
Collaboration required to better educate students with high-needs
The California Department of Education is redefining what a “high-needs student” is and combining its efforts to offer better educational programs for students with disabilities. Typically, students considered to be high-needs were classified as low-income, foster children or English as a second language students. California ranks among the lowest of the states in its academic performance by

Fresh Friday: Top 5 Articles on Disability this week
Each week Thompson Policy Institute rounds up the top 5 articles we found on the web about disability and autism. It’s a fast and digestible way to ensure you are staying up to date with the latest stats, information and research on disability. 5. The Decline of Play and Rise

Top 8 reasons to attend Thompson Policy Institute's DisAbility Summit
Thompson Policy Institute is hosting the first ever DisAbility Summit Tuesday, May 3rd at Chapman University in Orange County, California. This will be TPI’s largest public unveiling of its independent research to date. It’s a must-attend event and here are the top reasons why. Top location: The Summit is being hosted at Chapman University’s brand

Fresh Friday: top 5 articles on disability and autism this week
Each week Thompson Policy Institute rounds up the top 5 articles we found on the web about disability and autism. It’s a fast and digestible way to ensure you are staying up to date with the latest stats, information and research on disability. 5. How do states support their public schools? Badly,

Debunking the contradictory employment rates for workers with disabilities
Recent figures published by the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) reflect a seemingly shocking disparity between a 5.1% decrease in the unemployment rate for workers without disabilities and a .5% increase in the same rate for workers with disabilities. Now well this seems initially alarming, it is important to understand how the unemployment rate

Fresh Friday: Top 5 Articles on Disability this Week
Each Friday Thompson Policy Institute rounds up the top 5 articles we found on the web about disability and autism. It’s a fast and digestible way to ensure you are staying up to date with the latest stats, information and research on disability. Here are our picks for the week of Friday, February

California schools stumble implementing new mental health programs
The California state government spent $426 million on mental health in special education programs in 2014-2015. These programs provide the resources, counseling and medical services that occur for students with mental illness at school and in the greater community. A recent passing of legislation has left school districts responsible for providing these much needed services.

Fresh Friday: Top 5 Articles on Disability this week
Each week Thompson Policy Institute rounds up the top 5 articles we found on the web about disability and autism. It’s a fast and digestible way to ensure you are staying up to date with the latest stats, information and research on disability. #5. Graduation Rates Lagging For Students With Disabilities

Save the Date: First Annual DisAbility Summit
1st Annual DisAbility Summit May 3, 2016 9 am – 12 noon Musco Center for the Arts Chapman University The Thompson Policy Institute (TPI) on Disability and Autism is a new think tank that gathers data and develops its own independent research to study and, when appropriate, advocate on

Rising graduation rates aren't full story for students with disabilities
According to research by the US Department of Education, graduation rates for high school students with disabilities has trended positively over the last three years. Since the 2010-2011 school year, graduation rates have increased 4.1 percent. The hard work of educators has also resulted in record high graduation rates across the country. This is very exciting