Patricia Levesque is the Chief Executive Officer for ExcelinEd.
Like so many parents across the nation, I am still adjusting to the “new normal” of working remotely full time and also helping my two children thrive in an online learning environment. Through the pandemic we have seen many school, district and state leaders tackle the challenge of distance learning head-on, bringing new innovative practices to the digital classroom.
We’ve made it a priority to amplify solutions and highlight best practices as an example for other leaders.
Despite some successes, our education system has also struggled to transition to remote learning and, sadly, some leaders have given up entirely. This inability to adapt has thrust one of our most vulnerable student groups into the national spotlight – students with special needs.
As the nation’s seven million students with disabilities, their families and their schools transition to distance learning, parents are deeply concerned about the educational progress of their children, and advocates are troubled by the lack of equity among students receiving special education services.
As a parent of a child with special needs and an education advocate, I wholeheartedly agree.
To better understand the challenges families and schools are facing during distance learning, ExcelinEd spoke to students with special needs, parents, teachers, disability-rights advocates and national organizations. We also looked at state and district-issued guidance on delivering services to students with disabilities during school closures.
Using their feedback, ExcelinEd created a Special Education and Distance Learning Resource Guide, which offers policy solutions and best practices for meeting the challenges faced by the special education community during the pandemic.
Please read the guide, share it with your local and state education leaders and tell us how we can improve special education in the future to meet the needs of each and every student.
