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Special Ed. Administrators Press Congress for IDEA Waivers During Pandemic

The requests put the nation's special education administrators in conflict with disability rights advocates who fear waivers will place millions of special education students at risk.




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Remote Learning and Special Education Students: How Eight Families Are Adapting (Video)

When it comes to parenting students with learning differences, every family's experience is unique. And that reality has never been more true than it is now as millions of students are out of school due to the coronavirus pandemic.




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Virtual IEP Meetings: A 6-Step Guide for Parents and Teachers

A new resource offers tips on how to keep Individualized Education Program meetings focused and on-schedule.




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Just in Time: a Resource Hub on Remote Learning for Special Education Students

Nearly 30 disability rights and education advocacy organizations have launched a new resource hub and online network designed to help special educators during the coronavirus crisis.




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Bureau of Indian Education Shortchanges Students With Disabilities

Inadequate monitoring and a lack of qualified staff left the bureau unable to ensure that thousands of special education students received the services they were due under federal law, a Government Accountability Office reports finds.




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A Few Parents Have Sued Over Special Education During COVID-19. Will More Follow?

Districts could face a rising tide of special education-related lawsuits and complaints when schools resume, experts say, if they still cannot offer the services that students with disabilities missed out on for months.




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Many of America's Schools Aren't Fully Accessible for Students With Disabilities

In a new Government Accountability Office report, districts cite funding constraints as the main reason for not making their buildings accessible, a longstanding problem.




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Schools Seek Cover From Special Education Lawsuits, But Advocates See Another Motive

Special education advocates argue the push for liability protection is a veiled attempt to seek waivers from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the nation's primary special education law.




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Flint's Special Education Students Win Support, Compensation in Landmark Settlement

A small portion of a $600 million settlement will be used to improve services and supports for children impacted by the city's water crisis.




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Improving Special Education While Managing Its Cost

Nathan Levenson of District Management Group discusses how school leaders can improve the quality of special education even as they manage its cost.




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Why Are Students With Disabilities So Invisible in STEM Education?

In the United States, we lament the lack of diversity in STEM fields and in teacher education, but many of our actions as educators continue to "weed out" students from nondominant communities and those who are differently abled.




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How Parents Can Spot Signs of Learning Disabilities During Remote Learning

A new digital guide aims to identify students missing out on special education services and supports during distance learning.




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Schools Struggled to Serve Students With Disabilities, English-Learners During Shutdowns, Report Echoes

A new U.S. Government Accountability Office report found that the needs of students with IEPS and those who are learning English-language skills were not often met after the pandemic struck.




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Georgia Eliminates the edTPA Requirement for Teacher Candidates

"It has become clear over time that [the edTPA] caused unintended barriers and burdens for teachers entering the profession," Georgia's state superintendent said.




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Are Aspiring Teachers Learning Classroom Management? It Varies

The strategy of reinforcing good behavior with praise is the least likely to be taught in teacher-prep programs, an analysis finds.




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Transfer students thrive in Abington’s STEM Inc. scholarship, transition program

Penn State Abington's STEM Inc. provides financial and academic support and faculty mentors who help jump start students' career development through research and technical experiences.




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Abington faculty's new textbook guides human services majors through internships

Penn State Abington rehabilitation and human services faculty Abigail Akande, Stacey Conway and Michael Lavetsky wrote a recently published book, "Experiential Learning and Internship for Undergraduates: A Workbook for Undergraduate Interns in the Human Services Field," to help guide human services students at Abington and other Penn State campuses through the internship and career development and exploration processes. 




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Abington mentoring program aims to stem first-year teacher attrition

Research is showing that early career teachers are leaving the profession in droves so two faculty in Penn State Abington's Elementary and Early Childhood Education program created a mentoring program that pairs new graduates teaching in urban centers with retired educators.




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International education group hails Abington faculty for lifetime achievement

The Pennsylvania Council for International Education honored Nicole Stokes, a mid-career faculty and administrator at Penn State, with its lifetime achievement award.




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‘Accidental entrepreneur’ traces skills to Abington integrative arts degree

Khamila Barnes successfully took the leap from the corporate world to entrepreneurship thanks for her vibrant personality, innate drive, and the skills she developed at Penn State Abington. 




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Jazz orchestra highlights Penn State Abington free concert season

Jack Saint Clair will bring his 17-piece jazz orchestra to Penn State Abington for a free concert at 7 p.m. Nov. 13 in Sutherland Auditorium.




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Penn State Laureate to give dance presentation at Abington campus on Nov. 11

Penn State Laureate Michele Dunleavy, professor of dance at the University Park campus, will continue her tour of the Commonwealth Campuses with a visit to Penn State Abington on Nov. 11. She will present “Improvising a Life” at 12:15 p.m. in 9 Sutherland Auditorium with musician Jennifer Peacock.




