Congress has introduced the Keeping All Students Safe Act (KASSA) because every child should be safe, protected and prepared to learn while in school. Sadly, that is not always the case. School data shows that of the 101,990 students restrained or placed in seclusion at school, 78% were students with disabilities. Although Black students comprise just 15% of students, they represent 22% of students secluded and 34% mechanically restrained. We need KASSA now.
KASSA has been introduced in both the House and Senate. This bill would make it illegal for any school receiving federal funds to seclude a child or use dangerous restraint practices that restrict breathing, such as prone or supine restraint. The bill would also prohibit schools from physically restraining children, except when necessary to protect students and staff. Lastly, the bill would better equip school personnel with the training they need to address school-expected behavior with evidence-based proactive strategies. You can learn more at www.stophurtingkids.com.
Take action, and reach out to your representatives to support KASSA.
As we look back on this year, we wanted to share what your support has allowed us to do. We’re incredibly grateful for all of our members, volunteers, and donors who make our work possible. Thank you for helping us to create a more equitable world for individuals with learning disabilities…we couldn’t have done it without you!
Throughout this year, LDA worked hard to produce content that was timely and relevant, particularly during the pandemic. Early in the summer we launched our COVID website, which was filled with resources for parents, educators, and students. We also started The LDA Podcast this year, with our first episode airing June 1st, 2020.
This year, LDA’s policy and advocacy actions were based mainly on topics of IDEA funding and protecting civil rights for individuals with learning disabilities, particularly during the pandemic.
In January we held our first ever Science to Practice Conference, a virtual conference focused entirely on the science of learning disabilities. Participants heard from leading researchers and scholars in the fields of learning disabilities, special education, school psychology, neuropsychology, and speech-language pathology. Now, stay tuned for more information on our October Science to Practice Forum on Striving for Equitable Assessment in SLD Identification!
For the first time ever, LDA’s Annual Conference went virtual. Speakers discussed LD topics through the lens of “Building Connections, Transforming Perceptions.” Our next annual conference will be in person in New Orleans!
LDA’s Healthy Children Project works to raise awareness of toxic chemicals that can harm brain development, contributing to learning disabilities and behavior disorders. HCP promotes policies and provides guidance to prevent toxic chemical exposures, especially among children and pregnant women.
Thank you again to everyone who supported us this year. We look forward to another year of furthering our mission of improving the lives of individuals with learning disabilities through support, education, and advocacy.
The Learning Disabilities Association of America is thrilled to announce that they have partnered with EmpathED. EmpathED empowers schools to support their students with Learning Disabilities and Other Health Impairments by training educators with immersive experiences and visual media. The partnership is a natural fit as both organizations are driven to educate and advocate.
Although anyone will reap the benefits of experiencing the EmpathED courses, the platform was originally designed for both current and pre-service general education teachers. Two thirds of Special Education students spend 80% of their day in general education classrooms, and teacher training has not kept pace with the inclusive landscape in education.
EmpathED content is informed by education researchers, psychologists, educators and people with Learning Disabilities and Other Health Impairments. The short form, bite sized learning provides scientific background knowledge, expert interviews, tactical tips for the classroom, and offers student perspective through interviews and Virtual Reality. The immersive experiences put educators in the seat of the student so they may navigate the space and experience how a student might FEEL.
Educating young people to take active, constructive roles in our democracy is important for all learners. It is particularly important for young people with learning disabilities, attention issues, and other disabilities, who often find themselves marginalized in decisions that affect them. This is why the Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA) is a proud partner of the Educating for American Democracy (EAD) initiative, an important new movement to reprioritize the importance of history and civics learning within K-12 education. Click on the link below to learn how you can integrate this important initiative in your classroom, and to download the Educating for American Democracy Roadmap – Disability History and Civics Extension.
Below you’ll find a copy of the Educating for American Democracy Disability History and Civics Extension from our webinar!
Stay in touch! Take our follow up survey so we can stay in touch about work to ensure inclusion in history and civic education for all American students.
At our 58th Annual International Conference in February, we were fortunate that Dr. Holly Lane from the University of Florida and Dr. Maria Murray of The Reading League were able to join us for a spotlight session related to the Science of Reading. As Dr. Lane shared, based on the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data, only 35%, or around one-third, of students in 4th grade performed at or above the proficient level in reading. While that is alarming enough, she went on to point out that only 12%, or just over one-tenth of students with disabilities in 4th grade performed at or above the proficient level in reading.
