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The U.S. Department of Education announced today that its Office for Civil Rights has entered into an agreement with Virtual Community School of Ohio to ensure compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act for students with disabilities at the school. This first-of-its-kind resolution promises equal access to educational opportunities for students with disabilities in virtual charter schools. Virtual Community School of Ohio is an Internet-based, public charter school that serves approximately 1,200 students who reside throughout the state of Ohio. "Students with disabilities who attend online public charter schools are entitled to all the protections of the federal civil rights laws that their peers receive at traditional public schools, including the right to receive a free appropriate education. Online schools also must take steps to ensure that the websites and online classrooms they use to promote their services and to educate students are accessible to individuals with disabilities," said Catherine E. Lhamon, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights. "Online education environments such as this in which students reside across the state and go to school together in a totally on-line environment, may present unique challenges. Nevertheless, these online schools must comply with the civil rights laws. I commend Virtual Community School of Ohio for agreeing to address these issues as part of its agreement with OCR."

one of seven charter schools run by the non-profit UCP, affiliated with the central Florida chapter of United Cerebral Palsy. And it’s unique in several ways. Half of its students are like Ellie and don’t have a disability. The other half has disabilities such as cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, and autism. New research suggests this mix of students raises achievement — not only for the students with disabilities, but their non-disabled classmates as well.

The Connecticut classroom of the future may not be limited by a traditional school year, the four walls of a classroom, or even the standard progression of grades, based on a proposed package of unusually bold changes that are being advanced by the state’s school superintendents. Instead, the current system would be replaced by a “learner-centered” education program that would begin at age 3; offer parents a menu of options, including charter schools and magnet schools; and provide assessments when an individual child is ready to be tested, rather than having all children tested in a class at the same time. The superintendents’ recommendations also promote the long-resisted idea of consolidating some of the state’s 165 school districts, 21 of which consist of only one school.

There's been a lot of buzz lately about ventures such as High Tech High's Graduate School of Education in San Diego and Relay Graduate School of Education in New York City. These private schools of education, associated with charter schools and other reform efforts, are issuing master's degrees and promoting a clinical model of teacher education in which most learning occurs in the same place where teachers do their jobs—a classroom full of kids—rather than through traditional college coursework.

What: School districts nationwide are challenged to keep pace with the complex needs of a growing autism population. This webinar will define 7 Key Components that research and practitioners have identified as necessary to effectively support students with autism.    It will provide a framework for district leaders to allocate resources, for teachers to coordinate direct services, and for parents to advocate, all in an effort to improve supports for students on the autism spectrum. When: Join Jamie Pagliaro Co-Creator of Rethink Autism & Former Executive Director, NY Center for Autism Charter School on one of the dates below: Wednesday, Feb. 2 at 11am Mountain Tuesday, Feb. 8 at 1pm Mountain