Session Overview

A fundamental tenet of public education is that all children deserve an opportunity to receive a quality education, including students who need different services in order to learn. Both Massachusetts and federal law dictate that special education students receive the same quality education as is provided for all students. Still, as we pass the 35th anniversary of Chapter 766, Massachusetts’ Comprehensive Special Education Act, many students with special needs are struggling to develop the skills and academic competencies they need to compete and thrive. Massachusetts’ special education students’ standardized test scores are consistently lower than the state average, and this population is less likely to graduate from high school than regular education students.

Presentations

Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School - Victoria Zarozinski and Maria Lysen

Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School - John-West Aramento, Susan McGinn, and Dr. Charla Boles

The Rennie Center invites practitioners and policymakers to join a discussion of policies for successfully educating students with special needs and a presentation of research on effective practices from several Massachusetts schools and districts.

The agenda for this session will focus on both policy and practice. During the first portion of the program, the Rennie Center will release and discuss findings from a new report titled, Seeking Effective Policies and Practices for Students with Special Needs. The research includes case studies of four Massachusetts districts, two vocational-technical schools and one school that is “beating the odds” – highlighting the exemplary efforts of these schools and districts to effectively and systematically meet the needs of students with special needs. Next, Paul Harrington from the Center for Labor Market Studies will release a policy brief that examines the access to and persistence of career and technical education students with special needs in community colleges. Following the research presentations, panelists will examine and consider implications of effective policies to meet the challenges of students with special needs.

The second portion of the event will focus on a discussion of practice through an examination of what is currently working in Massachusetts schools and districts. Attendees will be invited to join one of three concurrent break-out sessions for the elementary, middle and secondary school levels. Break-out sessions will consist of roundtable discussions facilitated by school teams from the case study districts included in the Rennie Center's research report. During these sessions, attendees will have an opportunity to engage with case study school teams to pose questions and explore successful practices used in each of these schools and districts. 

Research Presentation
Robert Gaudet, Ed.D., Senior Research Analyst, Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy
Paul Harrington, Ed.D., Associate Director, Center for Labor Market Studies, Northeastern University 

Moderated Panel Discussion

• Anthony Bent, Superintendent, Shrewsbury Public Schools
• Lauren Katzman, Associate Professor, Boston University School of Education
• Marcia Mittnacht, State Director of Special Education, Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
• Jerry Mogul, Executive Director, Massachusetts Advocates for Children

REGISTRATION

Call the Rennie Center reservation line at 617-354-0002, ext. 13 or register online using the registration form below. Registration is free, however space is limited and available on a first come, first served basis.

 About the Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy

The Rennie Center's mission is to develop a public agenda that informs and promotes significant improvement of public education in Massachusetts. Our work is motivated by a vision of an education system that creates the opportunity to educate every child to be successful in life, citizenship, employment and life-long learning. Applying nonpartisan, independent research, and civic engagement, the Center is creating a civil space to foster thoughtful public discourse to inform and shape effective policy.

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