The focus of Dr. Lane and Dr. Murray’s conversations were the essential elements of reading instruction and how the science of reading supports the literacy needs of students with learning disabilities. One big takeaway from these conversations was that there is still much work to do to transform perceptions of quality, research-based reading instruction and to develop an effective depth of knowledge throughout the field of education.
Last December marked the 20th anniversary of the National Reading Panel’s Report Teaching Children to Read. The Panel identified five essential elements of reading instruction (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and text comprehension). Twenty years seems like a long time, but reading achievement does not seem to be improving as we would have expected. During the Spotlight Town Hall at Conference, I took an opportunity to ask Dr. Lane and Dr. Murray if they would shed some light on this conundrum.
Question: Why do you believe it’s taken so long for this topic of focus when the National Reading Panel came out a while ago?
Dr. Maria Murray:
That’s a great question! I think it’s been a big topic of conversation in venues like this and elsewhere, but science tends to take a good couple of decades before it makes its way through the funnels and tubes and pipelines and so forth. I used to say that the pipeline from science to the reading was clogged, but I venture to say that until recently we didn’t even buy the real estate to start building this pipeline. I think it’s just now that people are aware of it. . . so many schools are using it with success that it’s catching on, so it’s almost like it’s starting now to make that move out….
We had one of our sessions in our Defining Moments Symposium and one of the panelists, Dale Webster from Core in the California area, he talked about this because many of us, I don’t know about you Holly, but we were in the trenches doing the research during that time. . I was at Syracuse University and involved in some of the instruction that led to those neuroscience learnings that Holly alluded to earlier and I would go to my advisor, my mentor and say, “What…what’s it going to take to get this into classrooms?”. And she said, “twenty years”. Because there is no known way to get it out there … pamphlets, mail, tv commercials….How do you make this a mass known thing?
And also, the science of reading isn’t things. It’s not items. It’s not programs… so teachers will be familiar with what publishing companies churn out with their multi-million dollar publishing money, right? If the science of reading’s not what’s being sold, they’re not gonna sell it …. every stakeholder involved in this has some part to play in this not having been done successfully. . . . . . .
If we expect teacher to do something, we need to give teachers more power. We can’t say to teachers, “You have to follow Common Core State Standards next year, you have to start RtI next July, you have to follow No Child Left Behind, we’re doing that next year”, and not give them the knowledge or the support to do it. It fails every time. So, knowledge first before all else is my mantra.
Dr. Holly Lane:
I’ll add one more thing about why it’s taken so long. I think… the fact that it’s a convergence of evidence from multiple fields and we tend to be silos and we learn what’s going on in our field and we don’t learn what’s going on across campus, so teacher educators haven’t been able to keep up with the work that’s being done in other fields like they really need to be.
I was fortunate enough in my doctoral program to take a class from communication disorders, a seminar in dyslexia, that introduced me to Marilyn Adams and Beginning to Read and Thinking About Print. I remember that book literally changing my professional life and learning about dyslexia. . . . learning about phonemes at a different level than anyone in the college of education was talking about it. So, my preparation included some of this information from other fields just by chance and I lucked into that, but I don’t think most other teacher educators had experiences like that and they don’t have the depth of knowledge themselves in order to be able to develop the depth of knowledge in their students so it is a generational thing I think. Having teachers who are starting out and getting this information early on . . . having those people when they become the professors in colleges of education, then things will be changing more rapidly, but in the meantime, it takes a long time to get that information disseminated.
One of Dr. Lane and Dr. Murray’s key points was that it is important for anyone working to improve reading achievement to learn and develop a depth of knowledge from multiple disciplines. One of the most powerful aspects of LDA’s International Conference is that it brings together information and resources from educators, psychologists, researchers, neuroscientists, and linguists. LDA’s conferences provide an opportunity for accessing a variety of information and are one effort for building a stronger pipeline like the ones Dr. Murray described. Don’t miss your chance to add to your depth of knowledge through the opportunity to view conference sessions until March 26th!
Sessions related to reading at #LDACON2021:
Science of Reading, Parts I and II with Dr. Lane & Dr. Murray
Improving Reading, Writing, Math, and Communication with Free Microsoft Assistive Technology
Kicking Things Up a Notch: Incorporating Advanced Phonological Awareness into Reading Instruction
Multi-Sensory Strategies for Spelling (and Reading) that Really Work!
