I Speak of Dreams

Fast ForWord Ineffective to Treat Dyslexia or Reading Delay

FastForWord was a plausible idea  that didn't work out.  Hooray for science.

Randomized controlled trials show no significant effect on students’ reading achievement.

Connect for Kids

Connect for Kids makes the best use of communications technologies, specifically the Internet, to give adults – parents, grandparents, guardians, educators, advocates, policymakers, elected officials and others – the tools and information they need to improve the lives of children, youth and families. The Connect for Kids online publication covers more than 30 topics ranging from arts to youth development, foster care to adoption, and welfare reform to oral health.

Can Parents Reap Expert Witness Reimbursement

My friends at Wrightslaw and Special Education Law Blog are the real experts here.  But as a parent of a child who would fall under IDEA, and a taxpayer, I want to balance the district meeting its legal obligations with prudent use of funds.

Thanks to BoardBuzz, I read about a case in which parents and the school are litigating over IDEA and special expert reimbursement.

(Case: Arlington Central School District Board of Education v. Pearl and Theodore Murphy)

It's Hard to Start A School

I've been through a couple of school startups.  It is danged hard work--and closer to rocket science than you would think.

Charter schools are startups in a way that a newly-opened conventional public school is not.  (BTW, Joanne Jacobs' Our School gives a good picture of a charter startup.)

Out in Colorado, a charter in its first year of operation is short-changing some of its students.

And look, saying "charter school" is like saying "car" -- you know it has 4 wheels, an engine, and a transmission--but is it a sports car?  A coupe?  A sedan?  A station wagon?  4 -cylinder or 8?  All-wheel-drive, front wheel, or rear wheel?  Does it have 1,000 on the odometer or 100,000?   -- the simple designation "charter" doesn't tell you anything about the school's mission, how it is organized to meet the mission, and the resources it brings. 

High Achieving Dyslexics: Dan Malloy

Dan Malloy is running as the Democratic candidate for govenor of Connecticut.  He had a lot of challenges as a child--he didn't learn to read, and he had motor control problems.  But he went on to college, law school, and a successful career.

LD Kid Shines

Ben Walzak has learning issues.  But he is a joyous kid.

Victory for Boy with Autism, Parents

The short version of the story is that federal legislation (IDEA) requires that school districts pay for a free, appropriate public education (FAPE).  One school district, Henrico, declined to pay for the services a boy, Reid Tutwiler, needed to become a productive citizen.  The parents sued the district, and prevailed.

Gack

Is anyone else getting floods of  spimspumspem emails consisting of a subject line having to do with medications or increased sati5saction or im9ressing people and a jjpeg of a pill bottle,  or a watch, or uhhm some other things I don't want to mention?  I guess this is a new way of getting around filters.  25 today and it is annoying.

Working Equitation

There's a new form of competition, called "Working Equitation"--it's not here in the U.S. yet, but I predict it will get here soon.

Real Men Use Scrunciis

Reg has a funny post on the military (and other) uses of those cloth-covered elastics girls use to create pony tails: Real Men Use Scrunciis.