your Child Needs More Services; ESY Guidelines: DO Your Own Research - DO NOT Accept Everything You Are Told ; What ESY Looks Like.

March 29, 2011 - Alert! Your Questions for All About Tests &Evaluations.

April 6, 2011 - Filing Complaints: Tactics & Tips. What You Need to Know Before Filing a State Complaint; How Can I File a Section 504 Complaint?; How to Resolve Parent-School Disputes; Controlling the Outcome of a Complaint; Complaint Information & Procedures.

April 12, 2011 - You are Invited ... Take the National IDEA Survey. Are parents treated as equal partners in planning their children's education? The IDEA survey runs until May 2011. Please Share This Alert and Forward It to Others!

April 26, 2011 - Making the IEP Process More Parent-Friendly. No One Likes Surprises at IEP Meetings! Use a Parent Agenda; Use This Easy Form to Document Requests & Team Decisions; What To Do When School Officials Won't Respond; Add Power to Your Punch with a Written Opinion.

May 3, 2011 - A Lesson in Writing IEP Goals. New Article! A Lesson in Writing IEP Goals; Can I Use Academic Standards to Develop IEP Goals?; Legal Requirements of IEPs; Functional Performance & Goals in IEPs.

May 10, 2011 - Will Supreme Court Agree to Hear Child Find Case? Compton v. Addison. New! Compton v. Addison - Will the Supreme Court Hear This Case?; What Does Child Find Mean to You?; Child Find Requirements in IDEA 2004; Caselaw.

May 17, 2011 - Certificate Program v. Regular Diploma? No Way. New Article! Certificate Program v. Regular Diploma? No Way!; Advantages & Disadvantages of an Alternate Diploma; Got Questions? Ask the Advocates!; Regular Diploma Requires a Summary of Performance.

May 24, 2011 - Moving? Go Shopping! How to Find a Special Ed Program Before You Move; What IDEA Says About Changing Schools & IEPs; We're Moving - When Should I Tell the School?; Moving This Summer? Tips for Selecting the Right School.

May 31, 2011 - New! E-books & Win a Kindle in Creative Ideas Contest. Creative Ideas Contest; New E-books; Wrightslaw: From Emotions to Advocacy; Wrightslaw: All About IEPs; Fine Print: Rules for Creative Ideas Contest.

June 7, 2011 - Summer Learning & New E-books. Strategies to Find Summer Programs & Camps; New! Wrightslaw E-Books, for the Kindle, Nook, iPad; Tutoring Keeps Kids Tuned In; FB-"I Want to learn How to Make Friends".

June 14, 2011 - Special Education Quick Picks. Mainstreaming and Inclusion: Is there a legal definition of self-contained classroom?; Editor's Choice: Self-Advocacy: What is self-advocacy and why is it important?; FAQs about Law & Advocacy Training: I'm a parent new to special ed. Where can I go for advocacy training?; Settlement Agreements: Should I settle or fight?

June 22, 2011 - In Custody or Free to Leave? Miranda Rights; J. D. B. v. North Carolina. J. D. B. v. North Carolina (09-11121); Special Offers on From Emotions to Advocacy - 35% off e-books; When Children Are Arrested for School-Related Behavior Problems; More info about Juvenile Justice.

June 28, 2011 - Top 5 Topics, Articles, and Blog Posts. Here's a snapshot of what topics have been getting the most attention on Wrightslaw - links to the five most popular topics, articles, and blog posts in the last six months. Feel free to share the Top 5 with other friends, families, or colleagues. If you enjoy the Special Ed Advocate, we'd appreciate you recommending it to others who might find it useful. It's free and open to everyone.

July 12, 2011 - Summer School Short Course: Advocating Through Letter Writing. Letter Writing and the Need to DO SOMETHING!; "After I Started Writing Letters - Things Changed"; Find Out How to Write Good Letters; Strategies for Getting Help - Write a Letter!; Ask the Advocates: Teaching a Child to Read - Special Ed or Reading First?

July 26, 2011 - Summer School Short Course: Letter Writing Rules: The Basics. The Twelve Rules for Writing GREAT Letters; Your 1st Assignment: How Much Do You Know About Writing Effective Letters? - Take the QUIZ.

August 2, 2011 - Summer School Short Course: The Nuts & Bolts of Writing Letters. Part 3: Letter Writing Tips; The Negative Impact of Certified Letters; Nuts and Bolts of Letter Writing.

August 9, 2011 - Summer School Short Course: Writing Letters That Testify at Due Process. Part 4: Follow-Up Letters That Testify at Due Process, When You Cannot; Writing Good Evidence Letters from Wrightslaw: From Emotions to Advocacy; Power to the Person Who Holds the Pen.

