For much of the nation, the state of New York appears to be the mecca of all things hip; cool neighborhoods, awesome theater and excellent museums. Professional sports abound throughout the state and many, many people flock to New York every year believing that if “they can make it there, they can make it anywhere!” Even the educational standards and teacher pay appear to be greatly desirable for educators and parents alike. However, not all schools are excellent; many in fact, have not been able to meet state and federal standards for success. Long Island Schools have, however, shown marked improvement over the last 4 years in resolving this problem.
Long Island Schools Report Cards
Recent state report cards which reflect how well a school is doing in regards to state academic goals show that Long Island Schools demonstrate marked improvement. Over 30 Long Island Schools have not been able to meet the criteria in the past. For the most part, these Long Island Schools have been able to improve their ratings and have thus met the state requirements as well as the federal ones resulting from the No Child Left Behind Act.
What’s interesting are the reasons given for why these schools have not been up to snuff in the first place. Nearly all the failing Long Island Schools cite poor education for special ed students as the reason for the schools’ failure. Why, in the 21st century, is this school district just now realizing that these students need extra attention? Special education students are those with specific learning difficulties, such as dyslexia. These Long Island Schools’ students must receive special training in order to meet academic standards put forth by Long Island Schools themselves.
Special Education in Long Island Schools
It is not to be said that special education students cannot learn or meet the academic goals set for them by Long Island Schools. However, they do need special accommodations in order for them to learn and perform at the top of their game. Oftentimes, these students are exceptionally bright; they just aren’t wired like the mainstream student population. They need and deserve a strong educational program that is sensitive to their needs and helps them reach the expectations set forth by the Long Island Schools.
It is nearly unbelievable to me that Long Island Schools didn’t know this in the first place. Despite the fact that most kids learn in spite of us, there are quite a lot of kids who definitely do need our help. Making sure to have an adequate number of teachers and support staff on the payroll as well as the proper facilities is a given. There is no reason why a majority of these kids can’t be held to the same standards as their mainstream peers; they simply require special accommodations. Why Long Island Schools were lax in this is a question that only they can answer.
By: Patricia Hawke
Posts Tagged ‘Long Island’
Long Island Schools Finally Showing Improvement
December 19th, 2009Long Island Schools Putting Fewer Students in Special Education
November 15th, 2009
Over the last couple of years, Long Island schools have been placing fewer students in Special Education classes. Instead, some students at Long Island schools with special needs have been receiving tutoring to help them keep up with their school work.
Mainstreaming Students in Long Island Schools
On the face of it, mainstreaming special needs students attending Long Island schools into a regular classroom as much as possible makes sense. If the special-needs student can attend classes with his or her peers, there is a cost savings for the board of education. No matter what we want for our children attending Long Island schools, there are only so many dollars available for education.
For too long, children who were “different” were kept away from the mainstream. Students in the regular education stream didn’t have a lot of opportunities to get to know them or interact with them. Special Education students were the object of suspicion and/or ridicule, simply because other students didn’t understand them; all they knew was that these other children were different. Being different was not something to be celebrated at that point.
Any measure that helps students attending Long Island schools learn to be tolerant of others can only be for the good. Humans tend to be suspicious of things (and people) they don’t understand. With time, mainstreaming can help to reinforce the idea that there is no “Us” and “Them” at Long Island schools. All students are in the environment to learn together and to learn from each other.
Long Island Schools Need to Ensure Students Don’t Fall Through the Cracks
It would be most unfortunate if, in the interest of saving a few dollars, students who need to be in a different learning environment to do their best work were denied access to Special Education programs. We shouldn’t be too quick to either segregate students from their peers or to push them into the mainstream learning environment in Long Island schools.
Instead, we need to take the time and allocate the appropriate resources so that a thorough investigation is conducted when a student is having trouble learning at Long Island schools. Only with a proper diagnosis of a difficulty, can a plan be implemented in Long Island schools to address that student’s needs.
Our children are our most valuable resource. When they don’t get the support they need to become effective learners, we are setting them up to fail in life. It would be far better for teachers and administrators at Long Island schools to find out what the students’ needs are and find the resources to meet them, whether in the regular classroom or an alternate one.
By: Patricia Hawke
