Special Education

in the Atlanta Schools rejoiced this past week when Georiga Governor Sonny Perdue signed into law the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship bill. Formerly known as Senate Bill 10, the proposed voucher plan has been watched closely by parents and educators in Atlanta Schools.

The law will use state funds to offer vouchers to parents of children with special needs in order to provide them with more appropriate school options. Atlanta Schools’ teacher, and parent of a child with autism, Linda Bryant Butler expressed her pleasure in a recent article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “…parents like me are ecstatic that we will now have a choice. If one school doesn’t work for Xavier during his 12-year academic career, I know he won’t be trapped. He will have the choice to seek a better education elsewhere,” she said.

Parents in Atlanta Schools and throughout the state will have the option of using vouchers to attend a different public school or a private school. In order for a child to be eligible, he or she must have a documented developmental disability (such as Autism or Tourette’s Syndrome) and have attended public school for at least one year. Estimates are that the program will provide $4,000 worth of vouchers in the first year, and that amount will increase to about $15,000 a year. Atlanta Schools’ educators are expressing some mixed feelings over the vouchers.

Proponents say that this is the only way Atlanta Schools can truly meet the needs of these exceptional learners. It simply isn’t possible to have a specialist for every disability at every school. They also point out that Atlanta Schools’ teachers already struggle to meet the needs of students without developmental delays.

Opponents express concern over both the standards of private schools, and the removal of funds from the public school sectors. Atlanta Schools receives government funding on a per pupil basis, and the loss of an additional $9,000 (the estimated average voucher payout) per student could weaken the abilities of the public schools.

Atlanta Schools have debated voucher programs, along with the rest of the nation, for years. But if the program is successful, Atlanta Schools may find itself copied around the country.

Not all Atlanta Schools’ parents with special needs children will opt for the program. If a child is successful at his current Atlanta School, no changes will be made. But if parents are interested in applying for the scholarship program they should visit the Georgia Department of Education website at http://www.doe.k12.ga.us and click on the link for the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship.




By: Susie

Do you think you have what it takes to pursue a legal education and practice the noble profession of law? Perhaps a closer look at this area of learning can provide you with some clues.

In a nutshell, a legal education is simply the education of individuals who intend to become attorneys and judges or some other legal professional. It is also pursued by those who intend to use a law degree towards some end, such as a career in politics or the academe, or another end which has no relation to law, such as business entrepreneurship..

A legal education covers both academic and vocational studies. A main requirement is for students to acquire an academic grounding in the legal system of their jurisdiction before they can obtain a law degree. For many, this is the hardest part of pursuing law as it entails endless hours of study and analysis, which is not a natural inclination of many students.

Before they can practice as lawyers, law students are required to demonstrate that they have learned professional skills such as advocacy and analysis. For instance, in many countries, law is an undergraduate degree and graduates of such a program can only become lawyers by passing the country’s equivalent of a bar exam. There are post-graduate programs available to help students specialize in a particular area of law.

In contrast, law is a graduate degree in the United States which students can only undertake after completing an undergraduate degree is some other field, whether related to law or not. Most American lawyers hold bachelor’s degrees in the humanities and social sciences. In many cases, law schools are an autonomous entity within a larger university.

Meanwhile, in Canada and other Commonwealth countries as well as in many other places around the world, a law school is referred to as a faculty of law, which is distinguished from a law school in the sense that a faculty is a subdivision of a university and is on the same rank with other faculties.. Also, in other countries, the final stages of a vocational legal education required to qualify to practice law are carried out outside the university system.




By: Jonathon Hardcastle

Education Grants

Millions of dollars are offered in the form of education grants depending upon the assignments and objectives of the tasks and projects assigned. Education grants are also dependent on the governance of the institutions. By default, state schools, colleges and universities are provided education grants to keep competitive with the changes in the education industry and have long term goals in mind. The grants are already predefined and the projects are long term that intended to hone the society and the intellectual minds living in those vicinities. Education grants can either come from states, governments or privately funded organizations.

For the most part, education grants are for the students who have the willingness to learn and thrive but the financial implications hinder the goals of obtaining a degree. There are thousands of grants available for all different segments of the disciplines, schools, and countries. http://www.360career.com  Grants also have different contracts and laws governing the use of the money. Grants are not like loans where the amount of money has to be paid off in a certain amount of years. Rather, grants do not require a pay back and are of prestigious value for students who can earn grants and scholarships. Though, there are many of the grants that have certain laws and implications associated with the grant. Many of the countries that give grants to their students to go to United States or United Kingdom sign off agreements that ensure that the specific student will come back and teach for a particular number of years in a defined role and institution.

Applying and acceptance of grants is not as easy as one thinks. Institutions grants loans or financial packages go through an extensive checklist of your previous education records, financial standing of parents and your future objectives.

Being accepted for a grant is most certainly an achievement by all standards and practice. It is also imperative to get a grant that aligns its money with your future growth. Private institutions provide grants in their particular field and allow for students that do not have the money to grow in that particular field. This not only contributes to the overall efficiency of the field but grows the understanding of that knowledge base. There are dedicated grants for animal doctors to explore disease and bio chemical hazards in remote areas of the world. The grants allows the students to partake education in chemistry or medical sciences any where in the world and provide the opportunity to go to the areas where the field of study and research is required.

Public grants have similar intent and goals in mind and that is to uplift the society with contributing and adding more civilized and education people within its domain. Each grant encourages the people to pursue higher education and specialize in their fields of study.

Federal grants are also available that are allocated by congress and applicable for all students in all classes.

Colleges and universities do not discourage the students coming to their institutions on grants rather it is a source of pride that the students granted the grant plan on pursuing their education at that particular university.

For more information about Education Grants visit:

http://www.360career.com/content/Education-Grants.asp




By: Steve