Students With Disabilities

Read about the needs and experiences of students with disabilities in schools
Illustration of a young girl with hands on her head, having difficulty reading with scrambled letters on the pages of an open book.
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Special Education Schools Lag in IDing Kids Who Need Special Education. Are They Catching Up?
Schools in one state are making progress addressing a pandemic-fueled backlog of special education identifications.
Evie Blad, December 11, 2024
5 min read
Custom illustration by Stuart Briers showing a finger illuminating a spot on the back of another hand that is illuminating keys on a blue computer keyboard with AI apps floating all around.
Stuart Briers for Education Week
Artificial Intelligence Q&A AI’s Potential in Special Education: A Researcher’s View
A researcher shares ways he's used generative AI tools effectively with special education students. And what not to do.
Lauraine Langreo, December 9, 2024
5 min read
Photograph showing a red bead standing out from blue beads on an abacus.
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Special Education 3 Things Every Teacher Should Know About Learning Differences
A researcher, a teacher, and a student all weigh in: What do you wish all teachers knew about students with learning differences?
Arianna Prothero, December 4, 2024
3 min read
Photo of teacher and blind student using braille slate.
E+
English Learners English Learners With Disabilities: The Rules Schools Have to Follow
Schools can't force English learners with disabilities to choose between special ed. and language instruction—and other tips from OCR.
Ileana Najarro, November 14, 2024
4 min read
Neurodiversity. Thinking brain. Difference concept.
iStock/Getty Images + Education Week
Special Education A Guide to Bringing Neurodiverse Learners Into the Fold
Three tips for teachers and principals to accommodate learning differences.
Olina Banerji, October 18, 2024
3 min read
Black teacher smiling and giving a student a high five in a classroom of Black elementary students.
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Special Education 5 Key Ways to Support Students With Learning Differences
Teachers are often uncertain about how to support students who have dyslexia, dysgraphia, or dyscalculia.
Arianna Prothero, October 14, 2024
4 min read
Illustration of a silhouette of a person standing on a white path that drops off into a cliff. The other side of the cliff shows a flag on the path where it picks up.
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Student Well-Being Are Schools Responsible for Students Who Avoid School? A New Lawsuit Says Yes
A class action argues that the New York City schools aren't adequately supporting students with disabilities who are school-avoidant.
Brooke Schultz, October 10, 2024
5 min read
An illustration of a small person of color dragging a very large bookbag on their back.
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Special Education How Students With Disabilities Fare in Both Charter and Regular Public Schools
Students with disabilities experienced inequities in both types of schools, a new analysis shows.
Brooke Schultz, October 8, 2024
6 min read
Special Education Video Dyscalculia FAQ: The Math Disability Teachers Should Know About
Dyscalculia is a math learning disability that affects 5 to 8 percent of the population. Here's what teachers should know.
Jaclyn Borowski, October 7, 2024
4:55
A child contemplates throwing a paper airplane while sitting at the center of a large abstract flower resembling a brain.
Nix Ren for Education Week
Special Education How Teachers Can Motivate and Engage Neurodiverse Students
A balanced approach of addressing students' strengths and weaknesses is best, experts say.
Elizabeth Heubeck, October 7, 2024
5 min read
An adult holds a child's hand in front of a large grid representing neurodiversity. Some tiles are missing, where it's hard to explain.
Nix Ren for Education Week
Special Education Explainer Talking to Students About Their Learning Differences: A Guide for Teachers
Teachers who talk to kids about why learning is difficult equips students to understand themselves and become their own advocates.
Arianna Prothero, October 7, 2024
13 min read
Two student silhouettes face each other one overflowing with vegetation and the other almost empty by comparison. Learning Differences. Over and under diagnosis.
Nix Ren for Education Week
Special Education 'Handcuffed and Pushed Out': How Schools Fail Some Students With Disabilities
What can happen to students and schools when disabilities are over- and under-identified in children.
Brooke Schultz, October 7, 2024
8 min read
Psychology, Dream, Mental Health concept illustration. Brain, neuroscience and creative mind.
iStock/Getty Images
Special Education Q&A Is Dyslexia a ‘Superpower’? What Students Want Their Teachers to Know
5 students with dyslexia discuss what it feels like to be described as having special "powers."
Elizabeth Heubeck, October 7, 2024
5 min read
Silhouettes of diverse students, each growing a different type of plant. Neurodiversity represented by biodiversity.
Nix Ren for Education Week
Special Report Understanding Learning Differences
This special report explores neurodiversity and some key issues shaping the experiences of students with learning and thinking differences.
October 7, 2024