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Our blog has been designed to keep our educators, parents and clinicians up-to-date on trending topics in special education.

Strategies for Improving Teacher Retention in Your School

Today, schools are faced with heightened challenges brought on by special education teachers and related service providers leaving the profession at faster rates than new hires are entering it. Staff shortages can lead to disruptions in learning for students, and it's essential to find ways to support and retain the teachers who make a difference in their lives. Let’s talk about some strategies that can help to offset the burdens fueled by staff shortages, from professional development and mentorship to higher pay and providing high-quality curriculum resources.

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Fostering Life Skills in Transition-Age Students

Think about your everyday life as an adult involved in your community. What do you do? What skills do you need to have to go, for example, grocery shopping? Or to a restaurant? For students with disabilities, life skills – the skills needed to manage selfcare, are correlated to improved education, employment and independent living outcomes.

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Teaching safety skills to students with moderate to severe disabilities

It goes without saying that learning safety skills is important for everyone, but it’s critical for students with moderate to severe disabilities. If these skills are not taught directly and systematically, they often will not be learned naturally. Let’s tap into key safety skills that can be taught in the classroom and practiced in natural environments, as well as how you can teach them effectively.

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Understanding Transition Curriculum: How It Supports Students’ Post-High School Success

Ever heard of the “Sunday Scaries?” Often times, the Sunday Scaries are referenced on a Sunday night when Monday morning is quickly approaching. For many, this means wrapping up a weekend of relaxation and transitioning back into the 9-5 grind, or for students, it means heading back to a full week of school. Transitions in general can pose feelings of overwhelm, and that leap from high school to post-secondary life is certainly no different - especially for students with moderate to severe disabilities.

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Teaching prosocial, functional and adaptive skills

Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), students with disabilities have the right to receive a free and appropriate public education. This means that all students will receive the same academic opportunities as their typically developing peers. As a special educator, you recognize that academic progress for your students with moderate to severe disabilities is important, but you also know it’s not the full picture. Supporting prosocial, adaptive, and functional skills, among others, is key in helping your students reach their full potential and live as independently as possible one day.

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How Can Effective Special Education Software Positively Impact Students?

Technology has revolutionized the capabilities of special education software, providing unprecedented resources and opportunities to students with disabilities. From interactive software that breaks down academic concepts into chunks to communication tools designed specifically for those struggling in general education settings, advancements in special education technology are opening up a world of potential.

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Time to Spend ESSER Funds Is Running Out

This pillar report presents an overview of special education funding that is meant to serve as a guidepost for special education administrators who are new to decision-making and budgeting processes within their districts or LEAs.

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What Is the Whole Child Approach?

As a special educator on the frontlines of student growth and development, you understand that academic progress is important, but you know it’s not the full picture. Adaptive, vocational, social, behavioral and cognitive skills, along with physical and emotional well-being, all play a critical role in supporting a whole child approach that helps your students reach their full potential. In this blog, we’ll break down the ins and outs of the whole child approach, and how it impacts your students with moderate to severe disabilities.

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What Is An Adapted Curriculum, And Who Is It Appropriate For?

Every student deserves equitable and inclusive access to the general education curriculum that complies with state standards. How does an adapted curriculum play a role in accomplishing that for students with disabilities? An adapted curriculum does not change the what when it comes to learning, it simply redefines the how.

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Science of Reading Components In The enCORE Curriculum

Do you remember learning to read as a child? If so, what was the process like for you? Was it joyful? Do your memories of your early learning years make you smile as you think about practicing letter flashcards, sounding out words, and perhaps earning special stickers for jumping to the next reading level? Or are the emotions associated with your memories of learning to read a little more complex? Learning to read is a process, after all, and that process is not the same for all learners. For some students, solving words and making meaning from texts is a very frustrating task. However you learned to read, education scientists and thought leaders in literacy instruction agree that there is a science to the process.

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