Know Power, Know Responsibility: How to unleash the potential of every child in America

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Abstract

within the current structure.</p><p id="20ca">Under the current school model, a student with disabilities has a case manager who works with the student, parents, teachers, other school staff, and occasionally non-school staff to develop a plan — the Individualized Education Program (IEP). The IEP includes goals, interventions, and services designed to ensure the student has all the necessary opportunities to remain on track with his or her age cohort. The people involved and the scope of the plan will vary based on the nature and extent of disabilities. All of a student’s teachers must accommodate the student’s plan for the classes in which the student is enrolled.</p><p id="130e">Compared to earlier times in our schools — when students with disabilities were excluded from many or all regular school activities or sent to completely different schools — this approach is a vast improvement. Unfortunately, the current approach and the ability of schools to meet the needs of students with disabilities suffer from all the same limitations noted in previous chapters, and some of these issues are compounded for students with disabilities.</p><p id="c418">Because our current model is built around teaching instead of learning, plans for students with disabilities are often focused on ensuring the student can receive the instruction and participate in related activities, regardless of whether that is the best way for the student to learn the desired knowledge and skills. This is one more place our current school model is driving decisions rather than what would be most effective and maybe even most cost-effective. The added costs of students with certain disabilities participating in the same activities — especially when they may not even foster learning for most students — add to the argument that there must be a more sustainable approach.</p><p id="aeed">A new school model could be created that would develop educational activities specific to the needs of <i>every</i> individual student. Students with disabilities would then receive the same opportunities as every other student and have them tailored toward their learning objectives, not receipt of instruction. The model could also be designed to meet these needs in cost-effective ways for every student. In some cases, these costs might still be higher for a student with disabilities, but it would almost certainly be less costly than having to accommodate disabilities within a structure not designed to be flexible.</p><p id="3dca">Everything about closing achievement and opportunity gaps (chapter 1) and basing most instruction and assessments on averages (chapter 3) applies to students with disabilities. Beginning with averages — or even setting a “higher bar” that exceeds averages to push students — simply cannot allow any students to approach their individual potential. A student’s disabilities are only one aspect of that student, all of which need to be considered in developing a plan for the student to achieve his or her learning goals and reach his or her potential. If this is done for all students, then it will just be routine for students with disabilities.</p><p id="da4d">Students with disabilities ar

Options

e often unique in more obvious ways than other students, but we must keep in mind that <i>all</i> students are unique and all bring a diversity of experiences to their learning. As a new school model emerges that takes into account and leverages the diversity of student experiences, everyone will come to see that the experiences of students with disabilities enhance the school community and everyone’s learning. Similarly, students with disabilities may have experiences that better prepare them to thrive in an ever-changing world.</p><p id="f1e6">Students with disabilities must be ready and able to vocally and forcefully advocate for themselves to be treated equitably and have fair opportunities. They must be ready to defend themselves against those who would try to manipulate, cheat, or take advantage of them. Essentially, they must develop the same skills needed to ensure our democracy stays strong and is not compromised by those who would abuse the power they have acquired.</p><p id="d0b7">Students with disabilities will benefit immensely if schools are designed to personalize the educational experiences of all students in order that every student can approach his or her personal potential. Currently, students with disabilities are the exception with a personalized plan — but its execution is only as effective as the structure and staff will allow.</p><p id="8839">On the other hand, if the school was designed to accommodate a unique plan for every student with the intent of bringing each near his or her potential, then executing the plan of a student with disabilities, as noted above, would be routine. Consequently, the plan could be much more effective and more likely to achieve the stated goals and outcomes, which would be set significantly higher because they would not be limited by the curriculum and standards being used today.</p><p id="75ed"><b>Continue with the next element of Know Power, Know Responsibility (Chapter 10), here:</b></p><div id="01f6" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/know-power-know-responsibility-how-to-unleash-the-potential-of-every-child-in-america-71fd47465044"> <div> <div> <h2>Know Power, Know Responsibility: How to unleash the potential of every child in America</h2> <div><h3>Part 1 — Chapter 10: Freeing Teachers to Pursue Their Potential</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*S9lGoloC55rVs0YN4CVggA.png)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="5d00"><i>Kevin Miller is a Boomer who joined the Army during the Cold War and continues to serve. He has spent 30-plus years working in K-12 education as a teacher, administrator, and consultant and is now on a mission to reinvent our school model. His book <b>Know Power, Know Responsibility</b> provides the imperatives for a complete redesign of schools and the way to get there. See his website <a href="http://knowresponsibility.com/">knowresponsibility.com</a> to learn more.</i></p></article></body>

Part 1 — Chapter 9: Students with Disabilities

Photo by Author

Author’s Note: I will publish additional sections of this book each week. You can find previously posted sections at the following links: Note to Parents of School Age Children and Note to Teachers, School Administrators, and Other School Staff here; Introduction here; Prologues Part 1 and 2 here; Prologues Part 3 and 4 here; Part 1-Chapters 0 and 1 here; Chapter 2 here; Chapter 3 here; Chapter 4 here; Chapters 5 and 6 here; Chapter 7 here, and Chapter 8 here.