SLD Identification in Schools for Reading Disabilities
For more information on the University of Florida Literacy Institute and Dr. Lane’s work, visit education.ufl.edu/ufli.
For more information on The Reading League and Dr. Murray’s work, visit The Reading League at YouTube or check out the podcasts at their website whatisthescienceofreading.org.
In order to transform perceptions and educate new Members of Congress of the 117th Congress, LDA of America will be personally contacting each of these new members to inform them of LDA’s policy priorities. Our first priority is the passage of the IDEA Full Funding Act, which would serve individuals with learning disabilities, including finally ensuring Congress’ commitment to fully fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
Our second priority is the passage of the Reading Early and Addressing Dyslexia (READ) Actwhich would support individuals with learning disabilities with basic deficits in language and reading by replicating Pennsylvania’s Dyslexia Screening and Early Literacy Intervention Program to best support teachers in instructing students on how to read.
Our third priority is the Respond, Innovate, Succeed, and Empower (RISE) Act which would amend the Higher Education Opportunity Act to require institutions of higher education to accept an Individualized Education Program or 504 plan under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act as evidence of disability when a student is seeking accommodations.
Additional information on LDA’s policy priorities is available here. LDA is working tirelessly with coalitions, partners, and other national organizations to advance the passage of these priorities.
At the Department of Education
Secretary of Education Nomination Update
In early February, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee advanced the nomination of Miguel Cardona, the Connecticut commissioner of education, President Joe Biden’s pick to be Education secretary, with bipartisan support (17-5). In late February, the full Senate is expected to consider Cardona’s nomination and is widely expected to be confirmed with bipartisan support.
Public Policy Watch
Annual Assessments
In a widely anticipated decision, the U.S. Department of Education announced that states must administer federally required standardized testing this year, however, schools won’t be held accountable for the results. States will also be permitted to request waivers from certain requirements such as accountability and school identification requirements, as well as permitting assessments to be shorter, remote, or delayed.
How Does This Impact Individuals with Learning Disabilities?
LDA is unconvinced that high-stakes, statewide assessments as they have been implemented to date have resulted in the improved student outcomes policymakers and reformers promised and does not have an official position on assessments. Even so, some of our Board Members published an op-ed to highlight LDA’s belief that it is important to assess students to ascertain current achievement levels and to assess the impact of the disruption of traditional schooling.
COVID Relief Negotiations
Congress is currently considering President Biden’s “American Rescue Plan” as the next round of COVID relief. This bill includes $1.9 trillion in COVID relief, including $169 billion in education emergency relief funds made up of $128 billion for K-12 education and $39 billion for higher education. Similar to previous COVID relief packages, there are no specific funds allocated to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The House is expected to pass this bill in late February, then the U.S. Senate will begin its process to consider this bill.
How Does This Impact Individuals with Learning Disabilities?
This bill does not provide any new allocations for IDEA and LDA is advocating for dedicated IDEA funding in this bill and subsequent COVID relief packages.
Your Voice in Washington and Beyond
IDEA Action Alert
LDA supports dedicated IDEA funding to be included in current and future COVID relief packages. To support this effort, LDA sent out an action alert to our members and supporters to advocate that the next COVID relief package must expressly include specific funding for IDEA. To accomplish this, Congress must fund the IDEA as proposed by Sens. Murphy (D-CT), VanHollen (D-MD), and Hassan (D-NH) and provide $12 billion for the IDEA — $11 billion to Part B (K-12), $500 million to Part C (infant and toddlers), and $400 million to Part B Sec. 619 (preschool).
Investments in Early Intervention
LDA of America partnered with the American Occupational Therapy Association, Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children, and the IDEA Infant and Toddler Coordinators Association to request a funding increase for IDEA Part C in the next COVID relief package.
Why Did LDA Take This Action? LDA supports the full funding of IDEA, particularly because students with learning disabilities have the highest number of individuals identified as disability category under IDEA.
COVID Relief and IDEA Funding
As a member of the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities Education Task Force, LDA recommended priorities for the next COVID relief packaging to Congress. Priorities included increasing IDEA funding and ensuring that public funds remain in public schools.
Why Did LDA Take This Action? LDA supports the full funding of IDEA, particularly because students with learning disabilities have the highest number of individuals identified as disability category under IDEA.
