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January 2022Volume 22, No. 1
Supporting Learning for Students with Disabilities


The last few years have been intensely challenging ones for many students with disabilities, their families, and their teachers. Despite the label that unites these students, the disabilities that lead to their identification are many and varied, so their supports should also vary. This is the thread that connects the articles in this issue: If educators and policymakers can figure out how to build an ecosystem where these students get the personalized supports they need to thrive, then it will truly be possible for all students.


Supporting Learning for Students with Disabilities



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Ensuring Students with Disabilities Leave School Ready to Succeed

By Kristin K. Liu, Martha L. Thurlow and Sheryl S. Lazarus

State boards can watch policies for red flags that hold students back.





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Debunking Myths about Students with Disabilities

By Karla Phillips-Krivickas

State policy should confront the pervasive low expectations that the outcomes reveal.





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Supporting Students with Disabilities throughout the Year

By Angela Johnson and Elizabeth Barker

The data point up a need for services that extend beyond the school year.





Reenvisioning the Future with Universal Design for Learning

By James D. Basham

Build a system that supports each student rather than a mythical average one.






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Supporting English Learners with Disabilities

By Drew S. Fagan and Luis Javier Pentón Herrera

Equitable education means overcoming challenges in identification, staff training, and funding.





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Understanding Special Education Teacher Shortages

By David Peyton and Kelly Acosta

State policies meaningfully affect recruitment and retention.






Opinion



The NASBE Interview: Dr. Lou Maynus and Joel Coleman

By Joel Coleman and Lou Maynus

"We have to let them show what they can do and not just tell them they can do it."





From the President’s Pen: Committing to Equity for Students with Disabilities

By Paolo DeMaria

The truth is students with disabilities can master the expectations reflected in state academic content standards.





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We the Media: What Matters Most to Parents

By Renée Rybak Lang

State boards can help parents play an active role in accelerating their children’s learning and development with evidence-based, accessible resources.





NCOSEA Voice: Masks and the Civil Rights of Students with Disabilities

By Colleen O'Laughin

Schools and policymakers face [the challenge of] reasonable accommodations to ensure students with disabilities get meaningful access to education.





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NCSBEE Voice: Ombudsman Provides Key Link for Families

By Giselle Miranda, John-Paul Hayworth and Serena Hayes

The state education ombudsman model that DC is using can be adapted in any state.







Featured Items

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Strengthening the Principal Pipeline through State Leadership Academies

Missouri, Delaware, and North Carolina have developed evidence-based professional learning for current and prospective school leaders to increase their effectiveness and reduce turnover.
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State Advances in Early Childhood Education Seed Plans for 2024

In 2023, several states made significant strides toward universal pre-K, increased funding and support for early educators, and improved literacy and math instruction.
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Curriculum That Counts

Authors in this issue of the Standard draw lessons from a spectrum of state policies that are being used to increase the adoption of high-quality curriculum.

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