Special Education Today newsletter 6(6)
What happened if one looked away from SET the week of 3 August 2026?
Here begins the edition of the weekly newsletter for Special Education Today for the period starting 3 August 2026 (and the 1769th post in the history of SET). All y’all Dear Readers who are familiar with the newsletters, will anticipate seeing a photo, some updates about subscribers, a list of recent posts, and an editorial. Those regulars are so savvy...and let’s get to it!
Photo
It’s been the summer doldrums here is Beautyville. As is usually the case in central Virginia, for the last couple of weeks of July and the first couple of weeks of August our days are often hot and humid and our nights are…well…hot and humid (too). Afternoon thunderstorms are common. I remember as a child, when we did not have air conditioning, that playing under the downspout of a roof gutter while cold rain water flowed over me was a refreshing pleasure.
One of my joys of the season, however, is the abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables. (The berries have mostly already been consumed, either by we humans or our feathered or furry neighbors.) This past week, Pat snagged a few peaches from a local orchard and I enjoyed them.
The photo I inserted here shows one of those peaches at rest on a paper towel a few minutes before 8 AM on 5 August. Just a seconds after I took the photo, all that was left of that peach was that little stem part that one can see at the left and the pit from the inside of it. Well, there were a few drips of juice on the paper towel and a little residue on my fingers.
It was, if you will please pardon me, peachy.
Status
As of this past week, Substack indicated that there are > 1250 subscribers and ~ 1720 followers for SET. Welcome to those who have joined the community this past week.
About 100 people provide financial support for SET via paid subscriptions. In addition to three patrons (Li-Yu H., Mike G., and Kathy M.), I want to acknowledge contributions by others who are helping to sustain the operation. Special thanks to very Dear Readers: Sunil G., Sonja de B., Ann R., Karmelyn L., Anna O., Bob P., Jackie R., Jean S., Jenni R., Nancy C.-W., Paige P., Angelique W., Joel M., Kimberly B., Kimmy L., Kristen McM., Kristin S., Jennifer S., Larry M., Linda L., Luann D., Luann J., Mary-Anne L.,Roberta B., and Susan O. Thank you!
And, thanks to folks who interacted with the content this past week. Jane B. was (I think) the only person who dropped a comment. There were an entire host of y’all who dropped “likes” on posts. Thank you!
Please keep on sharing SET in whatever ways you can, Dear Readers. Copy the URL, forward messages, talk about it in classes, meetings, the hallways, the commutes, and wherever else the opportunity rises. Of course, you can simply click the share button.
While you’re sharing, let folks know that there is discount for new paid subscribers this month. Just follow this link for the August 2026 Special.
Spedlettes list
Subscribers received notices of new posts on SET durning the just-passed week.1 Things got a little thin toward the end of the week. Sigh. I didn’t publish posts on Saturday or Sunday. Still the number (7)2 is within the range readers once told me is a good target. Here is the catalog of them beginning with newsletter for the previous week. Please note that one of the posts is reserved for paying subscribers.
Public
Special Education Today newsletter 6(5): How about a compilation of what occurred in the SET community during the week beginning 24 July 2026?
ALLIED Hub launches literacy resource: Who? What? When? Where? [PAID]
U. Frith questioned broadening autism diagnosis: What did the noted autism researcher have to say in
August sale on SET subscriptions: Why not?
Webinar series on managing classrooms starts 11 August 2026: Did you mebbe not need this reminder?
Count me in—Disability in the arts: How about watching a group that includes kids with disabilities perform on stage?
Friday catch-up notes—7 August 2026: What about stories that didn’t show up as a full post this week?
Each of these posts was read about 500 or more times. Even though I did not publish posts for a couple of days this past week, there are more to come. Take advantage of the sale on paid subscriptions for the month of August 2026.
Comments
I read other ‘stacks, blogs, posts, and articles frequently. Those who follow me will have seen that I sometimes comment or re-stack those sources, but those notes only reflect a little bit of my reading of other sources. So, I want to provide a shout out (as they say) to some of the other authors education, special education, and disability resources whose works I read. Here I shall list some (only some) of the sources that I read frequently (not ordered).
Reid’s Substack by G. Reid Lyon;
Douglas Carnine by…guess who!;
Carl Hendrick’s The Learning Dispatch;
David Didau’s The Learning Spy;
Zach Groshell’s Learning Science Design;
The Fixed Interval by ‘Fred’;
Medical Motherhood by Shasta Kearns Moore;
Filling the Pail by Greg Ashman;
Planning Beyond the IEP by Kelley Challen;
Science of Reading Classroom by Kata Solow and pals;
Holly Korbey’s The Bell Ringer;
Paul Kirschner by Paul Kirschner (!);
The Next 30 Years by Robert Pondiscio;
Laura McKenna’s A Great Leap and Apt. 11D;
Natalie Wexler’s Minding the Gap;
Finding Cooper’s Voice by Kate Swenson;
Eric Turkheimer’s Gloomy Prospect Blog;
Callie Oettinger’s Special Education Action;
Kait Brennan’s KB Strategies: The Continuum;
Mitchell Yell’s and David Bateman’s SpEd Law Blog;
School Yourself (and its predecessor, Eduvaites) by Karen Vaites;
Paul’s Substack of Useful Information by Paul Coyne;
Byson Education by Kyle Carlin;
Traditional Math by Barry Garlic;
Be Johns’s Bev Johns;
…and lots of others.
As you complete your own readings, I hope you remember to take care of yourselves; we need to be in good shape to help our kids (and of the others in your lives). Prevent colleagues from making silly mistakes like buying into to pop education and pop psychology poop, and from playing on the freeway and high-speed roads. Eat healthily. Drive carefully. Make sure that folks buckle up. And, of course, teach our students well.
Peace & love,
JohnL
John Wills Lloyd, Ph.D.
Founder and Editor, Special Education Today
Footnotes
As usual, I’m only counting posts to the main source, those that were published on the Web page at SpecialEducationToday.com. I dropped “notes,” which one sees when she logs into the Web site and clicks on “Notes.” I can find it in the second line at the top of the SET home page.
Right, a few of you may be saying, “Wait a minute, John. Can’t you count? I got eight!” Those of you who are saying (or thinking) that, please be assured. I can count.
Disclaminer
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.