Great as a special education support

I am the director of student services for Portland Public Schools. I oversee the use of Google R&W for students grades K-age 22. This includes: purchasing/invoicing, providing professional development for staff to assist implementation, troubleshooting issues with Google R&W from an educational perspective, and ensuring that all students have access to Google R&W if mandated as an accommodation in student IEPs or 504s.

It has allowed for us to remain in compliance with student IEPs and 504s. It also helps students with disabilities access classwork. It saves teachers time to differentiate work to make it accessible. It also allows students to work more independently, requiring less support. This has been very helpful for students and staff.

We have many students with dyslexia who have wonderful listening comprehension skills but struggle to decode. Normally, they would require an adult to read aloud for them to access their classwork, which is often not feasible. Google R&W allows students with reading-based disabilities to access their education and feel independent without an adult needing to read aloud.