Friday catch-up notes—20 March 2026
What didn't become a spedlet this week?
Editor’s note: This post contains snippets about stories, resources, and observations that the SET authors didn’t develop into full-blown posts over the past week. I’m hoping we can catch up with our in-boxes. We didn’t want you, Dear Readers, to miss them. Some of them may later appear as a part (or parcel) of a post.—JohnL
In The Irish Times for 17 March 2026, Darragh McDonagh published a story about restraint and seclusion under the headline, “461 school restraint incidents involving children with special needs since September: A number of the documented incidents resulted in injury.” Happy St. Patrick’s Day? Ugh. At least readers will know that S & R isn’t just a US problem.
Over on Disability Scoop on 17 March 2026, Michelle Diament posted a story about President Trump’s ill-considered and insensitive remarks about learning disabilities. She included quotes from NCLD’s statement and Jackie Rodriguez, a regular reader of SET. See “Trump Says Presidents ‘Should Not Have Learning Disabilities.’”
Readers who follow Friend-of-SET Callie Oettinger’s Special Education Action will know that the US Office for Civil Rights in the US Department of Education announced that it had busted the Washington (DC, US) District of Columbia Public Schools for delaying evaluations for special education eligibility, having untrained staff members make decisions about students’ education, and more. Read Callie’s 19 March 2026 account of the finding at “Office for Civil Rights Finds District of Columbia Public Schools at Fault for Extensive Discrimination Against Students Who Have Disabilities.“
The Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness has extended until 31 March 2026 the deadline for its summer fellowship program for 2026. SREE matches organizations that have a researchable question about educational effectiveness with advanced graduate students to conduct a study examining the research questions. Students participating in the program must be members of SREE. Organizations contribute funds to help support the summer internships. Learn more from the SREE page about the program, which has links for orgs to submit projects and students to apply for fellowships.