Welcome to the first year’s 40th issue of the newsletter for Special Education Today. In this issue, readers will find the usual content: There will be an update about the health of SET, appreciation for readers, the current contents, and a (very) little editorial content.

Status update

SET is growing at the usual slow pace, one subscriber at a time. I’m counting only free subscribers (more later). It’d be great if the subscriptions increased rapidly, but I’ll take growth over the alternative. So, please continue to spread the word! Forward! Tweet! Share! Tell friends! Thank you!

Thanks to y’all who’ve followed @SpeciadEdToday. Twitter’s a great way to keep up with what’s happening with SET. There are only 50+ followers of @SpecialEdToday, so there’s plenty of room for growth there. As I get a chance, I’ll push notices to followers for that TW account. Help SET by pushing content even when I don’t. Those who follow that account can help promote new content.

Flashes of the electrons

Let me recognize SET readers who interacted with the magazine last week. And, I send them my thanks, because interactions (especially comments) are interpreted in the media environment as indicators of a site’s value.

Repeating a note from last week, here’s a special flash of the electrons to Jane B. Although I know only some readers personally (“irl?”), Jane is one of them. Jane is a dedicated special educator who cares about her students (future teachers) enough to teach them about evidence-based practices. This is the second week that Jane’s not been seen in the SET community. If you know Jane, please send her good wishes!

• Also, as usual, I’m glad to recognize Janet V. and Clay K. for their comments. Those reflections are important because they show how we discuss ideas.

• Also, there are those frequent likers (folks who click the heart on posts). Thanks to Clayton K., Janet V, & Michael K.!

• And (one more), thanks to those subscribers who visit frequently, regardless of whether they “like” or comment. Here are some folks who visit SET often: Janet V., Lysandra C., Clayton K., Michael G., Andrew G., and Angelique W. Thanks for stopping in a few times!

Table of Contents for this week

If you are only reading this newsletter, you are getting what I referred to last week as “a lagging indicator.” The newsletter aggregates stories from the previous seek, so it simply represents what people who browse the Web site will have already seen. The Web site is the place to follow the content as I post it rather than waiting for the newsletter to land in your e-mailbox...so, another hat tip to those who visit the home place frequently.

The posts from the previous week:

• Australian support for effective instruction—Does a New South Wales program help?

• A parent's insights—What can people learn by reading Laura McKenna's work?

  Special Education Today

  A parent's insights

  Laura McKenna writes about education (among other things) from the perspective of a parent of a son who has autism, a former special educator, a professor who focuses on education policy, and a thoughtful person. She has launched a resource that parents (and educators) probably will find useful. It’s called, “An Educated Parent…

  Read more

  5 months ago · 2 likes · John Wills Lloyd

Comments

Welp, I shall not offer any opinions that would likely just boor you this week. I’lll simply report that Pat and I had a delightful spring walk in the woods behind (i.e., to the east of) Mr. Madison’s house (AKA “Montpelier”) yesterday. It was a coolish morning, we walked slowly (i.e., not at exercise pace) because we were looking at emerging spring ephemerals, and we stopped to admire some very old trees as we followed the trail. We came upon at least three marvelous tree features (a photo of one of them is shown here). Fascinating the way things grow!

As you may expect (because I do so routinely in this space), I encourage you to (a) wear seatbelts; (b) get vaccinated and boosted, keep safe social distance, wash your hands, and use masks; and (c), teach your children well.

JohnL

SET Editor guy

Charlottesville

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SET should not be confused with a product with the same name that 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 or represent that organization.