Matthew Lenaghan worked for three years in a Houston high school during the mid-1990s through the Teach For America program. The attitude some of his fellow educators took toward students with special needs left a sour taste in his mouth.
“One of the negative things you hear is people say, ‘If you have a kid with behavior problems, just write them up constantly so you can kick them out of your room,’ ” Lenaghan said. “What that means is, ‘Write them up constantly, so they can store him somewhere he won’t bother anybody but won’t necessarily be educated.’ ”