Full Funding of IDEA
Along with our partners in the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities Education Task Force and our partners in the IDEA Full Funding Coalition, LDA recommended priorities to President Biden for the Fiscal Year 2022 budget focused on his pledge to put IDEA on a ten-year glide path to full funding.
Why Did LDA Take This Action? LDA supports the full funding of IDEA, particularly because students with learning disabilities have the highest number of individuals identified as disability category under IDEA. Additionally, LDA supports the IDEA Full Funding Act which aligns with President Biden’s priority to fully fund IDEA.
Don’t miss our next LDA in Washington & Nationwide Webinar!
The Learning Disabilities Association of Texas (LDATX) is focused on increasing awareness of what LDATX offers. We want people to know that there are resources available to help guide them through anything from an IEP to finding support services.
LDATX has only been up and running for the past four years. We are growing and welcome anyone who would like to join us in our efforts to make sure each child/adult with learning disabilities gets the help and support they need! As it states on the LDA National Page, “You are not alone” and LDATX is here for you!
Recent Accomplishments
In 2020, LDATX started a Resource Directory Group Page on Facebook and worked with the Governor of Texas to have October declared LD month in the state of Texas! LDATX has a robust social media presence and in 2020 answered over 400 emails from people requesting help finding learning disability testing and/or guidance related to identification and diagnosis of a learning disability for themselves or their child.
Additionally, LDATX, along with other LDA state affiliates, are currently working on a resource page for each state to help find low cost testing for adults to test for learning disabilities.
Coming Up
LDATX President, Rachel Krueger shared that LDATX has a lot of other plans for 2021! “We are currently developing a program, the LDATX Bright Light Award, which will create an opportunity for educators to nominate themselves or other special educators who are implementing best practices during these unique times. We are excited to give back to deserving special educators”. She also shared that they hope to have at least one one-day workshop soon, but are still determining if that will need to be virtual or if they can have it in-person. Stay tuned to their website or their Facebook page for more information!
Connect with LDA Texas
Do you live in Texas or know someone who does? We asked Rachel why folks should join LDA Texas.
“Because we are awesome! We are a group of parents, educators, administrators, and other professionals who believe that every person with learning disabilities can succeed with support and guidance. We welcome anyone to join us to help spread the word about LDATX and our mission to help those with learning disabilities.”
Remote learning, hybrid learning, and in-person learning during this tragic time of the COVID-19 pandemic have placed our educational system in turmoil. Children, educators, and parents live in continual anticipation and fear. In some cases, schools are forced to make a decision to close with a day or so notice. Educators are faced with monitoring COVID cases and keeping their classes as sanitized as they can. Parents who are worried about their jobs also worry about whether their child will be schooling in-person or remotely, and they struggle with childcare plans. Children sense anxiety and fear all around them. They are used to structure and routine, but now they don’t know from day to day what their schedule will be, and they are worried that they or a family member may get the virus. In addition to these difficulties, the pandemic has exposed to the general public the stark inequities in funding and resources that plague public schools in the United States. Countless students in both urban and rural settings lack access to remote learning, and thus many have been lost in the chaos that currently exists.
During the 2019-2020 school year, schools closed shortly before statewide assessment had occurred in most states. As a result, testing requirements were waived by the United States Department of Education. In September of this year, the U.S. Secretary of Education notified districts that statewide assessment would proceed this year. The coronavirus continues to disrupt education, and school officials are worried that they will not be able to conduct statewide assessments. There have been questions about whether states can or should apply for waivers of the testing requirements. Civil rights and advocacy groups are justifiably concerned that two years without testing data would endanger the ability to monitor and support the students who are most at-risk.
The Learning Disabilities Association of America believes that it is important to assess students to ascertain current achievement levels and to assess the impact of the disruption of traditional schooling. At the same time, we are unconvinced that high stakes statewide assessments, as they have been implemented to date, have resulted in improved student outcomes policymakers and reformers promised. Indeed, a decade of overall flat NAEP data and persistent achievement gaps suggest they have not. Yes, assessment is critical for instructional improvement, but where is the evidence that the millions of tax dollars expended on statewide assessments have resulted in improved academic achievement? Are the summative assessments utilized by most states effective, or is it time to explore other options for monitoring student learning?
