May 19, 2015

Lawsuit says schools are legally required to address student trauma

The first-of-its-kind lawsuit uses special education laws to demand trauma services.

Jane Meredith Adams

May 14, 2015

Revised estimate for K-12 spending: $6 billion more next year

Proposition 98 channels new revenue to schools to partially make up for past cuts.

John Fensterwald

May 11, 2015

Alternate assessments for special education students delayed

Students with the most severe cognitive disabilities are affected.

Laurie Udesky

April 20, 2015

Inconsistent training leaves special education staff struggling

The least-trained staff often are involved in restraining students.

Jane Meredith Adams And John Osborn D'Agostino

April 19, 2015

Little oversight of restraint practices in special education

California Department of Education no longer required to collect data on reported incidents.

Jane Meredith Adams And John Osborn D'Agostino

April 19, 2015

Examining SELPA reports on seclusion and restraint

Edsource created easy-to-read downloadable data cards for most of California's Special Education Local Plan Areas.

John Osborn D'Agostino

April 19, 2015

Seven charts that put restraint and seclusion in context

Limited data and inconsistent reporting makes it difficult to understand what is happening on the ground.

John Osborn D'Agostino And Jane Meredith Adams

March 6, 2015

Task force unveils plan to overhaul special education

The report calls for a greater integration of special education into schools.

Jane Meredith Adams

February 19, 2015

California task force urges reform of special education funding

Recommendations also include integrating special and general education.

Jane Meredith Adams

February 3, 2015

Study finds preschool programs lower special education referrals

Children in state-supported, high-quality early childhood programs were less likely to be placed in special education, according to a study released Tuesday.

Susan Frey

January 4, 2015

EdWatch 2015: 10 issues to watch

2015 promises to be a pivotal year for several major reforms in public education, including the continuing rollout of the Common Core State Standards, the state's new school financing and accountability system, and the administration of the online Smarter Balanced assessments.

EdSource staff

October 23, 2014

Schools warned on legalities of anti-bullying

Citing an “ever-increasing” number of complaints about the bullying of students with disabilities, the federal government issued a letter this week reminding schools of their legal responsibility to stop such bullying or risk violating federal anti-discrimination laws.

Jane Meredith Adams

September 10, 2014

New funding law could raise cost of textbooks

For decades, the state Department of Education has provided free braille and large-print textbooks to visually impaired students. But under the new school finance law, spending authority has shifted from Sacramento to school districts, including the responsibility for choosing and purchasing general education textbooks.

Jane Meredith Adams

August 29, 2014

LAO proposes shift in managing state education

Proposing a fundamental change in the way the California Department of Education operates, a report from the Legislative Analyst’s Office Thursday suggested the department move beyond its current focus on federal compliance, an emphasis it said school districts find "increasingly reactive and punitive."

Jane Meredith Adams

June 25, 2014

California special ed to get federal intervention

Jane Meredith Adams