Please refer to this report for the context of this blog post: http://www.ibabuzz.com/education/2009/03/11/a-different-approach-to-special-education/
In my recent blog post, “Time To Act”, I talked about the difficulties we have had with getting our son, Jackson, services. He was just moved to Tilden less than 2 weeks ago and is now in Sandra Godfey’s autism class. There is such a marked improvement that we finally have cause for hope. She is a professional with a demonstrated track record of success. Having talked to other teachers at Tilden, it is clear that if their programs are split up and moved to other schools, that not only will it destroy the sense of community that they have (one of the few positive sources of support they have) but that they will not have some of the specific resources they need, such as an Occupational Therapy specific room, etc. In one school, for example, they hold their OT classes in the cafeteria. The reasons for not having special education only schools are good reasons, hence the law. However, there are other ways to attract general education students. A good example is the Hope Technology School in the South Bay, where general education students participate and assist with the special ed students, giving them a richer experience. This model has been expanded to non-academic environments, such as in their eSoccer and martial arts programs. It’s time for newer models and Tilden represents and ideal school to pilot such models and serve as a model for the Public Education system here in the East Bay and California. It’s also time for us to support the teachers and programs that truly work and give our children the Free and Appropriate Education (FAPE) they need under the Individuals with Educational Disabilities Act (IDEA).
