Obama’s New Secretary of Education
December 16, 2008 by Kristina Chew, PhD
Filed under Health
Arne Duncan, the superintendent of the Chicago school system, has been chosen as the new Secretary of Education by President-Elect Barack Obama, as noted yesterday in EdWeek and on the New York Times’ The Caucus blog. From EdWeek:
As Chicago schools CEO, Duncan tapped a panel to craft curriculum-based assessments to guide teaching, bolstered spending on anti-violence prevention measures, and tested out a program allowing teachers to evaluate one another.
Duncan supports the basic framework of the No Child Left Behind Act. In testimony before a congressional committee in 2006, he called on lawmakers to “maintain the law’s high expectations and accountability” but to amend the law “to give schools, districts, and states the maximum amount of flexibility possible.”
Any thoughts about the new Secretary’s position on, and knowledge about, special education in general, and autism in particular?
RE: The case of Stacy Lore
Click Here: Check out “Fairfield County Weekly: News – Left Behind”
see my article on the sham therapist in Norwalk, I have uncovered further evidence of charity fundraising in unknown amounts in 2007 Followup to appear in Fairfield County Weekly
Chicago Public Schools does have an autism program, but I don’t know any more information beyond the fact that it exists. I also know that cotaught classrooms, where special ed and regular ed students learn in a room with one regular ed teacher and one special ed teacher, are becoming very popular in CPS.
CPS was a mess in the early 90’s- he really did help turn it around, although they definitely have a ways to go.
I’m also interested in his being focused on early childhood education, especially as children are identified and diagnosed in those early years (now, that is).
Catalyst Chicago, which reports on education reform, does not have positive things to say about Duncan in this area.
http://specialneeds08.blogspot.com/2008/12/chicago-analysis-duncan-unimpressive-on.html
Below is a letter I would like to see get to President Obama. I am a
dyslexic researcher who worked many years the the University of CT
trying to get this theory of what causes a lot of incorrectly
diagnosed learning disabilities or worse yet not identifying many
students who were plagued by such problems and not identified so that
they could get the proper help, recognized. Because a lot of people
like Yale’s Sally Shaywitz (who did not go along with motor causes)
recognized. The work was never taken seriously. I was good at
collecting data but had a hard time writing it up, consequently
nothing really was accomplished. If anyone on your staff has and idea
of how to get this to the President, please let me know.
Thanks,
Rowe Young
“All Screwed Up” An open letter to President Obama
Dear President Obama,
I have heard you speak of wanting to help children do better in
school as discussed in last night’s address. I have been working on a
project for over 25 years that you probably can relate to quite
“handily” sort of speaking. I am referring
to the fact that you are an “inverted lefty” when you write.
After testing several hundred individuals with characteristics relating
to this behavior while working at the University of CT, I have
concluded what is often occurring consequently, affecting learning.
First of all, as to what is occurring; neurologically, the area of the
parietal lob of the brain, controls what is known as proprioception.
Proprioception is the perceptual method by which we humans sense
everything around us both in distance and how we move in relationship
to what we physically control. i.e. a pencil or a base ball bat.
This work has led to an idea that this motor sense has a dimensional quality
that in some of us for genetic reasons feel that certain parts of our
bodies (in this case the dominant left hand) feel that the bottom of
a movement is the top and consequently mirrors the movement sensation,
neurologically.
When learning to write for example, an inverted counter clockwise
rotational hand movement when writing, actually is feeling as if it
is moving on the back side of the paper used. The big problem is that
the sounds that are heard and seen when learning reading and writing
skills do not match what is consequently being felt. Compensations
after a while occur, and the problems do subside. However, each time a
new symbolic concept is encountered, i.e. new math or new language
subject, the problem of overcoming the inverted movement sensation
happens again. Again, depending upon what other brain laterality
interaction occurs from one individual to another, the more
difficulties with this, can be encountered. The student who also has
aural learning issues can be drastically affected. For the most part,
the student who is only a motoric inverter with no other learning
issues will usually after awhile, succeed, often known as the “bright
under achiever”.
Because one of the ways we discovered existence of all this was
observing identified learning disabled students we tested turning
things like 2 liter bottles with the bottom hand, we laughingly felt
that the term ” all screwed up” was unknowingly thought up by the
people who unrecognizably carried the inverted movement behavior.
Being an inverted lefty and then your stating you “screwed up” made
me think that you might truly understand.
The important educational aspect of all of this, is that early
identification of the roots of such a hidden problem, so that
appropriate remedial methods are found and employed must become a
reality. I have long been searching for help to make the very simple
testing needed to identify those with the difficulty available.
Hopefully this will one day occur.
Sincerely,
Rowe Young MS
Retired UCONN Bio-Behavioral Science Dept. .
HOW DARE YOU CUT THE FINE ARTS CLASSES FROM PUBLIC SCHOOLS!!!
YOU GODFORSAKEN DISHONEST B—–….MUSIC AND ARTS ARE NOT ONLY VITAL TO EDUCATION…THEY’RE VITAL TO LIFE IN GENERAL!!!!
YOU WAIT AND SEE HOW MANY SIGNATURES WE GET ON THAT PETITION!!!!
Presented at the 2008 Consciousness conference
Presenting Author: Rowe Young
Control No. 282
Presentation Type: Talk
Assigned Primary Class: [02.04]……..Motor control
Assigned Secondary Class: [03.11]……..Cognitive development
Abstract Title: Lost in Space- “Inverted Positioning Sensation”(IPS):as of yet Unidentified Contributing Cause For ADHD and/or LD
Abstract:
• Human reasoning has evolved in part from the integration of our ability to sense dimensionally both the front and the back side of movement and its physical position in space. It is proposed that the interaction of visual and aural senses along with motor sensory positioning mechanisms, orchestrated by the parietal lobe (proprioception), is central to the evolution of enhanced abstract reasoning. Awareness of body movement and spatial positioning is thus an overlooked, central component of the human capacity to learn. Deficits in this area we propose, can directly impact all forms of symbolic comprehension. This research suggests that movement and positioning sensory mechanisms can sometimes be flawed, producing reversals in perception of motion and position in space. Such impairment may be evidenced by reversals in the feeling of movement, inverted body part sensation, and possibly confounded by inappropriate lateral eye dominance involvement. It is hypothesized that such impairment results from genetically acquired “neural wiring.” We have labeled this impairment “inverted positioning sensation” (IPS). This research, through self report, observation, and testing using the YGLD (Young-Ginsberg Lateral Direction) assessment has identified many LD identified subjects who evidence IPS. Individuals with IPS symptoms and diagnosed LD found in 8 multigenerational families are identified in our data further suggesting a familial link. Observed and reported constellations of IPS varies from one subject to another. For example, one subject may sense inverted movements of a left foot, or sense a backward feeling right hand and/or arm. These reversed sensations can occur on one side of the body or on both, and in different body locations depending upon the subject. Several patterns related to IPS have emerged that are predictive of early academic underachievement. Usually, IPS is unrecognized by these subjects until they are asked to concentrate and report a possible difference in feeling when comparing a body part to its opposite side, and/or identified preferring to work from the bottom up on bi-manual rotational tasks. It is hypothesized that persons with IPS unknowingly learn to compensate for their misperceptions, and thus fail to recognize their presence. Individuals identified` with IPS often evidence a history of underachievement in areas where organization, written descriptions and symbolic understanding are required. Thus, classic components of much academic underachivement and or a lack of self confidence often co-occur with IPS.