01/22/2022
Let's discuss "good enough." It's not good enough when all reading instruction is not firmly seated in the science of reading. It's not good enough when children are not properly identified at a young age. It's not good enough when screeners are used that will never detect a dyslexic child. It's not good enough when parents have to fight for resources. It's not good enough when "de minimus" is deemed sufficient. It's not good enough that the best parents can hope for, and that's after a sufficient battle, the best "services" their children will get is the equivalent of a Yugo, when frankly the Cadillac should be the goal for every child. It's not good enough that our universities are failing our teachers and not educating them in the science of reading. It's not good enough that curriculums and PD are centered on balanced literacy which we know empirically does not work and fails children. It's not good enough that major curriculum providers think our dyslexic children are not worth the effort. It's not good enough that only the families of means can afford remediation. It's not good enough that we are propagating generational illiteracy and seeking to dumb down the masses out of the base desire for wealth and power. It's not good enough that we weaponized the "love of reading" and deprived generations of children the ability to read. It's not good enough that the majority of school districts in this country refuse to embrace and save our children. Education just not good enough right now to truly educate our children, but we will never stop fighting until it is.
01/20/2022
https://ashleybarlowco.com/conference
Ashley Barlow Co. | The Special Education and Advocacy : the Conference
Hi! Welcome! First, take a deep breath. I know that you’re feeling anxious, concerned and exhausted by the thought of supporting your special education students this school year. This business has been in my heart for several years, and I’m so excited to share it with you soon.
01/07/2022
Great opportunity- to learn more about using data to drive goals
Sign up here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc_udbWEXWJt4mlkfRHP9a8yBKUGV1DuQjDJfTN5jQ22XXiTQ/viewform?usp=pp_url
Vaughn Lauer, PhD, of IEP Help is going to discuss test data and how you can make sense of that data to improve your advocacy for your child.
Vaughn K. Lauer, Ph D. has over thirty years of experience, Pre-K through post-secondary, as a teacher, professor, and building, district and state administrator of special education and has held various private organizational directorships in professional development and test development. He has presented at the state, national and international levels, authored a book on collaborative IEP development called When the School Says No…How to Get the Yes! and recently released an online program that is in place across the country and helps all school team members to understand school evaluation test scores enabling them to make informed decision on eligibility determination and for writing needs-based IEPs.
10/21/2021
October 28th @ 7pm
Understanding the Referral Process for Struggling Students
Speaker: Paul West, Asst. Director Special Ed- Forsyth County
Forsyth Board of Education Room 380
Paul will attempt to help parents better understand the complex, and often misunderstood referral process for struggling students
Outreach is FREE, but reservations are suggested
Understanding the Referral Process Special Ed
Dyslexia Forsyth Outreach Event Oct. 28th Board of Education
10/15/2021
Happy birthday, Samuel Orton! Samuel Orton was a neuropsychiatrist and pathologist who worked alongside Anna Gillingham to develop the Orton-Gillingham Approach. This approach, which focuses on remediating language processing difficulties in students who have reading difficulties, is one of the most successful approaches used today when teaching reading, writing, and spelling!
08/22/2021
https://www.forsyth.k12.ga.us/Page/53555
Great new resource from Forsyth County Special Ed Dept. on Dyslexia- they will continue to build this resource- check it out and refer back regularly!
Special Education / Information on Dyslexia (Under Construction)
08/12/2021
Science of Reading: The Podcast - S4-03: Learning disabilities and their emotional impact: Dr. Sheila Clonan
* *This episode features Dr. Sheila Clonan discussing her work with identifying learning disabilities (particularly dyslexia) in children. Dr. Clonan also explores the mental and emotional effects of learning to read with dyslexia and how it impacts behavior and self-concept, providing two insightfu...
03/26/2021
Urgent Call to Action!!
After the exciting development last week that the Georgia Senate voted to include $1.6M to fund SB 48 in the state budget, we learned today that the House may take it out. If we act fast, there is still time to reach out to House leadership in hopes of keeping this funding for SB 48 in the budget. We must tell them that it is crucial to fund SB 48 and ask them to keep that money in the budget!
It will only take a minute. It can be as simple as a sentence:
“Please include funding for SB 48 (Dyslexia bill) in the budget!”
Add your address and phone number at the end of your email. If you are a constituent, let them know. If not, please CC Your own Representative so they are also in the loop.
Chairman Terry England
[email protected]
(404) 463-2247
Chairman Blake Tillery
[email protected]
(404) 656-5038
Vice Chairman Jason Ridley
[email protected]
(404) 656-0325
Speaker David Ralston
[email protected]
(404) 656-5020
Speaker Pro Tempore Jan Jones
[email protected]
(404)656-5072
Look up your representative at openstates.org