This school year, get involved with ESSA

The chilling reality for parents of kids with learning disabilities is that many well-meaning and dedicated teachers simply lack the special education training to appropriately support their students.

I say that because I was one of them. As a recent graduate of a teacher training program 22 years ago, one of my first jobs was as a long-term substitute in a special education classroom. While I had no training in special education, I found myself with the incredible responsibility of ensuring that these students had their needs met and legal rights honored. The only support offered to me in this endeavor was in the bimonthly one-hour meetings with my district supervisor. This was nowhere near enough support or professional development to effectively meet the needs of the students for whom I was responsible.

Fast forward 16 years: I’ve left the classroom, and my daughter is five years old and in kindergarten. I began noticing that she was not keeping pace with her classmates when it came to developing reading skills, and I approached the teacher to see what I could do to help. The teacher characterized her struggles as immaturity, not considering that a learning issue might be the reality. While I was frustrated by the teacher’s response, I realized that I couldn't expect my child’s teachers to know everything, especially considering my own experience as a classroom teacher. Over that year, I sought an evaluation for my daughter to better understand her learning profile and how to help her progress in school. I read about my daughter's learning challenges, learned about the various supports she would require to succeed in the classroom, and the accommodations she needed. Over time, we put the necessary supports in place and found a school with teachers who are were committed to working with her to reach her full academic potential.

Today’s teachers have a big job to do - they play the role of educator, classroom manager, social worker, and researcher on a daily basis. But what’s concerning is, according to the National Center for Learning Disabilities’ 2017 The State of Learning Disabilities report, 70% of students with specific learning disabilities spend 80% of their time in general education classrooms, where many teachers aren’t prepared to accommodate their learning challenges. And 33% of classroom teachers believe learning and attention issues are just laziness. While I had the knowledge, time, and resources to help my daughter’s school recognize her challenges and learn how best to help her, not all parents do. We can’t expect teachers to know everything, but we must expect schools and districts to provide resources to help teachers continue to improve.

With the implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which succeeds No Child Left Behind, districts and schools are required to support teacher development with Title II funds for teacher training. ESSA is our country’s flagship education law, and it governs a lot of what happens in schools, including development opportunities for teachers. ESSA emphasizes state and local education planning, which means more decisions about our schools will be made by local stakeholders. It also requires that states develop systems to ensure schools are responsible for providing all students, including those with disabilities, with an appropriately ambitious education.

Colorado submitted its plan to implement ESSA to the U.S. Department of Education this past May and was required to engage with parents to make sure the plan meets their needs. This upcoming school year, Colorado’s school districts are required to work with parents as they develop local plans for ESSA implementation. Now is the time to get involved, to ask questions, and to provide constructive feedback to the state, district and schools about what you’d like to see happen for your child and their peers.

It is necessary for schools and districts to provide more training and supports for teachers on how to recognize and support students with learning and attention issues. Write a letter or email to the Colorado Department of Education, asking about how Colorado’s ESSA plan will help teachers work with children who have learning and attention issues. Ask your child’s principal about how your school supports teacher learning and development, and how that may change this school year as a result of ESSA. Ask other parents if they’ve heard of ESSA and if they have ideas about how it can be used to help schools support all students.

Getting involved helped me make sure my daughter was successful, and weighing in on ESSA is our opportunity to make sure our schools support all kids, including those with learning and attention issues. For more ideas on how to get involved, you can review Understood.org’s toolkit on ESSA advocacy.

Debbie Campbell is an Understood.org Parent Fellow for the National Center for Learning Disabilities(ncld.org).