Tom Lovitt's SET work
Shouldn't Tom Lovitt play first cornet in the orchestra of Special Education Today?
Thomas C. Lovitt, who reported foundational work on assessment and instruction for students with disabilities beginning in the 1960s, was a special educator worth remembering. He was a leader in using behavior analysis to examine matters of concern in education, especially with regard to learning disabilities.
Tom was also a musician. He held undergraduate and graduate degrees in music, and he played with the Kansas City Philharmonic in the 1950s. To the good fortune of many students with disabilities—and their families, teachers, and advocates—he got hooked on teaching students with disabilities and studied for a Ph.D. in education.
Tom wrote a regular column called “Lovitt’s Lines” for Special Education Today in the 1980s when SET was a paper newsletter mailed—yes, USnail Mail—to subscribers. SET reprinted a series of those columns in the fall of 2024. Because only about 6700 people subscribed to SET in 2024, I thought we ought to publish a reminder about them. Here’s a list (those marked with an asterisk are open to everyone):
22 August 2024: Merit Pay and Teacher Evaluations
29 August 2024: Town and Gown
5 September 2024: Maintaining the mainstream: There’s help out there
11 September 2024: In Search of Excellence: Special education
12 September 2024: Maintaining the mainstream: Part 2*
19 September 2024: Engaged Time
26 September 2024: Extended school year*
3 October 2024: Standardized tests
9 October 2024: Research and Practice
17 October 2024: Accent the positive
24 October 2024: Education and business*
30 October 2024: Diagnosis can be costly
8 November 2024: Flashcards, workbooks and kits
I always admired and used much of what Tom Lovitt wrote.....used In Spite of My Resistance......in grad class for general education teachers and they loved the book...power and simplicity....well worth the repeated readings......