What does David Brooks’ column, “Politics in the Age of Distrust,” have to do with special education? Everything. I am struck by how much it relates to the issues we have in special education.

(Politics in the age of distrust).

So, let’s ask, why do schools and parents have to go through endless meetings, procedures, paperwork, written plans, lawsuits, threats of lawsuits, legal and bureaucratic requirements, due process, documentation ad infinitum in special education? Because, at bottom, the law creates lack of trust between parents and schools. Parents have to fight schools to get services. Etc. Etc. Etc. Most of us know the system is broken–distrust abounds.

But, saddest of all, what do any of these processes and procedures and requirements have to do with improving teaching and learning? Not much, if anything.

The age of distrust of government, including schools, takes us down the wrong path. It is dysfunctional for students, teachers, and parents.

See my book Fixing Special Education–12 Steps to Transform a Broken System. My hope is that it will help get us back on the right path–the mission of educating all children.

Check out this article! http://www.aasa.org/SchoolAdministratorArticle.aspx?id=11122>(Generation X parents)

Fascinating discussion of Gen-X parents (and how they differ from Boomer parents.) Bottom line, in order to be successful in the decades ahead, schools will need to build relations with parents from the get-go, provide data, data, data, “market themselves intelligently to this new generation of parents,” and rebrand themselves. We’re talking about all parents– of regular, special education, gifted, talented, bored, everyone. A fascinating discussion that I hightly recommend.

Today’s Core Knowledge blog picked up an important article from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

(character education is at the root of it all).

Thank you for this return to basics and common sense.

Honesty, effort, punctuality, showing up ready to work, getting along with others, putting in consistent effort every day–these are what business needs from schools. As well as, these are what schools need from students–and schools need to foster the reality that these values matter most and underpin everything else.

The article points out that it is not a matter of a new curriculum or new technology. And I will add, it’s not really about new funding. In fact, it’s about the the old basics that are lacking too often.

I have argued that schools should value these core attributes–with specific grades, report cards, honors, and perhaps different diplomas–so that every member of the school community knows how key they are. At the end of the day–these are the attributes that lead to success in business and life.

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…