ABSTRACT
In the Friday Focus writings we send out each week, at times I try to group together two or more weeks anchored by a common theme. Like the previous week’s Friday Focus, this week’s addressed the needs of another at-risk population at our school: special needs students. Chapter 21’s Friday Focus was written by one of our ESOL experts; this week’s was penned by our special education department chairperson. As noted earlier with regard to ESOL students, every school is changing to meet the needs of a widely diverse student population. At our school, just over 10 percent of the student population is classified as “special education.” We have students identified with specific learning disabilities and behavior disorders along with students labeled “mildly mentally handicapped” and “severely and profoundly mentally handicapped.” It is our mission and our passion that they all learn to the very best of their capabilities.
