Our Mission

​The members of the Action for Reform in Special Education (ARISE) Coalition have joined together to provide a collective and powerful voice in support of students with disabilities and learning differences in New York City public schools. We seek to improve day-to-day experiences and long-term outcomes for these students and champion systemic reform to:
  • Improve services and support for students with disabilities and learning differences;
  • Assure meaningful inclusion and integration;
  • Promote greater transparency and accountability;
  • Mitigate practices that lead to discrimination and disproportionality in rates of referral, suspension, and segregated placements; and
  • Increase positive outcomes and options for all students. 
View our agenda for change or our past publications.

Supporting Organizations and Individuals

  • Ursula Abbott Connolly
  • Cathy Albisa
  • Steven J. Alizio, Esq., M.S.Ed
  • Mark Alter, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education & Human Development, New York University
  • Catherine Baez
  • Celia M Blackman
  • ​David C. Bloomfield, Professor of Education, Brooklyn College and The CUNY Graduate Center
  • Bay Brown
  • Heather Clarke Mackin
  • Ted Chang
  • María Cioè-Peña, MSEd, Ph.D, Assistant Professor of Educational Foundations at Montclair State University
  • Tamesha Coleman
  • Ziograin (Zio) Correa, Sr., M.S.Ed
  • April Coughlin, School of Education, SUNY New Paltz
  • Susan Crawford, Director, The Right to Read Project
  • Sahre Davis, Parent/Community Advocate
  • Ruth DiRoma
  • Richard and Lora Ellenson
  • Yuvania Espino
  • Charissa Fernandez
  • Esther Klein Friedman, Ph. D
  • Ramona Garcia
  • Andrea Giammettei
  • Olga C. Gonzalez
  • Jay Gottlieb, New York University
  • Tiesha Groover
  • Emily Hellstrom
  • Paul Hutchinson
  • Rima Izquierdo
  • Patricia Jewett
  • Donna Johnson
  • Revere Joyce
  • Joseph Karam
  • Jeannine Kiely
  • Laura Kennedy
  • Rebecca Kostyuchenko
  • Shirley Kwok
  • Mylinda Lee
  • Jeanna McGlinnis
  • NeQuan C. McLean 
  • Aurelia Mack
  • Matthew Mandelbaum
  • Shelly McGuinness
  • Diana Mendez
  • Susana Montes
  • Elise Murphy
  • Srikala Naraian, Department of Curriculum and Teaching, Teachers College, Columbia University
  • Dana Neider
  • Michelle Noris
  • Kathleen Nowak
  • Miriam Nunberg, Special Education Advocate and Educational Equity Consultant
  • Jaclyn Okin Barney, Esq.
  • Naomi Peña
  • Samantha Pownall
  • Cathy Rikhye, Ed.D., Department of Curriculum and Teaching, Teachers College, Columbia University 
  • Raphael Rivas
  • Melanie Rivera-Mora
  • Marilyn Rubinstein  ​
  • Miguel L. Salazar
  • Jennifer and Peter Sellar
  • Iriss Shimony
  • Jon Sigall
  • Jo Anne Simon, Jo Anne Simon, P.C.
  • Karin Spraggs
  • Mark Surabian, MA, ATP, Instructor, Assistive Technologies, Pace Graduate School of Education
  • Tanzea Taylor
  • Constance Van Rolleghen
  • Pooja Vekaria, Neuropsychologist​
  • RueZalia Watkins
  • Chevion Weaks-Lopez, Queens High School Presidents' Council
  • Abraham Weitzman