Blogs
on August 17, 2025
NEW YORK, May 6 (Reuters) - A federal judge in Manhattan blocked the Trump administration on Tuesday from canceling more than $1.1 billion in unspent aid meant to help U.S. elementary and high schools address the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. 'Harvard is engaging in a systemic (sic) pattern of violating federal law,' McMahon wrote in her letter, which both the university and others who edited the letter noted was likely meant to say 'systematic.' Washington had authorized about $190 billion of aid to help K-12 schools recover from the pandemic, with funds meant for tutoring students who fell behind, upgrades to school buildings, food for homeless students and other purposes.
Furthermore, excellence in special education demands profound empathy on the part of educators and administrators. Instead of simply looking at test scores or standardized assessments to measure progress, teachers should seek to understand how a child with significant disabilities can best learn and grow within the classroom setting. This involves getting to know them on an individual basis and gaining insight into their unique challenges as well as opportunities for growth. Technology has revolutionized how we teach students with Special Education Needs (SEN).
For example, mobile devices allow educators to customize curriculums according to individual learners' needs while also tracking their progress over time through analytics software - allowing teachers to tailor instruction accordingly. Additionally, technology such as Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC) tools enables individuals unable to communicate verbally greater autonomy over expressing themselves. The use of multi-tiered systems will enable educators to monitor each child's progress through regular data collection and analysis which will then inform decisions about interventions used inside the classroom as well as outside services offered by therapists and community partners when needed.
<img src="https://lookaside.fbsbx.com/lookaside/crawler/media/?media_id=806086744851229"; style="max-width:440px;float:left;padding:10px 10px 10px 0px;border:0px;" alt="" />Additionally, this process helps ensure communication among team members which facilitates problem-solving when needed. 'Where do many of these 'students' come from, who are they, how do they get into Harvard, or even into our country—and why is there so much HATE?' Secretary McMahon continued in the opening paragraph. 'They have become monolithically leftist and that DEI ideology connects to the anti-Semitism problem because they're teaching young people to make snap judgments about each other based on identity and skin color,' the senior official said.
The letter goes on to mock Harvard's educational standards, despite McMahon's own mistakes. She goes after the Ivy League for the teaching of 'remedial math' and calls attention to plagiarism scandals at the school. Whenever possible, special education classrooms should include mainstreamed elements so that general education students can help bridge gaps by interacting with peers who have a disability while still receiving appropriate instruction from the teacher who specializes in educating those who need extra support due to physical or cognitive impairments.
Research suggests that such inclusive models improve student engagement as well as academic outcomes among all learners involved. Self Determination is defined as "the ability of individuals to take control over planning for their own future" - thus promoting self-determination supports individuals' ownership over setting personal ambitious goals according to what they value most. To promote self-determination educators must equip children will with the skills necessary to develop self-advocacy&anddecision-making ability while also teaching them how to maneuver complex systems &and advocate for their own rights when needed.