Kara Arundel

Parent training: 5 ways to help parents support distance learning

Collaboration between school and home results in better outcomes for students, and during the pandemic school districts can take action to support struggling parents, especially parents of children with special needs.

Designing instructional cohorts for students with disabilities

Here are four do's and one don't for using pods or cohorts within special education to help maintain social distancing and minimize outbreaks.

7 ways to keep students with food allergies safe in school

Many schools opening for in-person instruction this fall will require students to eat meals in the classroom. How can educators avoid putting students with food allergies at risk of having an allergic reaction?

Specific Learning Disability identification during COVID-19

Educators must ensure a lack of appropriate instruction during school closures isn't the only factor when considering if a student has a SLD.

8 tips to prevent communication challenges while wearing a mask in school

Masks will make verbal communication more challenging, especially for those with hearing loss who rely on reading lips to understand speech. Here's what educators can do to help.

Avoid punitive approach to school discipline during the pandemic

Trauma-informed approaches to school discipline support students with challenging behaviors and help create a positive school climate.

Educators, lawmakers discuss ways to offer in-person services to vulnerable students

Students with disabilities, and those from poorer families, likely struggled the most during extended school closures this spring, testified witnesses at a hearing on reopening schools hosted by a House subcommittee.

Exclusionary school discipline approaches not effective at preventing school violence

A new Government Accountability Office report examines school shooting data by type, location, time of day, school year and relationship of the shooter to the school community.

Supreme Court ruling on religious school tuition

Exclusion of religious schools in a tax-based scholarship program is discriminatory, according to the decision, which is a disappointment to many public school supporters.

4 ways to incorporate inclusive practices

Prioritizing inclusion for students with disabilities, during both in-person and remote learning, is challenging, but such practices increase engagement and create supportive school communities for all.

Lessons from South Korea on social distancing in schools

An early childhood English teacher in South Korea, originally from West Virginia, shares how social distancing and sanitizing measures have been frustrating and distracting to learning—and have helped keep students and staff safer.

How to lessen the ‘enormity of challenge’ when students return to school

Learn the five key considerations educators should ask when responding to students' academic, behavioral, and social-emotional needs when school resumes.

Avoid pandemic penalties by knowing your special ed spending levels

Special education administrators should understand current and anticipated funding levels, be aware of how the coronavirus outbreak impacts their budget, and collaborate with other local and state leaders to form plans to address revenue challenges.

3 do’s and 2 don’ts for planning summer 2020 ESY offerings

As districts plan how they will deliver extended school year services, they must make these important considerations to ensure IDEA compliance and transparency with parents.

Videoconferencing for serving physical therapy students

In this first installment of the Bright Spot of Innovation series—profiling education service providers across the country using innovative and collaborative approaches to serving student with disabilities during school closures—a school physical therapist guides families with individualized exercises through video