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ELC’s 2010 Agenda
Here’s the short version of what we hope to accomplish this year. For more information, see our agenda page.
- Keep Pennsylvania’s new school funding formula in place, and update it to better meet the needs of children with disabilities.
- Remove barriers to school enrollment and continuity, especially for children who live apart from their parents or are homeless.
- Improve early childhood and early intervention programs, especially for children with disabilities and others with special needs.
- Expand schoolwide positive behavior support programs, and reduce unnecessary suspensions and expulsions.
- Raise standards in our state’s alternative disciplinary schools.
- Limit the use of "seclusion," a dangerous technique currently applied to some students with disabilities.
- Ensure that state school reforms address the needs of English language learners.
- Support parent and student groups that are working to improve their schools.
- Develop new publications and training materials for parents, caseworkers, and others who work with children.
News & Action Items
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Introducing: School Victories.org
There’s a lot of good education advocacy and organizing work being done right here in Pennsylvania and in other states throughout the country. There’s also, though, a void in how good advocates and organizers connect to each other.
The Education Law Center, with the support of the Ford Foundation and the William Penn Foundation, has created a new tool to fill that void.
SchoolVictories.org is a tool to help you plan your school improvement work, share that work with others, and get inspired. It’s more than a Web site — it’s a new way to connect people and actions. Read more... ELC Attorney Averts Passage of Potentially Illegal Enrollment Policy
Staff Attorney Maura McInerney attended a Jan. 28 meeting of the Hazleton Area School Board to voice ELC's opposition to the district’s proposed Registration and Admission Procedures. Read more...- ELC School Reform Associate receives Excellence in Advocacy Award
The Education Law Center's School Reform Associate Sandy Zelno received the Excellence in Advocacy Award on Dec. 7 from ACHIEVA. Read more...
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ELC Attorney Critiques School District Zero Tolerance Policies
The Winter 2009 edition of the Philadelphia Public School Notebook includes an opinion piece written by Education Law Center Staff Attorney David Lapp. Read more...
Read more news and updates from the Education Law Center on our News and Action Items page.
Publications and More Help
- New! Fairness in School Discipline in Pennsylvania: A Guide for Attorneys and Advocates Who Represent Students
- New! Getting Information About Your School: A Guide to Pennsylvania Laws on Open Meetings and Public Records
- New! It's Raining Stimulus Dollars: Will This Solve Your Special Education Funding Problems?
- Basics of Special Education Law Brochure for parents
- Right to Special Education Manual (2009)
- Training Request Form.
- Browse and download ELC publications and training materials.
- Have a question about ELC services? Check our Frequently Asked Questions page for help.
- Find other agencies that can help you.
Calendar
For details on any of these events, visit our calendar page.
November 21, 2009 - May 1, 2010
The Arc of Philadelphia is sponsoring a 12-session special education advocacy training for parents, service providers, advocates, educators, lawyers, and therapists will be held from November through next May.
2/10/10 Webinar: The Ins and Outs of Compensatory Education. 2:00pm-3:30pm. For more information and to register, visit the Advocacy Institute's webinar description.
2/11/10 Workshop: Obama's Vision for Reforming Public Schools. Freire Charter School, Philadelphia, 6:15pm-8:15pm
ELC Staff Attorney David Lapp will moderate a session on the Race to the Top federal grant initiative. Space is limited: Please RSVP to Jonathan Cetel at jonathan@goodschoolspa.org. Learn more here.
3/5/10 Conference: School Discipline: Exploring the Options. Widener School of Law, Wilmington, DE, 9:00am-3:00pm. This conference is sponsored by the ACLU of Delaware. ELC Staff Attorney David Lapp will be part of a panel discussing the impact of school discipline on various student populations.