Specific Learning Disabilities – What we don’t know has hurt us
For anyone who has been involved in special education as a practitioner or policy maker for more than, say, 10 minutes, the term “specific learning disability” must have an odd connotation because there is nothing “specific” about the diagnosis.
On the contrary, the label SLD covers a broad range of difficulties that may be associated with reading, math, writing, spelling, attention, motor skills, or memory – to name just a few. And the approaches to teaching and remediation for the wide range of students who fit into this broad categorical description are every bit as diverse as the traits associated with the disability itself.
So the authors of the “State of Learning Disabilities: Facts, Trends and Emerging Issues,” recently released by the National Center for Learning Disabilities, certainly had their work cut out for them as they attempted to navigate their way through the various facts, numbers, legal requirements, state regulations, and philosophies associated with SLD.
They did it, though, and they did it well, beginning with an overview of the topic then proceeding through public perceptions, LDs in the schools, learning disabilities in adult life, and finally concluding with a look at future possibilities in the “Emerging Issues” chapter. The report is imminently readable and a scrupulous resource for statistics and relevant information pertaining to this disability category – the largest group – 42 percent – identified under IDEA, according to th
Comparability Calculations: a critical component for budgeting
In the near future we will see a stricter focus on ensuring Title I schools receive their comparable amount of state and local funding. Now is the time to consider comparability as you build your 2014-15 budget.