The School Bell Rings: Basic Realities of the 20-21 School Year and the Need for a COVID-19 Special Education Steering Committee The 2020-21 school year will be unlike any other experienced by American schoolchildren and their teachers since the Spanish Flu outbreak of 1918. The expectations placed on school district administrators and educators are unprecedented. If the Spanish Flu taught us anything, it is that we may be faced with extended social distancing until the pandemic is managed. [More]
White Paper: The Special Education Transformation Approach PCG’s latest white paper, Getting to Effectiveness: The Special Education Transformation Approach, was released today at the third New Jersey Special Education Annual Summit focused on teaching, learning, and leading in an inclusive world. [More]
New American School Board Journal article examines disproportionality in urban school districts Disproportionality in urban school districts, specifically as it relates to instruction, is the focus of a new American School Board Journal (ASBJ) article out this month. The article, “Urban districts strive to solve disproportionality in their schools,” features several experts from across the U.S. who share ways districts are addressing this issue—one of those experts, is PCG’s own Dr. Jennifer Meller. According to the article, minority and socioeconomically disadvantaged students are more likely to be identified for special education than any other students. Meller argues that by implementing culturally responsive interventions, schools can begin to address this overrepresentation in special education programs. [More]
White Paper: Reducing Disproportionality in New Jersey Schools Our latest white paper: Reducing Disproportionality in New Jersey Schools: Practical Ideas and Promising Strategies for Intervention & Referral Services (I&RS) Teams, authored by Dr. Jennifer Meller and Matthew Korobkin, was recently released at our second annual New Jersey Special Education Summit. [More]
NJ Special Education Summit: Theme of Second Annual Summit Announced The theme of the second annual New Jersey Special Education Summit will be Exploring Disproportionality: Discovering Root Causes and Solutions-Based Approaches. This summit provides a forum for Superintendents, Special Education Directors, Supervisors of Special Education, and other special education professionals to discuss and learn about this complex and critical issue. [More]