Roughly 1 in 5 children in the United States are neurodivergent with diagnoses such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, and ADHD. Despite the prevalence of these diverse learners in schools, educators often say they need more knowledge, resources, and support to ensure strong academic and social-emotional outcomes for these students. Join us during National Learning Disabilities Awareness Month for insights that will help teachers, administrators, and staff better understand this population of students, get up to speed on the latest research, and challenge fixed mindsets about how students develop and learn.
Attendees will gain:
- Best practices for talking to students with learning differences about why they may struggle to learn certain skills—and how to support them
- Data on the rising prevalence of neurodivergence across student demographic groups and who is over/under identified and diagnosed
- Expert insights on the strengths-based view of learning differences and the ongoing debate about whether that puts supports and services for students at risk
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Agenda
2:00pm ET
Welcome & Introduction
We’ll highlight key insights from recent reporting on learning differences.
Lesli Maxwell is managing editor of Education Week.
2:10pm ET
Interactive Session: How Prevalent Are Learning Differences?
See the latest national data on the prevalence of dyslexia, dyscalculia, ADHD, and other learning differences. We will poll the audience on the most common learning differences they see among students in their schools and classrooms and how that’s changed over time.
Lesli Maxwell is managing editor of Education Week.
2:20pm ET
Industry Perspective: See Every Student: The Power of Personalized Teaching
Sponsor content provided by Renaissance
For decades, schools have invested in technology to personalize student learning. Yet this approach has clearly left some students behind. Why is this?
Find out why personalized learning is only half of the equation—and how educators can leverage the right data, tools, and strategies to deliver the personalized teaching that students need for success. You’ll also discover how recent advances in technology—including AI—empower educators at all levels to better identify and address student needs in the moment, so they can truly see every student in a classroom, school, or district.
For decades, schools have invested in technology to personalize student learning. Yet this approach has clearly left some students behind. Why is this?
Find out why personalized learning is only half of the equation—and how educators can leverage the right data, tools, and strategies to deliver the personalized teaching that students need for success. You’ll also discover how recent advances in technology—including AI—empower educators at all levels to better identify and address student needs in the moment, so they can truly see every student in a classroom, school, or district.
Storey Sitwala
Senior Director of Product Management,
Renaissance
Storey Sitwala is Senior Director of Product Management at Renaissance. Throughout her career, she has focused on the challenge of how to scale insight-driven best practices for educators. She has spearheaded and developed innovative solutions across education nonprofits, school systems, and within the education technology sector, leveraging her expertise in information science, data visualization, psychology, and user experience design.
2:30pm ET
Panel Discussion: Explaining Dyslexia, Dyscalculia and Other Learning Differences to Students
Hear from experts on how educators—especially teachers and principals—can better support students in their learning journeys. We’ll explore: the importance of understanding and explaining to students why they struggle to learn when their peers don't; creating a stigma-free classroom environment; and fostering students' ability to advocate for themselves and their unique needs in the classroom and beyond.
Arianna Prothero covers technology, student well-being, and the intersection of the two for Education Week.
Edward M. Hubbard
Associate Professor,
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Edward M. Hubbard directs the Educational Neuroscience Lab at University of Wisconsin-Madison. He holds appointments in Educational Psychology, Psychology and the Neuroscience Training Program, and is a Waisman Center Investigator. His work focuses on bridging neuroscience and education to better understand both typical and atypical mathematical development, with a particular focus on how people learn the challenging topic of fractions. He uses the latest brain imaging tools—including functional MRI and near infrared spectroscopy—to peer into the brain while children do simple math tasks. He believes that a better understanding of how brains are sculpted by the combined influences of biological and educational factors will help us to understand not just why some children struggle while others succeed, but even more importantly why current educational practices work, and how we might improve education for everyone.
Danielle Kovach
Past President,
Council for Exceptional Children
Dr. Danielle Kovach began her teaching career in 1997 and has taught general and special education in a wide range of settings. She is currently a second and third-grade special education teacher and adjunct professor of special education at Centenary University in New Jersey. Danielle was the 2022 President of the Council for Exceptional Children, the largest international professional organization dedicated to improving the success of children and youth with disabilities. She is the 2011 New Jersey State Teacher of the Year, the 2012 NEA Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence recipient, and the 2014 CEC Teacher of the Year. Over her 27-year career in education, Danielle has earned more than $116,000 in grants and awards, enabling her students and school to benefit from new technologies, a life skills kitchen, a sensory room, social-emotional learning spaces, and STEM integration, among other valuable opportunities.
Jacquelyn Taylor
Student,
University of Rhode Island
Jacquelyn Taylor is a freshman at the University of Rhode Island. She is a passionate online advocate for learning disabilities, more specifically for dyslexia and dyscalculia. Her main platform is TikTok (@jacquelyn_elyse) where she has accumulated more than 6,000 followers. Jacquelyn was diagnosed with dyslexia when she was nine years old and diagnosed with dyscalculia when she was fourteen years old. She started advocating for learning disabilities when she was fourteen, shortly after her diagnosis, in 2020. Her advocacy on TikTok has allowed her to accomplish other opportunities such as: writing an article for a learning disability magazine called “Dystinct Magazine,” appearing as a guest for a PBS show called “A World Of Difference,” and appearing as a guest speaker for Lindamood-Bell’s Podcast.
3:15pm ET
Expert Q&A: What Is a Strengths-Based View of Learning Differences and Does It Help Students?
Learn how the way people talk and think about neurodiversity, such as ADHD, has evolved, and what it means to take a strengths-based view of students who have learning differences. We’ll unpack the debate about whether the push to frame neurodiversity as a so-called “superpower” can put students at risk of not receiving necessary supports and interventions at school.
Dr. Emma Cole
Instructor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences,
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Dr. Emma Cole, PhD, ABPP, NCSP, is a licensed psychologist, a board-certified school psychologist and a nationally certified school psychologist within the Kennedy Krieger School Programs and Department of Neuropsychology. She also is an instructor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Sheldon C. McAfee
Assistant Professor of Teacher Education and Elementary Education,
Saint Louis University
Sheldon C. McAfee, Ed.D., is an assistant professor of teacher education and elementary education at Saint Louis University. He began his education career as a classroom teacher, and he also served as an elementary and middle school administrator. Some of Dr. McAfee’s practice areas of interest include school culture and climate, equity education, and social-emotional learning.
3:45pm ET
Interactive Session: How Can Schools Do a Better Job of Identifying and Supporting Students with Learning Differences?
We will discuss key research findings on the under/over identification of students with learning differences. Audience members are encouraged to share their experiences, best practices, and questions about how to ensure that students are evaluated and identified accurately.
Brooke Schultz is a staff writer for Education Week covering policy and politics in Congress and statehouses.
3:55pm ET
Closing Thoughts
Hear the big takeaways from this forum.
Lesli Maxwell is managing editor of Education Week.
