WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER Shares Key to Better Education for Students with Autism

Mark Claypool and John McLaughlin, two of the nation's most inventive education thinkers, say it will take a fresh, bold strategy in public education to improve outcomes for students who are at-risk or who have special needs. That strategy involves establishing partnerships between public school districts and private companies, outlined in their new book We're In This Together: Public-Private Partnerships in Special and At-Risk-Education (Rowman & Littlefield, academic hardcover $45.00, paperback $22.00, ebook $21.99, June 2015).

Public-private partnerships in education aren't new. Schools already partner with private companies for specific services such as transportation, maintenance, health services, and more. If schools formed public-private partnerships to provide specialized education for students with autism, with special needs, or who are at-risk, would education improve?

Claypool and McLaughlin answer with a resounding yes. They explain how creating partnerships between public schools and private companies results in lower dropout rates, higher graduation rates and increased opportunities for students with disabilities or who are at risk.

An engaging, easy-to-understand blend of true stories, data, diverse resources, and expertise from over four dozen regional and national educators, administrators and other education leaders, this book clearly demonstrates how public-private partnerships give students and public schools the advantage.

Claypool believes that all children can advance academically, behaviorally, and socially if they are given the right tools in the right environment. A former social worker, he founded and serves as president and CEO of Educational Services of America (ESA), one of the leading providers of behavior therapy and special education programs, with over 40 years of partnership experience.

"It's ok to ask for help from the private sector," Claypool writes. "We exist to offer children and young people the opportunity to create successful, independent futures by providing educational and behavioral supports to help them reach their full potential."

He said that as a for-profit company, ESA offers schools greater transparency and accountability, and works in cooperation with public school districts, not in competition.

Elected policy makers, teachers and parents will be eager to discuss this new game plan for equipping students and schools with better educational opportunities, community partnerships, and brighter futures.

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