August 23, 2011 - Summer School Short Course: Writing Story Telling Letters to Persuade. Letter to the "Decision-Making" Stranger; Tactics & Strategies Corner: Use Story-Telling Letters to Persuade; Use Your Letter Writing Skills to Help Resolve Parent-School Disputes; Success Story: A "Stranger" Letter Pays Off.

August 30, 2011 - Summer School Short Course: Assignment #2: Write a Letter. Plus - Sample Letters. WRITE A LETTER; Sample Letter: Get Answers to your ESY Questions from School Personnel; Sample Letter: Request the School NOT Retain Your Child; More Sample Letters.

Summer School Short Course: Parts 1-6. Summer School is a refresher course in effective advocacy techniques that will include a series of activities (and maybe a quiz or two) to help you prepare for the next school year. This summer, we'll learn how to advocate effectively through letter writing.

September 13 , 2011 - Back to School: Time to Catch Up! Your Summer School Short Course Certificate; Take the Self-Study Course; Review the Back to School Series; School is Starting - Should I Request my Child's Records?

September 20, 2011 - Quality IEPs: Working Together With the IEP Team. IEP Team Members: Who's on the Team?; IEP Team and Team Attendance; What's My Role?; Wrightslaw: All About IEPs - A Driver's Manual for Best Possible IEP Outcomes.

September 27, 2011 - Quality IEPs: 5 Rules for Successful IEP Meetings. Know What You Want!; Identify Probelms: Propose Win-Win Solutions; Last Day - 25 % Back to School Sale Ends Tomorrow; Team Spirit: Suppose I Disagree with the IEP Team?

October 4, 2011 - Quality IEPs: Writing SMART IEP Goals. SMART IEP Game Plan; What's Your Target? SMART IEP Goals; How Do You Write IEP Goals & Objectives?; SMART IEPS for Behavior Problems.

October 11, 2011 - A Tribute to Fred Fay. PBS Premieres "Lives Worth Living" October 27, 2011; A Powerful Documentary; Celebrating the Life of Fred Fay; A Well-Lived Life: September 12, 1944 - August 20, 2011.

October 17, 2011 - Alert! Tell Your Senator to Vote NO on the Isakson Amendment. Do Not Allow Schools to Lower Academic Expectations for Students With Disabilities; Call or Write Your Senator Today!; Your Message: Vote NO on the Isakson Amendment.

October 25, 2011 - Protecting Students from Bullying & Harassment. How Can You Help When Children are Bullied?; Success Story: Dealing with Bullying at School; Bullying, Confidentiality, and a Parent's Need to Know; Need Help? Find it on the Wrightslaw Yellow Pages for Kids with Disabilities; Time to Update Your Yellow Pages Listing.

November 1, 2011 - Special Education Services for Children with ADD/ADHD. Does Your Child with ADHD Need Special Ed Services?; Ask the Adovcates: Advocating for a Child With ADHD - 504 or IEP?; Q and A on ADHD by Pete Wright; Understanding Your Child's Test Scores.

November 8, 2011 - New E-Books and Creative Ideas Contest: Who Won the Kindle? Meet the Contest Winner; Download a Wrightslaw E-book Widget for Your Blog; Lighten Your Load with Wrightslaw E-books.

November 15, 2011 - 12 Things Every Military Parent Should Know. Legal Issues Facing Military Families and Children with Special Needs; Changing Schools and IEPs: What are Comparable Services?; Military and DoD Special Education; Wrightslaw Military Discounts.

November 22, 2011 - IEP Pop-Up! Special Factors in IEPs. New! IEP FAQs Pop-Up: Special Factors in IEPs; Special Factors: Behavior; The Wright Tote IEP Kit; Special Factors: Limited English Proficiency.

November 29, 2011 - Getting Over the RTI Hurdle. The RTI Hurdle; RTI Should Not Delay a Necessary Evaluation; So Much Confusion about RTI; Understanding Your Child's Evaluations.

December 6, 2011 - RTI: The Importance of Progress Monitoring. Identifying Children with Specific Learning Disabilities; The Importance of Progress Monitoring; Do Not Get Stuck in RTI Purgatory; Do You Have Questions About Your Child's Progress?

December 13, 2011 - Learning to Read or Waiting to Fail? How to Get a Trained, Certified Reading Teacher; Teaching My "Unteachable" Daughter How to Read; Wrightslaw Special Education Law & Advocacy Multimedia Training on CD-ROM; Why Use Research Based Reading Programs? Reading at Wrightslaw; Research Based Instruction (RBI).

December 20, 2011 - Spreading Cheer with a "Thank You". Preventing Burnout in the People Who Help Us; Good Books Make Great Gifts; Tips for Taking Care of Yourself and Your Family; Top Ten Signs of Special Ed Advocate Burnout.

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