As we approach one year since schools were abruptly forced to close to in-person instruction, the number of students whose needs have gone unmet due to a lack of resources grows exponentially. We understand that there are numerous reasons why education funds meant for one purpose cannot be quickly and easily reallocated for other purposes. However, parents, teachers, and others who are experiencing pandemic-related difficulties that could be alleviated or at least improved with increased financial resources will struggle to understand why stressful and costly testing continues on when education has not. During this pandemic, Congress and the U.S. Department of Education should be prioritizing supporting states and ensuring that schools have the tools and funding to keep classrooms clean and safe for all students, and that the necessary instructional, social, and emotional supports are in place.
Perhaps this is the time to pause to study the complexity of the issue and how standardized assessment can best be utilized in the support of student achievement. Yes, we need systems to monitor student outcomes, but first, we must ensure that all students have equitable access to high-quality public education.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) chemicals are used to make materials grease and water-resistant. These chemicals are also harmful to our health and are nicknamed “forever chemicals” because they do not break down. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that: “Some studies have shown that PFAS exposure may affect growth, learning, and the behavior of infants and older children….and increase the risk of cancer.” These risks are not acceptable.
That’s why LDA and over 20 partner groups sent this letter asking McDonalds to ban toxic PFAS in November 2020, urging McDonald’s to swiftly adopt a public policy to ban PFAS in all McDonald’s food packaging and food-contact materials. State LDA affiliates across the US also participated in the national day of action (see photo).
On January 13th 2021, McDonald’s announced they will ban all PFAS from guest packaging materials by 2025. The company stated: “We’re proud to take another step in our product stewardship journey with our commitment to remove all added fluorinated compounds from our guest packaging materials globally by 2025.” The company has also eliminated BPA, BPS, and phthalates in its packaging. (Note: while the company had stopped using long-chain PFAS chemicals in 2008, they continued to use other PFAS chemicals.)
McDonald’s is joining other quick-service companies like Cava, Chipotle, Freshii, Panera Bread, Sweetgreen, and Taco Bell who have also announced action to get rid of PFAS chemicals in food packaging.
LDA is a proud member of the Mind the Store campaign, which released a report on toxic PFAS in food packaging at fast-food chains in 2020. This report showed PFAS in food packaging at fast food chains, like McDonald’s Big Mac container and their small fry and cookie bags. Check our their MTS blog on this big win. LDA believes we need to ban PFAS as a class, to prevent regrettable substitutes, as there are about 5,000 PFAS chemicals.
The LDA Nominating Committee is pleased to introduce the candidates who will be placed in nomination at the Assembly of Delegates during the Annual Conference, February 20, 2021. The Committee worked diligently to select candidates who bring a variety of skills and experience to their respective positions and to the Board of Directors of the Learning Disabilities Association of America.
Officers:
JoAnna Barnes, 1st Vice President
JoAnna is the parent of two young adults with learning disabilities. She has been involved with LDA since 2002 when her older child, then in 2nd grade, was struggling in school. She credits LDA for her daughter finally being identified as LD in 3rd grade. JoAnna lives in Chapel Hill, NC, and is active with LDA of North Carolina serving on its Board of Directors and now as President. She has served as Co-Chair of the LDA Public Policy and Advocacy Committee, and one of three LDA representatives to the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities. In 2015 she chaired a LDA task force on the accessibility of testing accommodations for adults with LD who apply to take the high school equivalency exam. JoAnna holds a B.A. and J.D. from Georgetown University and is a member of the Maryland and District of Columbia Bars.
Kevin Gailey, 2nd Vice President
As the Head of School for Midwest Academy and as a parent of a child with learning disabilities, Kevin’s focus is keeping the child at the center. His passion is providing a progressive education for kids with learning differences since he has seen the tremendous difference that it makes in their lives. After being drawn to these complex learners as a teacher over 25 years ago, he believes that progressive education fits with students’ unique stages of development. Kevin received his B.S. in Psychology from Springfield College; an M.Ed. in Elementary Education from Lesley University; and his M.A. in Administration/Exercise Sports Science from the University of North Carolina. He has also earned Certificates in Fundraising Management at the IU School of Philanthropy; Non-Profit Business Management at IU Kelley School of Business; and Organizational Consulting and Change Leadership from Georgetown University.
