EDCO Legislative Forum VI
Special Education under Education Reform
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Dr. Sheldon Berman
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Dr. David Urion
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Miriam Freedman
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Deborah Hess
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On January 28, 2000 EDCO convened the Sixth Annual Legislative Forum from 8:45 AM to 11:00 AM at the Raytheon Conference Center in Lexington. The topic was Special Education under Education Reform.
The forum consisted of presentations by panelist and small group discussions with legislators.
Dr. Sheldon Berman, Superintendent of Schools in Hudson and co-author of The Impact of Special Education on Educational Reform, the report of the Massachussetts Association of School Superintendents Task Force, presented a comprehensive report on trends in Special Education Enrollment and Expenditures.
Dr. David Urion, Director of the Learning Disabilities and Behavioral Neurology Department at Children's Hospital, discussed the relationship between advances in life saving medical interventions at birth and increased numbers of pre-school children with moderate to severe disabilities.
Miriam Freedman, Attorney at Stoneman, Chandler and Miller described the complexities of Special Education Law within the context of Education Reform.
Deborah Hess, Teacher in Acton Public Schools described the day to day challenges of working with children with a variety of special needs (and their attendants) under the Inclusion Model within the context of an already overcrowded classroom.
Following the panel discussion, the audience broke into small groups to further discuss the topics.
Legislators who attended the event asked the panel to present to other legislators at the Statehouse. The hearing took place March 14, 2000 and was organized by Representative Anne M. Paulsen, whose district includes parts of Arlington and Belmont.
Representative Paulson congratulated the panel after the hearing which received high acclaim from the audience of about 100 legislators and legislative aides.