June 2019 Newsletter - The Center for Learner Equity

June 27, 2019

Partnership and collaboration are critical to achieving the Center’s mission. We hope that our newsletter helps inform and empower you to take action in your area. Email info@centerforlearnerequity.org to discuss how to improve special education in charter schools near you.

The Center on the Road

If you will be at any of the following upcoming events, we look forward to connecting with you.

June 30-July 3 in Las Vegas, NV: National Charter Schools Conference

This year, we are excited to partner with NAPCS to develop an intentional strand of sessions focused on special education. Come to our homeroom on July 1 from 8:30 – 9:15 AM in Lagoon G to learn more about the increased focus on special education. Sessions include:

Special Education Policy: Key Challenges and Opportunities
- Location: Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Lagoon H
- Time: Monday 7/1, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Seeing It Firsthand: Witnessing How Charter Schools Serve Students with Disabilities
- Location: Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Mandalay E
- Time: Tuesday 7/2, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Charter Schools and Parent Advocates: A Natural Partnership for Students with Special Needs
- Location: Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Breakers E/F
- Time: Tuesday 7/2, 1:45 PM – 3:00 PM
What are the Enabling Conditions Required to Ensure Equity for Students with Disabilities?
- Location: Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Lagoon L
- Time: Wednesday 7/3, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM

July 22-23 in Arlington, VA: OSEP 2019 Leadership Conference

The Century Foundation released a report in April which highlights just how challenging it is from a funding perspective for community colleges to serve all of the students on their campuses. The Center’s Senior Fellow Paul O’Neill recently wrote a blog post on the crisis as it relates to students with disabilities.

A handful of studies published in May continue to expand the current body of research on disproportionality. They find that Black and Hispanic students are more likely to be identified with disabilities when attending schools with a mostly White population, but are substantially less likely to be identified when attending schools with a mostly Black or Hispanic population.

The West Virginia Senate voted Monday to pass a bill that could lead to the establishment of the state’s first charter schools by the county boards of education. The schools could begin operating in the 2021-2022 academic year with the possibility of three additional charters allowed every three years beginning in 2023.

In collaboration with 12 national partners, The National Center for Learning Disabilities developed the report “Inclusive Technology in a 21st Century Learning System” that identifies novel ways of thinking about education technology and equity. This report explores the “conception, design, procurement, use, and continuous improvement of ed tech initiatives.”

A report entited “Sexual Harassment of Women: Climate, Culture, and Consequence in Academic Science, Engineering, and Medicine” identified the critical role that leaders play in combatting cultural forces that tolerate inequity. In response, The Director of the National Institutes of Health, shared how he will value “attention to inclusiveness” in the agendas of future speaking opportunities.