Interim Executive Director for Special Education
In a comment on the Tuesday Open Thread, pseudonymous commentor "Sick and Tired" wrote:
Anonymous said...
They are hiring an interim ex. director, again. BiHoa Caldwell-- no offense to her but really!!!
Sick and Tired
If this is correct, then there are two matters for discussion:
1) An interim as opposed to a long-term hire.
2) The choice of BiHoa Caldwell, who was principal at Aki Kurose for years and most recently at TOPS.
I think we also need to think a bit about the job. What exactly do we expect from the Executive Director of Special Education. What authority does this person have and is that authority commensurate with the job responsibility? What change can this person effect? Does this position have any authority to direct principals or teachers? Assuming the new Executive Director for Special Education had a clear and compelling vision for inclusive classrooms, how could they work to realize that vision in Seattle?
I think some people would like the Executive Director for Special Education to appear like an avenging angel and smite principals and teachers who discriminate against students with disabilities, neglect - if not aggressively violate - IEPs, and fail to offer any real academic instruction to Special Education students - the vast majority of whom have no cognitive disability. Is that within the authority of the job? Can we get an avenging angel? Is that really what we want?
If the Executive Director of Special Education does not wield a firey sword, then this change will have to come through years and years of slow, incremental wheedling and coaxing of principals and teachers and we will have to suffer through years and years of no apparent change. Is that really what we want?
Sick and Tired
If this is correct, then there are two matters for discussion:
1) An interim as opposed to a long-term hire.
2) The choice of BiHoa Caldwell, who was principal at Aki Kurose for years and most recently at TOPS.
I think we also need to think a bit about the job. What exactly do we expect from the Executive Director of Special Education. What authority does this person have and is that authority commensurate with the job responsibility? What change can this person effect? Does this position have any authority to direct principals or teachers? Assuming the new Executive Director for Special Education had a clear and compelling vision for inclusive classrooms, how could they work to realize that vision in Seattle?
I think some people would like the Executive Director for Special Education to appear like an avenging angel and smite principals and teachers who discriminate against students with disabilities, neglect - if not aggressively violate - IEPs, and fail to offer any real academic instruction to Special Education students - the vast majority of whom have no cognitive disability. Is that within the authority of the job? Can we get an avenging angel? Is that really what we want?
If the Executive Director of Special Education does not wield a firey sword, then this change will have to come through years and years of slow, incremental wheedling and coaxing of principals and teachers and we will have to suffer through years and years of no apparent change. Is that really what we want?
Comments
An interim because Banda needs more than 3 weeks to accomplish what the last two supts couldn't or wouldn't - formulate a vision for SpEd and find a quality administrator to implement it.
And Charlie don't oversimplify what we want. Is it too much to ask to insist that principals follow the law, not divert SpEd funding, and not subvert the recommendations of the IEP team? It shouldn't take a carrot or a sword. Just do your job, people, and do it well. As for an avenging angel, I prefer a thoughtful, sincere superintendent who places the needs of students first.
SPED Staffer
My experience was that the IEPs were written before the meeting, the parent was just expected to sign off on it and it was vague with goals being set very low. I was able to have a district liaison attend the IEP meeting a few times which made a big difference in how much I was allowed to participate.
I would like to see the exec director of SPED require training in what an IEP/504 means for all district employees in the schools. It is unrealistic to expect the principals to educate staff.
I expect our graduation rates would improve.
Sped staffer
The closest I can find to "avenging angel" is under #2: Supervises, assigns, evaluates and disciplines department staff
My oldest has learning differences, but attended private schools that made accomodations without writing them up as a "plan". The disadvantage to that though is, you can't get accomodations in a new environment without documentation.
Teachers should be encouraged to document what they are doing, even if they make those accomodations for the whole class( like extended test time), so that when the student moves on, their teacher isn't starting from scratch to see what they need.
I heard from Michelle corker curry that people came to Seattle because of its strong special Ed program. A strong director could make that into the truth!
I would like a sped director with the knowledge, commitment, and authority to go into schools and insist that teachers work authentically with these kids, that they don't discriminate (one teacher at one of my kids' schools had a rep with the SPED teachers of failing ALL of his SPED kids -- he just always found a way. Didn't matter if they were doing the work; didn't matter if they were doing well in all their other classes. They routinely failed in his. Trying to get him to change was futile (principal had lots more important stuff on his plate -- and the failing grades were always in the soft, squishy stuff (class participation, presentations, artistic quality of projects, etc.). So -- the SPED teacher went out of her way to make sure none of her kids ended up in his class. Which was probably his goal all along!
I want a SPED Czar with the ability to review inclusion/self-contained stuff at a programmatic and/or school level, and implement the best solutions (along with the aides necessary to make them work).
I want someone who has a place at the table when program placements are being made, so that SPED programs don't end up being pushed to the least desirable schools to an extent more than other programs.
I want a SPED director with an ombudsman, or assistant, or whatever, whose job it is to deal with families -- answer questions, follow up on complaints, arrange meetings, actually reach out and ask for feedback -- from both parents AND SPED teachers.
I think the SPED Director should have input and decisionmaking authority with respect to sped issues in program placement, APP/Spectrum decisions (for 2Es) and staffing (especially for the hiring of SPED teachers and aides). They should also be involved in the "alternative" programs -- how many SPED kids are in language immersion, in montessori, in TOPS. What is the attrition/failure rate, and why?
I think we need someone to come in and identify the 3 or 4 worst, most critical problems, and formulate a plan on how to meet them. And then accountability for principals and teachers needs to incorporate the degree to which they are implementing the plan.
More important -- I think we need someone who will create the time and space for Seattle staff to again create the nationally known programs (or their current day equivalents) that existed when Michelle Corker Curry was here. We have so much expertise (through the EEU, the UW, etc) in SPED learning. We just lack the vision to make it happen.
This.
Kids with special needs have transition issues at a much higher level than other students. They need to have access to neighborhood schools in a consistent fashion. Not be told their neighborhood school doesn't have a place for them and they must sit on a bus longer than other students in the district.
--Sorrel
IMHO
And lets not forget that a major decision maker is brockman.
Reader
These things sound complicated, but they aren't.
Having a good vision of "inclusive" classrooms of course is paramount. Designing that model is key to the spedXD's job.
SPed Parent
Yes, all SSD staff need this training. It should not come from principals who, in my 20+ years with the district as an itinerant staffer, have rarely (if ever) demonstrated sufficient understanding of IEPs, sped rules and regs., etc. Also, this should be yearly training since things do change.