A Gorsuch Approval Would Put Vulnerable Students Further At Risk

A Gorsuch Approval Would Put Vulnerable Students Further At Risk:

A Gorsuch Approval Would Put Vulnerable Students Further At Risk

Students with disabilities already face a difficult path through our nation’s education system, but President Donald Trump appears determined to add to the disadvantages these students already face. His nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch for the Supreme Court is yet another sign his administration is less than eager to uphold the rights of these students.

Just how rough do these students already have it?

They score far lower on standardized achievement tests, which have become even more of an emphasis in our accountability-driven education system. They’re more than twice as likely to be suspended from school, and they’re much more apt to be bullied at school. They’re less likely to get help in schools, despite legal requirements for schools to provide a free and appropriate education. And while high school graduation rates have hit a record high of 83 percent nationally, graduation rates for these students continue to be mired below 70 percent in 33 states. In seven of those states, the rate is less than 50 percent.

With the Gorsuch nomination, Trump appears increasingly willing to respond to the real obstacles these children face by telling them, “Tough! You’re on your own.”

A vote to approve Gorsuch would be tantamount to saying the same thing.

Luke’s Case

“Gorsuch is a threat to educational equity and the fundamental rights of all Americans,” says Marge Baker, the Executive Vice President for Policy and Program at People for the American Way.

In an email statement, she points to a previous decision in 2008 in which Gorsuch rejected the opinions of lower courts that had ruled an A   Read more … Gorsuch Approval Would Put Vulnerable Students Further At Risk:

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NEWS AND VIEWS

Welcome To The Private Evangelical School Of Betsy DeVos’ Dreams

The Huffington Post

“The Potter’s House is a private school that is ‘evangelical in nature’ and reportedly teaches creationism alongside evolution. It’s also the type of school that Betsy DeVos … believes can level the playing field in educational inequality… DeVos has been … a donor, volunteer and board member. She has mentioned the school by name in speeches and interviews … Early signs indicate that DeVos will help make it easier for kids to attend similar private, religious schools.”
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What Would Trump’s Proposed Cut To Teacher Funding Mean For Schools?

Education Week

“President Donald Trump has proposed getting rid of the Title II program, which … aims to help districts and states pay for teacher and principal development, reduce class-size, craft new evaluation systems, and more … Zeroing out Title II could hamper implementation of the new Every Student Succeeds Act, lead to teacher layoffs, and make it tougher for educators to reach special populations of students, or use technology in their classrooms … The money for class-size reduction has helped pay for the salaries of nearly 9,000 teachers nationwide … During the 2015-16 school year, nearly half the money went to the nation’s highest-poverty districts.”
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The Separate, Unequal Education Of Students With Special Needs

The Hechinger Report

“Children … all over the country – with diagnoses including ADHD, bipolar disorder and, increasingly, autism … are often placed in separate classrooms within public schools and spend large numbers of hours on computers using technology that is not aligned with their specific needs … A Georgia program caught the attention of the Department of Justice, which launched an investigation that lasted several years … According to that lawsuit, the … system violates the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, both by segregating children with disabilities and by denying them access to an equal education … The case has implications for school systems and children with emotional and behavioral disorders across the nation.”
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Why Kids Shouldn’t Sit Still in Class

The New York Times

“Evidence builds that taking brief activity breaks during the day helps children learn and be more attentive in class, and a growing number of programs designed to promote movement are being adopted in schools … Children who are more active ‘show greater attention, have faster cognitive processing speed and perform better on standardized academic tests than children who are less active’ … Students, especially boys, who had daily physical education, did better in school.”
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The irony In Ivanka Trump’s And Betsy DeVos’s Push For STEM Education

The Washington Post

Education journalist and blogger Valerie Strauss writes, “Ivanka Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos visited the National Air and Space Museum in Washington … to ‘highlight the importance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education’ and to discuss ’empowering young women to pursue STEM-related careers’ … The event came just a short time after President Trump, Ivanka’s father, advanced his first federal budget, which … seeks to wipe out NASA’s education office, which oversees efforts to support women and underrepresented minorities in STEM fields, operates camps and enrichment programs, and provides internships and scholarships for young scientists.”
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A Gorsuch Approval Would Put Vulnerable Students Further At Risk: