I wrote a paper on this topic some decades ago for a graduate school paper. I entitled it, "Does Remediation Mean Failure?" and based it on quite a few definitive studies. Needless to say, those studies are long outdated and the paper, which was not very popular with my fellow educators, is no longer current. Sadly, though, the outcomes are the same as they were "back in the day." And weirdly, there are not a lot of longitudinal studies of what happens to students who receive remedial courses in elementary, middle, and high school. I find this odd, considering how much time and energy goes into it and the high degree to which parents trust it.

Many, many children who come to NACD are involved in remedial coursework or some other type of remedial school-based strategy, frequently in math and reading. I'm sure that we can all agree that students need to be successful in math and reading in order to be successful when they graduate from high school. There are studies showing that students are less likely to drop out of school if they are struggling and remediation of some kind is given. That may be where the good news ends if we look at how high school students are faring today.

The majority of middle school students intend to go to college when they graduate. Only 44% of high school graduates actually enroll in college, and only 26% of them actually graduate from a four year college (Conley,2012). Out of all the students taking the ACT, only 25% of them were ready to do college work (ACT, 2012). Out of students taking the SAT, only 43% of them were considered prepared to be successful in college (College Board, 2012).

So, you may say, not everyone is going to college nor is everyone going to be successful in college. There are certainly other very lucrative career paths. This is absolutely true. Unfortunately, even those training programs often require pre-admission testing such as the COMPASS test, which is not the SAT but is certainly not a simple test.

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When Joshua was five and the time that he should start kindergarten was fast approaching, I agonized over placing him in a formal school setting. He was very active and did not like to sit still. He would not sit down to eat, but preferred to stand at the table, practically running in place while he ate. He was fidgety and impulsive. He was frequently irritated over the most insignificant thing and would flail around in frustration. Having a fall birthday meant that he turned five just after the school deadline, so I used that year to work with him at home, hoping to get him ready for school.

But Josh wasn't interested in learning letters and numbers; he just wanted to constantly play, run, jump-anything but sit still. No matter what I tried, he wasn't retaining anything. I was afraid traditional school would not be a good fit for him.

One day while talking with a friend, who happened to be an elementary school principal, I described Josh's behavior. "It sounds like he would be sitting in front of my office a lot," she said. That was exactly what I was afraid of. Knowing that she understood what I was talking about wasn't helpful, though; I needed solutions.

I began studying various educational philosophies and looking for an appropriate school for my son. Finally I settled on a nearby Montessori school and Joshua did well there, especially in learning math. Because the Montessori method allowed for movement in an open multi-age classroom where children can choose from a variety of learning activities, a lot of Joshua's issues were tolerable. Unfortunately, the school only went up to 3rd grade, and once again I was faced with the difficult dilemma of Josh's schooling.    

My friend, Isabel, one of our many great NACD moms, who comes to us all the way from Guatemala, has been doing a fantastic job with her son Eddy. In the process of determining what is best for Eddy, Isabel has turned herself into an expert on nutrition and environmental toxins. She has written a great book explaining the nutritional needs of our children and walking you through the realities of the toxins in our homes that can have such a tremendous impact on all of us. As many of you know, wandering through conflicting health and nutritional information, general ignorance, food traditions, special interests food advertising, and "healthy" foods and products has created a really difficult situation for parents who are really trying to do the right thing.

And as you also know, it's really hard implementing dietary changes and changing your home environment. If you are not too sure or confident about what you are doing, it makes it almost impossible to really implement change. I think you will find that Isabel's book provides you with an excellent foundation and gives you the confidence you need to make some life-altering changes, not only for your special needs children, but for all of your children and yourselves as well.

As I speak with our families around the world, I hope I begin hearing more and more stories of diets and homes that have been turned around. And of children and families living healthier and better.