 |
|
|
|
Photograph by Eric Johnson
Students' Leader: Debra Ullman says she knows how to navigate the public school system's bureaucracy.
Public Citizen
Plotting the Courses
With almost two decades of classroom experience, Debra Ullman helps kids get what they need from public schools
By Cecily Barnes
Parents in California know that it's never too soon to plan for a child's future, especially with a public school system infamous for having cracks big enough to fall through. No one knows that better than Debra Ullmann, who spent 18 years teaching special education classes at the Campbell Union School District.
Ullmann sees herself as somewhat of an expert on identifying what's lacking in a youngster's education.
Now she has taken her expertise, combined it with a hefty referral network and a series of tests, and launched a unique business designed to evaluate children and plug the holes missed by public schools.
"Schools don't test kids until they're already failing, and by then it can be too late," Ullmann says.
She says that her brainchild, Educational Planning Services, draws on the wisdom of parents and professionals to design a specific learning plan for each child.
"First I'd ask what the parent's goal is," Ullmann explains. "Then I'd find out if their student learns best visually, auditorily or kinesthetically. I'd talk to the classroom teachers, if they would allow me, and then I'd put it all together and give a report to the parent at the end. It would include how they learn best, things the classroom teacher can do, things they can do at home and any private resources."
Parents have come to Ullmann for help bringing grades up, or to come up with ways for students to struggle less with homework, or even to develop a plan in advance to ensure admission to prep schools.
"I find out where the student is achieving and do a diagnostic assessment to see if there are any gaps in their learning, anything that they missed out in," she explains.
Kathy Farley brought her 7th grader, William, to Ullmann because he was getting poor grades and was at risk of expulsion due to inappropriate behavior at school. Ullmann helped Farley demand a special education evaluation, which showed that William had a learning disability and qualified for special classes.
"My feeling is that if Debra hadn't been there, this child would have been expelled from this school and put into a continuation school," Farley said. "Debra was telling us what tests we should be asking for."
Ullmann boasts a long list of qualifications for her role as an evaluator. In addition to her 18 years in special education at the Campbell Union School District, she has been licensed through the Association of Educational Therapists. She also has a degree in Music Education, and earned graduate credits in the field of special education from San Jose State University.
"I want to give parents straightforward answers to questions about their children's academic achievement, and do it in a timely manner," Ullmann says. "There's a lot of bureaucracy in the public school system. It takes perseverance to get those answers.
"Kids don't live in a vacuum, if they're having social and emotional problems, there's probably some academic problems that go along with that," Ullmann says.
Know somebody who deserves to be in the paper? Nominate a Public Citizen. Send the name of a noteworthy neighbor to: Editor, Campbell Reporter, 116 E. Campbell Ave., Ste. 6, Campbell, CA 95008, or ejohnson@svcn.com
|
|
|
|
Campbell, California