Bev Johns, Secretary
Beverley Johns has 40 years of experience working with students with learning disabilities, and/or behavioral disorders within public schools. She supervised LD and EBD teachers in 22 school districts, was the founder and administrator of the Garrison Alternative School for students with severe EBD in Jacksonville, Illinois, and later the coordinator for staff development for the Four Rivers Special Education District. She is now a learning and behavior consultant and was a Professional Fellow for MacMurray College (where she taught courses on Special Education Law, on EBD, Adaptations, and on Diverse Learners). She is also the President of the Learning Disabilities Association of Illinois.
Gabrielle Miller, Treasurer
As the Executive Director of the SALT Center at the University of Arizona, Gabrielle Miller leads one of the nation’s most prestigious programs for undergraduates who learn differently. The SALT Center supports the academic and clinical needs of UArizona undergraduates with learning and attention challenges and partners with universities throughout the world to help university students who learn differently persist.
Prior to her current role, Dr. Miller held national nonprofit leadership roles as both President & CEO of Raising A Reader and VP of Programs at Reading Is Fundamental. She also held leadership roles in special education clinical service, program administration and graduate teacher training/research at The Kennedy Krieger Institute (KKI) and The Johns Hopkins University (JHU). During her time at KKI she began as a special education teacher and ultimately held a leadership role in the development of a model school-to-work secondary program for students with multiple and complex disabilities (Kennedy Krieger High School).
She began her career as a special education teacher in rural Maryland where her interests in transition at all stages of development (early education, adolescent, and post-secondary), family engagement, and research to practice began. She earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary and special education from the University of Delaware and completed her Masters and Doctorate in special education and administration at The Johns Hopkins University. She currently serves as a founding board member of the National Association of Family, School and Community Engagement (NAFSCE). Gabrielle has served on the Early Childhood Committee and Conference Program Committee of LDA and currently holds the role of Treasurer.
Board Members – 3 Year Term (2021-2024)
Jaumeiko Coleman
Jaumeiko Coleman, PhD, CCC-SLP, FNAP is the Director of Clinical Services at the Atlanta Speech School. Her responsibilities include supporting the implementation of audiology; occupational therapy; reading, writing, and mathematics intervention; and speech-language-pathology clinic programs for children and adults. Her current position and past work in school-based settings, universities, a research unit, a continuing education accrediting unit, and as Director of School Services for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association have included a strong interprofessional practice focus.
Rachel Krueger, B.C.A.S.E.
Rachel Krueger is the mother of three children, one of which has Learning Disabilities. She is a former preschool teacher and has training in Autism Spectrum Disorders, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Pediatric Occupational Therapy.
Rachel is President of the LDA Texas affiliate and has been involved in LDA for many years. She is also a member of the National Alliance on Mental Illness and is a certified Mental Health Advocate, a Board Certified Special Education Advocate, and has a Child Psychology certificate. Rachel has worked with children who have bipolar issues, are on the Autism Spectrum, and have Oppositional Defiance Disorders. She is also the Co-Chair of the Mental Health Committee, Assistant Chair for the LDA Annual International Conference, and a Parent Advocacy Training Program member through LDA.
Rachel is passionate about educating parents about learning disabilities and how to have their child diagnosed at an earlier age. She is thankful for LDA of America and is grateful to be part of such a wonderful organization.
Rachel lives in San Antonio, Texas, with her husband and three beautiful children.
Anne Huntington Sharma
Anne Huntington Sharma is President of Huntington Learning Center, the nation’s leading tutoring and test prep provider. Since 2015, Anne has led Huntington Compensatory Education Services, a program designed to support special education students who have been denied their federal right to a free and appropriate education. Before joining Huntington Learning Center in 2014, Anne launched and remains the Principal of AMH, a creative agency for contemporary art and culture. In this capacity, she has curated over 30 exhibits across the country with organizations to help build awareness and raised over $30 millions of dollars for various causes. Her involvement with LDA began in 2014 and has included speaking at the annual conferences, company sponsorship of local (New Jersey) and national events, as well as serving as head of the Development Committee. Anne is an active chair and member of other education and arts-based groups such as the Young Collectors Council at the Guggenheim Museum, the Future Leadership Council at the Whitney Museum, the Women’s Franchise Committee for the International Franchise Association, NYC’s Coalition for the Homeless, Teaching Matters, CHADD and COPAA. Anne received a Bachelor of Arts from Colgate University.
