Education Week - March 4, 2020 - 22

OPINION
POLICY

LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR

Boost IDEA Funding
To the Editor:
As an occupational therapy student, I have concerns about the funding
schools are currently receiving. ("Why the Feds Still Fall Short on Special
Education Funding," Jan. 10, 2020). I believe federal funding for the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) should be granted in full.
The goal of this act was to provide children with disabilities the same
education opportunities as students without disabilities. However with
funding cuts, this promise is not being fulfilled. I understand that special
education needs and expenses vary by state, but that is no reason to cut
funding short.
Students with disabilities must receive special services provided by speech,
physical, and occupational therapists within the school system. School-based
occupational therapists focus on improving students' self-care, academic,
and social-interaction skills. If federal funding keeps following this downhill
trend, it will limit the tools (assistive devices, handwriting devices, sensory
tools, etc.) we can use in providing the best therapy interventions. Worst
case scenario, it may reduce the number of occupational, physical, and
speech therapists serving students with disabilities, which will ultimately
cause a decline in their education. School-based therapy primarily
addresses concentrating on tasks, verbally participating in class, and
mental-health concerns, so without support services, the classroom will be
an overstimulating environment for children with behavior and attention
deficits, hindering their education and that of their peers.
We need to draw more attention to IDEA funding so that special education
resources are available to students with disabilities to provide them the
education they deserve, and to guarantee they receive occupational,
physical, and speech therapy services.

PRESIDENT & CEO Michele J. Givens
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF & CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER Scott Montgomery

Education Week takes
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Colleen Andris
Occupational Therapy Student
University of Pittsburgh
RƊɈ˛ƵǶƮ‫§ة‬Ɗ‫خ‬

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Teacher PD Gets
A Bad Rap

Though researchers have almost given up on using teacher

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professional development as a way to raise student test scores,

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two approaches have been yielding good results, notes Harvard
researcher Heather C. Hill.

Read her essay here:

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Sammy Fries sfries@educationweek.org
Robyn Miller-Tarnoff rmiller@educationweek.org

> www.edweek.org/go/Hill-PD

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TraumaInformed
Practice Is
Incomplete

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To be effective,

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trauma-informed practice

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must recognize students'

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individual needs and the
systems that cause their
trauma, write Simona
Goldin and Debi Khasnabis
of the University of
Michigan's School of
Education.

22 | EDUCATION WEEK | March 4 , 2020 | www.edweek.org/go/opinion

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Read their essay here:

> www.edweek.org/go/Goldin-Khasnabis

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Education Week - March 4, 2020

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