Jeez. Can they get anything right? From parent Patricia Connelly to NYC Education Listserve to Patrick Sullivan, Manhattan rep on the Panel for Education Policy. Meeting this Monday, Jan.26 6pm at Tweed. (Sign up for speaking time at 5:30.)
Regents Vice Chancellor Meryl Tisch showed up unexpectedly at our CCSE (Citywide Council on Special Education) monthly public meeting this evening which was held at PS 77 in Brooklyn this evening.
She actively questioned D75 Superintendent Bonnie Brown and CCSE members regarding our feelings/impressions/views about Klein's latest reorganization announcements -- especially Garth Harries' new charge to conduct a system-wide "efficiency and efficacy" review of special education and related services.
Bonnie was more diplomatic than CCSE members, aka John, Ellen & I, were about what all this might bode. I repeated the CCSE call to appoint a "cabinet-level" deputy chancellor (an actual educator with the necessary expertise) to be accountable for special education throughout the system regardless of setting, classification or mandate.
Vice Chancellor Tisch reiterated her claim that she asked Bloom-Klein for this 7 years ago! She also said that she would call on Tweed to convene a special meeting with the CCSE, D75, and other special ed parent advocates with Harries and Eric Nadelstern to discuss the review and the latest reorganization before matters went much further.
We also made it a matter of public record that we did not feel that Klein was serious about "improving" education and services for our special needs students because he had asked Garth Harries to undertake this latest review -- someone who is not an educator by training, has absolutely no experience with special education issues and, in fact, allowed many new "small schools" to open on his watch with no special education infrastructure or plans in place to meet the needs of the students who would inevitably would need such support and services.
John and I plan to attend Monday's PEP meeting on Monday to address our latest concerns with Tweed's ineptitude (to put the matter politely) when it comes to our most vulnerable and needy students.
As always, thanks for all your efforts!
Patricia Connelly
Showing posts with label special ed. Show all posts
Showing posts with label special ed. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Special Ed Placement: ETTTTS Part 2
If you need a reminder of the meaning of ETTTTS: Everything Tweed Touches Turns To Shit
Today's lesson, kiddies, is on the placement of special ed middle students, or the lack thereof.
The great civil rights advocates (aka Klein, Sharpton, Rhee, etc.) talk about the shame of the nation, when they daily commit do shameful things. Oh, and good luck to the DOE's Sandy Ferguson, who is new to the job but stepped in the doo doo right away. Well, at least he's sad about it. And the buck stops at him - next year - if he's still there.
Report from Inside Schools:
Parents and special-ed committee members met with DOE <http://schools.nyc.gov/ > officials tonight at in the far reaches of Brooklyn , to ask about two-week delays in middle-school admissions for students with special needs.
Parents spoke passionately of frustrations in getting information about the process; of second-rate attention for special-needs students; of questions long unanswered, from parents, guidance counselors and principals. Many protested the punishing rate of DOE change, and charged that a similar pace -- four major reorganizations in five years -- would likely have cost a CEO in the marketplace his or her job.
Sandy Ferguson, in his first year as executive director of middle-school enrollment, listened with equanimity and responded with welcome candor. "To be frank, we never expected this [process] would run as long as it did," he said. "We did not communicate with parents. This was a mistake and we will look to correct this for next year." According to Ellen Newman, executive director for special ed enrollment, letters went out to parents and to school guidance counselors today, Wednesday -- except for one set that were hand-delivered to The Children's School <http://insideschools.org/fs/school_profile.php?id=451 > , which held graduation today (thanks to a coordinated email campaign spearheaded by parent coordinator Roxana Velandria).
One PS 295 <http://insideschools.org/fs/school_profile.php?id=449 > parent noted a "general air of secrecy" regarding special-ed placements, and said that "when the general-ed kids got placed first, that hurt more than anything else." (The parent asked not to be quoted, out of concern that she might somehow threaten her child's still-unknown placement.)
Ferguson
Broad and deep issues persist -- space, crowding, access, and the practical fact that students with special needs are essentially excluded from a process ostensibly geared to inclusion, as they're not permitted to interview or audition for middle schools along with their gen-ed peers. Whether these issues can be effectively addressed for the coming year is unknown; for this year, it's moot.
But for those who ask, where does the buck stop? Sandy Ferguson answered, loud and clear, it stops at his desk. He's aware of the problems (although he was unaware of their historic dimensions, as special-ed results have been consistently delayed), and seems sincerely committed their resolution -- next year.
Today's lesson, kiddies, is on the placement of special ed middle students, or the lack thereof.
The great civil rights advocates (aka Klein, Sharpton, Rhee, etc.) talk about the shame of the nation, when they daily commit do shameful things. Oh, and good luck to the DOE's Sandy Ferguson, who is new to the job but stepped in the doo doo right away. Well, at least he's sad about it. And the buck stops at him - next year - if he's still there.
Report from Inside Schools:
Parents and special-ed committee members met with DOE <http://schools.
Parents spoke passionately of frustrations in getting information about the process; of second-rate attention for special-needs students; of questions long unanswered, from parents, guidance counselors and principals. Many protested the punishing rate of DOE change, and charged that a similar pace -- four major reorganizations in five years -- would likely have cost a CEO in the marketplace his or her job.
Sandy Ferguson, in his first year as executive director of middle-school enrollment, listened with equanimity and responded with welcome candor. "To be frank, we never expected this [process] would run as long as it did," he said. "We did not communicate with parents. This was a mistake and we will look to correct this for next year." According to Ellen Newman, executive director for special ed enrollment, letters went out to parents and to school guidance counselors today, Wednesday -- except for one set that were hand-delivered to The Children's School <http://insideschool
One PS 295 <http://insideschool
Broad and deep issues persist -- space, crowding, access, and the practical fact that students with special needs are essentially excluded from a process ostensibly geared to inclusion, as they're not permitted to interview or audition for middle schools along with their gen-ed peers. Whether these issues can be effectively addressed for the coming year is unknown; for this year, it's moot.
But for those who ask, where does the buck stop? Sandy Ferguson answered, loud and clear, it stops at his desk. He's aware of the problems (although he was unaware of their historic dimensions, as special-ed results have been consistently delayed), and seems sincerely committed their resolution -- next year.
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