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May 21, 2008

Advocates meet with the Deputy Education Advisor to the Mayor to discuss advancing special educational initiatives!

On Wednesday, May 21, 2008, Cecelia Thompson, Donna Bouclier, Norman Baker and Bruce Hulick met with Sharon Tucker, Deputy Education Advisor to the Mayor, under the leadership of Dr. Lori Shorr, Education Advisor to the Mayor of Philadelphia.  This meeting focused on a mutually agreed upon goal:  doing right by our children while they are in school.

The Arc of Philadelphia has a special history with regard to the development of special education.  PARC gave birth to special education and under the PARC consent decree of 1972 Arc chapters everywhere are required to support their local right to education task forces. 

In its close collaboration with the local Right to Education Task Force, The Arc of Philadelphia aims to assist in implementing one of the task force’s core mandates:  monitor classrooms, with the intent to provide suggestions to help teachers and paraprofessionals better serve children.  Ms. Tucker was receptive to hearing about these efforts and will work with us as we further develop our plan of collaborative action.

Additionally, specially designed instruction, transition and drop-out rates were also discussed.  Norman made note of a recent meeting with Dr. Ramirez, Chairperson for the School Reform Committee (SRC), where she cited that children with special needs make up half of the 45 % current drop out rate.  The reasons are as varied as the children:  some children know they are different and cannot keep up with the rigors of academia; some are bored; others are asked to leave because of behaviors; and some absences are coded in such a way for these children to fly under the truancy radar.  We suggested that the curriculum be updated and adapted to meet the needs of every child through specially designed instruction.  There is no one size fits all model for effectively educating and supporting these students.

We also discussed the importance of schools complying with the Gaskin Agreement with regard to evaluating students for access to least restrictive environments (LRE) that include the appropriate and necessary supports and services.  Since schools get their own individual budgets, it is up to the school to determine if the students need a reading specialist, a special education teacher and other supports.  These services are usually the first to be cut.  When students are placed in regular classrooms without the necessary supports and services, bedlam results and parents of typical children get mad at the student receiving special education and their parents!   Teachers become frustrated, students get improperly disciplined, few end up learning and the cycle continues.  It is sad that Pennsylvania ranks 46th in implementation of LRE.  Ms Tucker is committed to working with the schools and groups like the Arc of Philadelphia to help make things better for all children.

While at the meeting, Ms. Tucker got to experience The Arc of Philadelphia in action.  When asked about supports for someone with autism who lives in Virginia, Donna and Bruce had resources and contacts to share with her immediately!  We are not bound by the confines of resources in Pennsylvania, we help anyone—anyway we can!  The Arc of Philadelphia is truly on the move!

The Advocacy Team