Strong, supportive relationships, including those between “school adults” and parents/guardians, are one of the four key components of student success systems. Students benefit greatly from parental involvement, including parents’ relationships with principals, teachers, counselors, and IEP team members. When school and home adults trust each other as equal partners in supporting a child’s education, the solutions they develop to support a child can be informed by a holistic picture of the student – one that includes context from both in and outside the classroom.

September 19, 2023. It is that time of year again. The beginning of a new school year. You are likely experiencing a myriad of emotions. Some excitement, some fear, some comfort in returning to a routine, and even some trauma from the way things have been going at work lately. Whatever you may be feeling, you are not alone. We are hearing from teachers all around the country and...

August 11, 2023 In the 2019 – 2020 academic year, the graduation rate for students with disabilities was 71%, far below the national graduation rate of 87%. Students with disabilities drop out at over twice the rate as their non-disabled peers.  For students with specific learning disabilities, factors such as disciplinary exclusion, lower-than-average grades, retention, low parent expectations, and poor quality of relationships within schools significantly predict graduation rates over and above sociodemographic indicators such as race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status.  Yet, students with specific learning disabilities can learn on par with their non-disabled peers if given the appropriate instructional resources and support.