Cecilia Leger, JHU CTE

Trump freezes federal grants. What does it mean for schools? The federal grant freeze fueled widespread confusion about which programs will be affected. Experts say the freeze may be illegal.

DOE said today that it shouldn't affect Title 1 and IDEA. However, the language was so vague that while direct Part B & C grants for running the general program might not be affected, there are many orgs and nonprofits that use Title 1/IDEA funds that could be. www.chalkbeat.org/2025/01/28/t...

Why School Choice Can Harm Students with Disabilities
- Private schools aren’t bound by IDEA, so services like IEPs may not be guaranteed.
- Schools can exclude students with complex needs.
- Families lose legal protections and may face higher costs.

The US Dept of Ed provides protections for kids with special needs (504s and IEPs) & funds ed research. Under the last Trump admin competitions for new grants were suspended for several years. Without the Dept of Ed, the US will fall further behind in reading, math, & science. #EduSky #ParentSky

Trump freezes federal grants. What does it mean for schools? The federal grant freeze fueled widespread confusion about which programs will be affected. Experts say the freeze may be illegal.

The freeze is not supposed to affect IDEA. However, special ed & health related services are often a collab of many systems, nonprofits, and charities. It is likely that families will be affected in many ways. www.chalkbeat.org/2025/01/28/t...

The vagueness of just which programs need to be frozen under the new OMB memo really says to me that they're hoping groups preemptively shut down their programs that get federal funds and use that as proof that they were woke all along

Congressional Dems badly missing the moment right now. They are currently holding a press conference to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Chex Quest - a great game to be sure, but weeks late and hardly the biggest priority right now.

This is the most heartbreaking. We knew his administration would target the most vulnerable (after all they proudly detailed their plans before the election) but seeing the ruthlessness in action hits hard.

I spoke to a talented junior scientist who just got a good faculty job offer in the US and they told me “well I wouldn’t move to 1930s Germany either” so that’s how that’s going

“Manifesto” sounds way better in the pitch for the true crime documentary Netflix will be releasing shortly. 🤦‍♀️

Can it be preordered? Recent events have caused me to self reflect and realize that knowing some talking points and facts is not the same as being knowledgeable about this subject. I need to do better.

I can’t condone violence but this has been a teachable moment to start/continue important discussions on policy and next steps. If we hope people to demand change or mobilize, it begins with understanding. Please share the pieces as they become available!

I resisted upgrading from my 8S until it died for that exact reason. The benefits of the new don’t seem to outweigh the drawbacks.

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Yes, this! The model assumes 1:1 but learning is collaborative. I’m not saying there’s no room for AI in the classroom but learning is not top down. Knowledge is more than the particular skill or facts. Development will require collaboration with & shadowing educators to truly see where AI can fit.

Not to mention the lack of qualified related services professionals. If schools with huge budgets can’t find qualified staff, good luck to Mr & Mrs Smith on shopping around for a whole team w/ no support.

What’ll happen is more of the same: educators & schools will sacrifice even more to do what they can for kiddos; it won’t be enough; parents will get angry; politicians will blame teachers & schools as ineffective and continue slashing their budgets while uninformed electorate keeps voting red. 🙄💔

Graphic with text reading 'Resources for Educators & Librarians on Bluesky,' featuring a tree with blue butterflies, a QR code, and '@debbieohi.com' at the bottom.

*Updated* Resources for Educators & Librarians on Bluesky. Includes quick ways to find other educators, events, Primary Educators, Middle School Educators, High School English Teachers, School Librarians, etc.
publish.obsidian.md/debbieohi/fo... #EduSky #SchoolLibrarians #Skybrarians

📌 This is wonderful! For the next edition please consider adding special & early childhood education. I’m new to bsky & looking for those communities. If you’d consider that for future revisions, I’m happy to help. But this is not criticism. Thank you so much for all the hard work you put into this

📌 This is deceptively simple as much sounds like just common sense and I could think I already do this. I’m pinning it because this needs additional reflection on my part. Thanks for sharing!

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It’s so frustrating that we already have data on effective best practices and needed structural changes but politics, ineffective leadership, lack of continuous improvement expertise, & funding (among other things) disrupt the research to practice process.

I am!

No, but I was looking for good recommendations for reading over my winter break. This looks promising. Thanks!

How Trump's Policies Could Affect Special Education The new administration's stance on special education isn't yet clear—but efforts to revamp federal policy could have ripple effects.

The Trump administration's pledges to dramatically downsize the federal government's role in education policy could impact students with disabilities. More on how from my colleague @marklieberman.bsky.social:

www.edweek.org/teaching-lea... #EDUsky #politics #sped

It’s a great sentiment and one I would have wholeheartedly agreed with a few years ago. But it turns out curriculums can be manipulated, books banned, talented educators driven out. Access to the means for learning must be actively protected. #EduSky

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I had no idea this was a thing. Thank you for sharing!

This is a huge #civilrights issue that needs our attention and support.
#specialeducation #disabilities #inclusion #bluecrew

Data? Yay! That’s 🤓🧐
#specialeducation #academicsky #edtech

Time?