The Institute of Education Sciences announced a Webinar for the afternoon of 16 November 2021. According to an email message, it is part of an effort to examine the effects of the pandemic. It is supposed to help educators "identify students who have disengaged and address lags in learning."

Here is the abstract:

As concerns about the pandemic and disruptions to instruction continue, educators and policymakers need to know how to identify students who have disengaged and address lags in learning. In this webinar, staff from Pittsburgh Public Schools and REL Mid-Atlantic will discuss changes in student achievement, describe how students engaged with online learning applications during remote instruction during the past year, and discuss the connections between achievement and virtual engagement. The team analyzed remote learning data, looking at both test scores and course grades. Test scores indicated that most students experienced growth, but less than in a typical year. These gaps were largest for the youngest students, but course failures increased most in middle and high school. Attendance data indicated that many students were likely failing courses because they were not showing up for their remote classes.

I didn’t listen to the session, I admit. Maybe there were discussions about students with disabilities. But why isn’t that topic a top feature? I mean…I mean…which kids had more difficult disruptions, were more likely to be disengaged, etc., than our kids?

Furthermore, there was no direct link to the session in the email message I recieved announcing this Webinar. Perhaps I missed it…help?

It’d be little help to write one’s CongressPerson; they are too involved in making the other party look bad to do much real action. But it would be good to let our neighbors know that even an important advocate like IES is ignoring kids with disabilies…not even the usual “click here to see this message in your broswer.”

Sorry, I am disappointed-irritated by this turn of events. Yes, very disaappointing work from the REL and IES.