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Retired pharmaceutical leader to address Abington summer/fall graduates

Alumnus Marvin Johnson Jr. will share personal and professional lessons from his distinguished career leading large-scale global pharmaceutical initiatives with new Penn State Abington graduates.




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Emergency assistance and scholarships funds focus of Abington GivingTuesday

Penn State will celebrate its 10th GivingTuesday on Dec. 3, and Penn State Abington invites alumni and friends to mark this milestone by making a gift to support the Abington General Scholarship and Student Emergency Assistance funds.




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Science Instruction in the Age of the Coronavirus

Four science educators share their experiences adapting to online instruction, including through collaborative learning and the use of online labs.




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Q&A Collections: Science Instruction

All Classroom Q&A posts on Science Instruction (from the past nine years!) are described and linked to in this compilation post.




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The Role of Humans in Blended Learning

Mica Pollack and her colleagues from UCSD share new research about the importance of teachers in blended learning environments that highlights the strengths and limits of online tools.




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Blended Learning Is for Teachers, Too

Innovative professional development initiatives infuse technology with in-person learning to enhance learning experiences for teachers.




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Discussing Blended Learning and Remote Learning

We talk a lot about blended learning opportunities in my district, asking ourselves whether we are offering the most beneficial learning opportunities for both staff and students. We're looking to provide quality online learning resources to students when they are outside of our classrooms, as well




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Q&A Collections: School Closures & the Coronavirus Crisis

Sixty posts—including commentaries, videos and infographics—are listed, with practical advice for teachers dealing with remote teaching now and in the future.




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What is Blended Learning?

The new "question-of-the-week" is:




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Blended Learning

Computer programs may help predict students' grades in school as well as determine successful pathways for completing assignments, finds a new Stanford University study.




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Blended Learning

Using online editing sessions does not affect student scores on standardized writing and reading exams, according to a forthcoming study.





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Is Blended Learning at a Tipping Point?

Even great innovations can fail. Will blended learning be one of them? These five factors may help us determine if the new educational model has reached a tipping point.




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5 Major Benefits of Blended Learning

Modern classrooms are slowly taking a new approach to imparting wisdom and knowledge to the upcoming generation. Traditional classroom teaching techniques are giving way to a new system of blended learning.




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Blended Learning (Re)Defined

Technology-enhanced instruction can make learning personalized, student-centered, and available anytime, anywhere.




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Quiz Yourself: How Much Do You Know About Hybrid Learning?

Quiz yourself: How much do you know about how educators are navigating hybrid instruction and planning content for in-person and remote instruction?




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COVID-19 & Remote Learning: How to Make It Work

To avoid the frustrations and mistakes of last spring, see our tips, checklists, best practices, and expert advice on how to make teaching and learning at home engaging, productive, and equitable.




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How to Make Lessons Cohesive When Teaching Both Remote and In-Person Classes

When some students are online and others in school buildings, how can teachers make sure everyone is learning what they need to learn?




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How to Balance In-Person and Remote Instruction

Full-time remote instruction? In-person instruction? Or a hybrid model? Deciding among those three options can be an excruciating decision for school officials. But the choice many schools appear to be leaning toward is a hybrid model, at least for now.




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Teaching and Learning in the Pandemic

A more deliberate approach to curriculum, instruction, assessment, and teacher professional development this fall could mean a better experience for students; the lack of one could turn equity gaps into chasms.




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NYC virus rate stays below school-closing threshold, for now




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As Teachers Livestream Classes, Privacy Issues Arise

When in-person classes are livestreamed to distance learners, every heated class debate, teacher mistake, and student outburst is on display and might be recorded.




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What Does Blended Learning Look Like in a Distance Learning Environment?

Four educators share their experiences of blended learning. They suggest elements needed to make it work in remote teaching such as emphasizing relationship-building and minimizing the number of online tools.




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Blended Learning in the Age of COVID-19

Three educators share how they are adapting the principles of "blended learning" to the COVID-19 environment, including through involving community members and using a "flipped" classroom.




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Liberal Arts doctoral student explores memories behind haunted places

Ashleigh McDonald, a doctoral student and graduate assistant in the College of the Liberal Arts’ Department of Communication Arts and Sciences, traveled to Sydney, Australia, to conduct research for her dissertation at two prominent and allegedly haunted sites that date back to the late 1700s, when Great Britain and Ireland first started using the country as a penal colony.




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Why do we like being scared? A psychologist explains the benefits

A Penn State psychologist explains why humans like being scared.




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Liberal Arts student mobilizes young voters through PSU Votes internship

Maddie Hindman, a master of public policy student, is using her Liberal Arts education and passion for civic engagement to get out the vote.




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Criminology expo brings 60 agencies to campus

The College of the Liberal Arts’ annual “Criminal Justice, Policy, and Intelligence Career Expo” took place on Sept. 26 in Alumni Hall, HUB-Robeson Center. More than 600 attendees participated to network and learn more about internship and job opportunities.