CHAPTER 9 — Students with Disabilities

While this is a stand-alone chapter, every reason noted in the other chapters for why we must replace the current models of schools applies to students with disabilities.

One of the greatest changes in public schools over the past century is the inclusion of students with disabilities in all aspects of the educational process. Although the system is not completely equitable for students with disabilities and there are still schools that are failing to meet their obligations, tremendous strides have been made. That being said, like nearly every other aspect of our current schools, there is no means of achieving additional significant improvement within the current structure.

Under the current school model, a student with disabilities has a case manager who works with the student, parents, teachers, other school staff, and occasionally non-school staff to develop a plan — the Individualized Education Program (IEP). The IEP includes goals, interventions, and services designed to ensure the student has all the necessary opportunities to remain on track with his or her age cohort. The people involved and the scope of the plan will vary based on the nature and extent of disabilities. All of a student’s teachers must accommodate the student’s plan for the classes in which the student is enrolled.

Compared to earlier times in our schools — when students with disabilities were excluded from many or all regular school activities or sent to completely different schools — this approach is a vast improvement. Unfortunately, the current approach and the ability of schools to meet the needs of students with disabilities suffer from all the same limitations noted in previous chapters, and some of these issues are compounded for students with disabilities.

Because our current model is built around teaching instead of learning, plans for students with disabilities are often focused on ensuring the student can receive the instruction and participate in related activities, regardless of whether that is the best way for the student to learn the desired knowledge and skills. This is one more place our current school model is driving decisions rather than what would be most effective and maybe even most cost-effective. The added costs of students with certain disabilities participating in the same activities — especially when they may not even foster learning for most students — add to the argument that there must be a more sustainable approach.

A new school model could be created that would develop educational activities specific to the needs of every individual student. Students with disabilities would then receive the same opportunities as every other student and have them tailored toward their learning objectives, not receipt of instruction. The model could also be designed to meet these needs in cost-effective ways for every student. In some cases, these costs might still be higher for a student with disabilities, but it would almost certainly be less costly than having to accommodate disabilities within a structure not designed to be flexible.

Everything about closing achievement and opportunity gaps (chapter 1) and basing most instruction and assessments on averages (chapter 3) applies to students with disabilities. Beginning with averages — or even setting a “higher bar” that exceeds averages to push students — simply cannot allow any students to approach their individual potential. A student’s disabilities are only one aspect of that student, all of which need to be considered in developing a plan for the student to achieve his or her learning goals and reach his or her potential. If this is done for all students, then it will just be routine for students with disabilities.

Students with disabilities are often unique in more obvious ways than other students, but we must keep in mind that all students are unique and all bring a diversity of experiences to their learning. As a new school model emerges that takes into account and leverages the diversity of student experiences, everyone will come to see that the experiences of students with disabilities enhance the school community and everyone’s learning. Similarly, students with disabilities may have experiences that better prepare them to thrive in an ever-changing world.

Students with disabilities must be ready and able to vocally and forcefully advocate for themselves to be treated equitably and have fair opportunities. They must be ready to defend themselves against those who would try to manipulate, cheat, or take advantage of them. Essentially, they must develop the same skills needed to ensure our democracy stays strong and is not compromised by those who would abuse the power they have acquired.

Students with disabilities will benefit immensely if schools are designed to personalize the educational experiences of all students in order that every student can approach his or her personal potential. Currently, students with disabilities are the exception with a personalized plan — but its execution is only as effective as the structure and staff will allow.

On the other hand, if the school was designed to accommodate a unique plan for every student with the intent of bringing each near his or her potential, then executing the plan of a student with disabilities, as noted above, would be routine. Consequently, the plan could be much more effective and more likely to achieve the stated goals and outcomes, which would be set significantly higher because they would not be limited by the curriculum and standards being used today.

Continue with the next element of Know Power, Know Responsibility (Chapter 10), here:

Kevin Miller is a Boomer who joined the Army during the Cold War and continues to serve. He has spent 30-plus years working in K-12 education as a teacher, administrator, and consultant and is now on a mission to reinvent our school model. His book Know Power, Know Responsibility provides the imperatives for a complete redesign of schools and the way to get there. See his website knowresponsibility.com to learn more.