Policy Briefs (LD News: April 2006)

Supreme Court Hears Special Education Case
The Supreme Court will hear oral argument in the case of Murphy v. Arlington School District Case on April 19, 2006. This case, the second special education case to be heard by the high court this year, poses the issue of whether or not expert fees are reimbursable as "costs" under the attorney's fees provision of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

More information available at:
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2006/04/12/31idea.h25.html

The Amicus Brief filed by the National Disabilities Rights Network and the Center for Law and Education in the case is available at:
http://ndrn.org/amicus/briefs/0603edu_Murphy.pdf

U.S. Dept. of Education (USED) Releases FAQ on Privately Placed Special Education Students
In March, USED released a collection of frequently asked questions regarding the obligation states and local school districts have when providing special education services to parentally placed private school students with disabilities, under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 2004 (IDEA).
More information available at:
http://www.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/idea/faq-parent-placed.pdf

Making NCLB Work for English-Language Learners
A new report by the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., examines the impact of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) on students who are English language learners (ELLs).  The report concludes that, while the law has not been implemented adequately and many states try to bypass the law by exempting ELLs from test score and student outcome reports, NCLB holds considerable promise for closing the achievement gap between ELLs and other students. 

For more information, go to: http://www.nclr.org/content/publications/detail/37365/

Report on Implementation of No Child Left Behind
A new report to Congress on the implementation of Title I of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) finds students with disabilities are making gains because of the law’s accountability provisions. However, schools still lag behind in ensuring the required participation rate - 95% - is met.

More information available at:
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2006/04/12/31nclb.h25.html

New Center Works to Improve Transition Planning
The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) recently established the National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center (NSTTAC), which began operating January  1, 2006 to help states build capacity to support and improve transition  planning, services, and outcomes for youth with disabilities. 

More information available at: http://www.nsttac.org/

Teaching Disabled: Special Ed is Especially Vulnerable to the Problems of Public Education
Jim Williams, a former business executive turned special-education teacher, offers his views on special education and learning disabilities in this National Review magazine article.

More information available at:
http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/williams200604060617.asp

New Report from American Youth Policy Forum
Students with learning disabilities experience high school drop-out rates. This new report, Whatever It Takes: How Twelve Communities Are Reconnecting Out-Of-School Youth documents what committed educators, policymakers, and community leaders across the country are doing to reconnect out-of-school youth to the social and economic mainstream.

More information available at:
http://www.aypf.org/publications/WhateverItTakes.htm

Gearing Up to Reauthorize No Child Left Behind
The latest issue of NCLB Insights offers a snapshot of the activities, views and strategies of four national organizations which represent teachers, principals, superintendents and local school boards as the time to amend the nation’s largest education law draws near.

More information available at:
http://www.wpllc.net/publications/NCLBRead.asp#oped