News: Department of Education Policies

The Year in Review (Part I): Schools’ Pursuit of Academic Achievement and Student Proficiency

Curriculum, Instruction, Intervention, and EquityDear Colleagues,Introduction   It seems that every day this month, I’ve received yet another e-mail or Blog from a national educational organization, n...

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Closing Secondary Students’ Significant Academic Skill Gaps: Teach at Their Grade Level or Their Skill Level? (Part II)

Reviewing Two Recent Studies of Math Deficient StudentsDear Colleagues,Introduction   Two Blog messages ago (on September 28th), I began a two-part discussion on:Closing Academic Gaps in Mid...

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Closing Academic Gaps in Middle and High Schools: When Students Enroll without Mastering Elementary Prerequisites (Part I)

The MTSS Dilemma—Differentiate at the Grade Level or Remediate at the Student Skill Level?Dear Colleagues,Introduction   I do a great deal of consulting in middle schools and high schools ac...

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Inequities in the Distribution of School Funds to Individual Students Revisited: Required Transparency, ESEA/IDEA Funding Flexibility, and Multi-Tiered Efficacy

Reminding Schools of their Responsibilities and PossibilitiesDear Colleagues,Introduction   Earlier this Spring, near the 65th anniversary of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case, I wrote two...

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An Open Letter to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Regarding Its Report, "Beyond Suspensions: Examining School Discipline Policies"

Begin with the End in Mind:  It’s about Root Causes and Intervention—Not About Policies or PositionsDear Colleagues,Introduction   Over the past year (at least), I have been writing som...

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Revisiting the School Seclusion and Restraint Epidemic: The Federal Government Says It's Worse than Thought

While the Numbers are Important, We Need to Focus on the Reasons and SolutionsDear Colleagues,Introduction   Back in March, we wrote a two-part Blog Series on the issues related to the number of seclu...

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