Am I the only person who is amazed (and troubled) by the fact that our country is obsessed with a smaller pot of Race to the Top (RTTT) money–and silent on the larger pot, additional funding for special education.

Check this out.

The stimulus package’s ‘Race to the Top’ funds add up to $4.35 BILLION. Yes, that’s with a B!

Everyone is scrambling for that amount–across our country. States are turning policies inside out in order to be eligible for the race–to improve education, accountability, demonstate true reform, etc. See, for example, and today’s Education News articles at href=http://Educationnews.org> (Education News) In every corner of our land state action is on the move!

Yet, in contrast, look at the ADDITIONAL moneys in President Obama’s stimulus package for special education. That sum adds up to $12.2 BILLION–in addition to more than 80+ billions already spent. Yes, that’s with a B, also.

Yet, we have silence. Silence. For this almost three times larger dollar amount, states do NOT need to prove that they are reforming education or that student results will improve. No one is on the move. It’s more of the same in special education–justs getting bigger and bigger.

How can this be? Why is no one focused on the much larger amount?

(FixingSpecialEducation on Joannejacobs.com)

Let’s keep the national conversation going and fix the system for all children.

The front page of the New York Times starts 2010 with a look at honors and grade inflation. Maybe we will turn a corner back to real and high standards. Congratulations to the Times for opening the new year with this wakeup call!

Happy New Year to all!

In case you missed the public comments about testing students with disabilities and students who are English language learners,they are now posted.

I was a member of the expert panel on testing students with disabilities on the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress). Those final reports have been available for a while. Here are comments about the testing for English language learners and the endorsement for that expert panel’s work. Let’s hope we get back to valid and reliable testing and consistency in the exclusion rates among states.

(Public Comments on NAEP testing)

Here’s the URL for the interview I did with Education News, and the comments received so far.

(Fixing Special Education–12 Steps to Transform a Broken System). Look in the ‘most commented’ section. We’re at the top! Keep your comments coming. Happy reading and happy reforming!

If you’ve had trouble downloading the entire interview, here’s a better link.

(Fixing Special Education)

Thank you! Happy happy new year and let’s fix it!

Missouri Elementary & Secondary Special Education: EducationNews.org – A Leading Global News Source – An Interview with Miriam Kurtzig Freedman, M.A., J.D.: On Fixing Special Education—12 Steps to Transform a Broken System…

Check it out!

December 29, 2009–Miriam’s interview in EducationNews.org– Fixing Special Education–12 Steps to Transform a Broken System! (Fixing Special Education)

Let us hope this starts an important national conversation. How fitting–into the new year and new decade! Happy happy!

Missouri Elementary & Secondary Special Education: EducationNews.org – A Leading Global News Source – An Interview with Miriam Kurtzig Freedman, M.A., J.D.: On Fixing Special Education—12 Steps to Transform a Broken System…

Congratulations to Kara Miller, a teacher at Babson College in Wellesley, MA. She hit a cord… Her story–comparing her American college students with her immigrant students–to the detriment of the home grown variety–made it round the web. A huge reaction. Sometimes, when you tell the truth, people listen!

It became the most emailed Globe story, was discussed on Joanne Jacob’s blog, (lazy students), and led to Ms. Miller’s second column, describing the huge reaction to the first!

(lazy students)

(second story)

Read it and weep. Let’s hope it makes a difference in the new year.