#EIE17: STRATEGY SESSION IV - Lifeline vs. Obstacle: A Look at Choice & Special Education

Strategy Session IV: Lifeline vs. Obstacle: A Look at Choice & Special Education. Recorded at the 2017 National Summit on Education Reform on Thursday, November 30 in Nashville, Tennessee

Educational choice has long been a way to match students with environments that fit their unique learning needs. Yet, the role of choice and opportunity in special education is a topic of growing debate. For many parents, choice programs have been a lifeline—creating an opportunity for families to find options outside of a system that often prioritizes compliance over meeting student needs. Even so, some have perceived these programs as a threat to hard-fought efforts to provide students with disabilities access to an appropriate public education. This session will tackle these concerns and provide an in-depth look at how choice programs are working for students with special needs.

Moderator: Tim Keller, Senior Attorney, Institute for Justice

Panelists:
-- Michael Lee, Senator, North Carolina State Senate
-- Annette Lizardo, Florida Parent & Gardiner Scholarship Parent Advisory Council Member
-- O. Robin Sweet, Executive Director, Gateway Academy
-- Sivan Tuchman, Ph.D., Research Analyst, Center on Reinventing Public Education