It is well known that Mohawk Trail’s team of educators and staff consistently bring real world experiences to students. This month, Julia Lignori traveled to the nation’s capital to take part in the Higher Education Consortium for Special Education’s annual winter summit. Prior to the summit, she attended a short graduate course on education policy and politics and met with congressional staff to advocate for Mohawk Trail.
“I have been a special education teacher for over 15 years and have intimate knowledge of the crisis facing students, teachers, and school leaders today,” Ms. Lignori said “Foremost, the recruitment and retention of new teachers has reached a nadir in many disciplines, and special education teachers in particular are in critical shortage.”
She explained that many states have lowered their standards for entry into the field of special education. These policy changes have disproportionately impacted students in rural and impoverished areas, including Mohawk Trail. Since 2020, the state of Massachusetts has allocated Rural School Aid based on a district’s student-density and per capita income, yet this aid is insufficient due to the state’s funding formula, which does not take into account declining enrollment and disproportionately high per-pupil expenditures.
“My experience teaching in this setting, and within the Mohawk Trail community, has compelled me to better understand how the legislative process works and what effective advocacy looks like in order to improve outcomes for all students,” she said.
The graduate course on education policy and politics was made available, through competitive application, to just 10 doctoral students from HECSE member institutions across the country and Ms. Lignori was selected for the experience. “The course was designed to provide a foundation in government, politics, and policy prior to attending the Winter Summit, which included all members of the HECSE board and each doctoral student’s faculty advisor,” she said.
During her time in Washington, D.C., Ms. Lignoroi attended Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona’s address at the U.S. Department of Education, titled “Raise the Bar: Lead the World.”
She also met with U.S. Representative James McGovern’s legislative assistant, Bella Edo, at his office in the Cannon Building on Capitol Hill.
“Overall, I had an amazing crash course in civics and policy development, and made incredible connections with like-minded educators,” she said. “Most importantly, I come back with real-life experiences that I can share with my students and help them understand the world a little bit better.”
