Special Education Today newsletter 4(48)
Are you ready for another look at the previous week of SET?
Hey, howdy, and hello (& nǐn hǎo, olá, hola, jambo, marhaba, ciao, yā…) and welcome to this issue of the newsletter for Special Education Today. This is, indeed, the 48th issue of the fourth volume and the 1308th post in the history of SET. Let’s get on with it (and, by “it” I mean the newsletter with the usual array of contents, including a photo, some updates, a catalog of recent contents, and a comment or two)!
Photo
Twenty years ago when Pat and I lived in the woods of rural Virginia, I got a new camera. I took a lot of photos, hoping to learn how to control the thing. During one of those shoot-early-shoot-often sessions, it happened that I heard an Eastern Screech Owl. After some searching, I saw it off the north side of our house and I took this photo from the deck. Embiggen as needed.
Fun side story: One early morning I was leaving for work. As I drove the 0.4-.5 kilometer gravel driveway to the state road, I saw a flurry of activities in the woods off toward a neighbors’ house. I realized that it was two Eastern Screech Owlets. I put my truck1 into reverse, backed up the lane, got Pat to climb into the truck with me, and went back down the lane to show them to her. We got to observe them for 3-4 minutes. Even though I was later getting to my office than I’d hoped, it was a delightful moment for we two bird watchers.
Update on SET
After about one year of publishing SET, in the spring of 2022 I invited readers to become paying subscribers. A few friends and colleagues joined. Most of them have been renewing their subscriptions regularly since then, and I want to offer a note of sincere appreciation to them for their long-standing support. They are Angelique W., Anita A., Bob P., Christine T., Clay K., Dan H., Ed M., Ed P., Janet J., Joel M., Kathy M., Kristin S., Larry M., Linda L., Mary-Anne L., Michele M., Mike G., Mike N., and Pam S. Two early subscribers who are missing from that list are my late pals, Ronnie D. and Jimmy K.
In the bigger perspective, Substack lists 960 subscribers for SET. In addition, there are about 260 folks who “follow” SET (followers get notices about notes but not posts). I’m not sure of this, but I think some subscribers are also counted in the followers group. Here is a graph showing change in total (sub + follow) connections to SET.
Welcome to new subscribers, including especially Georgia, and Heather B., Tess C., Willow G., H. W., and Robert T. Some of those new subscribers join others in the US. We are in these states (darker coloring indicated more subscribers): Looks like we need outreach to residents of Montana, the Dakotas, Wyoming, and Alaska if we are to cover the entire US…help?
Coming back to the note at the beginning of this section: Apparently it is unusual to have many loyal paid subscriptions. Substack reported that ~84% of paying SET subscribers renew after their first year. That renewal rate is, according to Substack’s analysis, “above average.” Yay!
Last week’s posts
Here are links to the posts published there week beginning 18 May 2025.
Special Education Today newsletter 4(48): What happened on SET the week that began 12 May 2025?
Disability rights advocate received honorary doctorate: Who is Cindy Bentley and why is her honorary doctorate important?
R. Filmer promoting petition supporting 2014 UK Children and Families Act: What is the threat to the foundational law in Great Britain?
Retro: Self-esteem myth: Was it really 20 years ago that scientists explained raising self-esteem doesn't lead to better achievement?
Judge blocked closing of US ED: Is anyone not surprised that there's another chapter in this story?
HB, Stan Deno: Isn't it a good opportunity to remember Stan's contributions to special education?
More D. J. Trump on cause of autism: Are POTUS statements advancing understanding of autism?
Wheelchairs at the game: Anyone for tennis?
So, yes, Dear Readers, that is 8 posts which is greater than your recommended 5-7. Sorry. But thanks for reading!
Comments
I’m ending this week’s newsletter with a tip of the of the cap to the parents who contribute to the education of children and youth with disabilities. Years ago and in another blog-o-sphere I had opportunities to discuss with attorneys their views of advocates for kids with disabilities. One of them told me that he evaluated advocates on whether they generally favored parents’ or schools’ interests.
Given that many cases he—and other legal consultants—encounters are disputes between schools and parents, I understand his concern about other advocates. After all, he’s representing one side and his counterparts are representing the other side. Big surprise!
I just want to remind all of us reading SET that we educators and parents are in this together. Sure, that might seem trite, but it’s realistic. Parents have inherent and legitimate interests in the education of their children. Schools do, too. Educators may think parents are making ill-informed or illogical requests. Parents may think that schools are making recommendations that serve the institution’s financial or policy interests. It’s understandable that people may attribute to others some not-so-great motives.
But in our case, we need to keep the focus not on whether others are making self-serving or malfeasant recommendations. We have to remember to focus on the individual. Our kids are the reason we’re engaging in the discussions (if not disputes), so let’s not lose the focus.
And, amplifying that view, I am glad that we have parents who read SET, including Laura McKenna (The Great Leap, and others), Kate Swenson (Finding Cooper’s Voice), Shasta Kearns Moore (Medical Motherhood), and Melanie Webster (Life with Mars)—among others; please add in the comments! In addition, it’s wonderful to have advocates (whichever way they lean) such as Paul Coyne (Paul’s Substack of Useful Information), Ashley Nyce (Simplifying Special Ed Law), Charlene (“Leena”) Harris (FAPE4U), and others. We can work together!
And, all y’all—whether I just linked to you or not—can help ensure that together we are considerate of others, take care of ourselves and our colleagues and neighbors, and (of course) teach our children well.
Hugs & love,
JohnL
SET should not be confused with a product that uses the same name and is published by the Council for Exceptional Children. SET predated CEC’s publication by decades. Despite my appreciation for CEC, this product is not designed to promote that organization nor should the views expressed here be considered to represent the views or policies of that organization.
Footnote
By the way, that truck (1994 Toyota Xtra Cab, 4-wheel drive, 5-speed, low mileage) is for sale, complete with rust (for free).
US Education = Dumbing Down Students So Everyone is Equally Stupid. https://torrancestephensphd.substack.com/p/dumbing-down-students-so-everyone