Join AER on February 17, 2022 for the next session in our
new series: “Question the Authorities!” This interview will be with Dr. Rachel
Schles, the Coordinator of the Program in Visual Disabilities and Assistant
Professor of the Practice in the Department of Special Education at Peabody
College, Vanderbilt University. Dr. Schles has recently authored two articles: Population
Data for Students with Visual Impairments in the United States in the Journal
of Visual Impairment & Blindness and A
Mixed-Methods Analysis of State-Level Population Data for Students with Visual
Impairment and Blindness in Exceptional Children. This moderated question and answer session will dig deeper
into new population data for students with visual impairments, issues around
Child Count and reporting of student population data, and implications for
practitioners in the field. Questions from the audience, as well as
prepared questions, will be included in this session.
Attendees will:
- Learn about the critical difference between the reporting of child count numbers and the total population numbers of school-age BVI students;
- Understand the profound impact that sizable discrepancies in child count and population data have on SEA and LEA resource deployment and on federal investment in teacher preparation and other issues of national significance to BVI students' education; and
- Leave with practical steps to take to promote appropriate understanding of, and appreciation for, accurate data reporting, along with suggestions for individual and systems advocacy.