Project Unicorn

A little over four years ago, I had the opportunity to pitch an idea that would become a catalyst for lasting change. Such moments don’t happen without timing, luck, and relationships. A key connection to Rory (Brosius) Martin through Lakesha Cole, an intro to Ravi Chaudhary, and a strategic message crafted by Jennifer Barnhill, MPA. It was inspiring to see the #militaryspouse community unite to elevate issues faced by military-connected children in special education. That pitch to Dr. Jill Biden, the future First Lady sparked action to address systemic challenges military families face in supporting children with disabilities. In case you missed it, last Thursday, the Joining Forces initiative, with the United States Department of Defense and U.S. Department of Education, announced new measures to support military children with disabilities. These efforts are grounded in years of research by Partners in PROMISE (PiP), which revealed that military-connected children often wait 4.25 months after a PCS move to receive IEP services. Many of these families’ struggles had gone untracked, until that pitch. As a young nonprofit navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, PiP launched three annual surveys for military families with special needs, thanks to the USAA Foundation, who believed in our mission, and outreach support from MSOs like Blue Star Families and Kathy Roth-Douquet, who expanded their work to address EFMP and special education. The Joining Forces team, led by Sheila Casey, Rory (Brosius) Martin, Elizabeth Jamison, Eryn Wagnon, and Meredith S., relentlessly advocated for these children. The U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, with leaders Valerie C. Williams and Katy Neas, issued guidance letters, supported data collection on military-connected children with IEPs, and invested in Moving with the Mission, led by Erin Mote with InnovateEDU. The work of Project Unicorn and the EdTech community on data interoperability also played a key role. The MF&CP Office, led by DASD Patricia M. Barron, and the DSLO SMEs Jeremy H. and Kelli May Douglas, identified special education as a state policy priority. The list of supporters is long, and I’m grateful to all. Last week I was honored to be in the White House State Dining Room during the Joining Forces ceremony, where these initiatives were announced. Tears filled my eyes, knowing how far we’ve come. It was even more meaningful to share that moment with advocates like Sharene Brown, Christine Grady, Jon Horowitch with Easterseals DC MD VA, who share our mission to improve the quality of life for all military families and enhance military readiness. Military children with disabilities still need our advocacy, and PiP is excited to continue this work with the new Trump administration in support of our most vulnerable military children. #militarychildren #specialeducation #efmp #advocacy

When First Lady Jill Biden heard from military families that their children were waiting months for special education services when they went to new posts, she took on this issue with gusto. She recognized that if our military families are worried about whether their children are getting services, that means we are hurting our own military operational readiness and national security. Top school data management software companies serving millions of students across the country, including ClassLink, Clever Inc., D2L, IEP&Me, Mindex, PowerSchool, and Siras Systems, are collaborating with the nonprofit InnovateEDU to take historic actions to address special education data transfer issues. DoDEA and InnovateEDU signed a Letter of Intent to support the working group in developing the processes, governance structures, and legal agreements needed to facilitate transparent and confidential data transfers to reduce gaps in special education services for military children resulting from challenges in transferring student records. Today, we announced this work at the White House at the First Lady's last public event and I am so grateful for the leadership at DOD, in the private sector and the non-profit sector, who will carry this forward with Project Unicorn. What a joy to share this with Project Unicorn Director Chloe Sanducci and her extraordinary work on Moving with the Mission. https://lnkd.in/ej9TyRbk

When First Lady Jill Biden heard from military families that their children were waiting months for special education services when they went to new posts, she took on this issue with gusto. She recognized that if our military families are worried about whether their children are getting services, that means we are hurting our own military operational readiness and national security. Top school data management software companies serving millions of students across the country, including ClassLink, Clever Inc., D2L, IEP&Me, Mindex, PowerSchool, and Siras Systems, are collaborating with the nonprofit InnovateEDU to take historic actions to address special education data transfer issues. DoDEA and InnovateEDU signed a Letter of Intent to support the working group in developing the processes, governance structures, and legal agreements needed to facilitate transparent and confidential data transfers to reduce gaps in special education services for military children resulting from challenges in transferring student records. Today, we announced this work at the White House at the First Lady's last public event and I am so grateful for the leadership at DOD, in the private sector and the non-profit sector, who will carry this forward with Project Unicorn. What a joy to share this with Project Unicorn Director Chloe Sanducci and her extraordinary work on Moving with the Mission. https://lnkd.in/ej9TyRbk

When First Lady Jill Biden heard from military families that their children were waiting months for special education services when they went to new posts, she took on this issue with gusto. She recognized that if our military families are worried about whether their children are getting services, that means we are hurting our own military operational readiness and national security. Top school data management software companies serving millions of students across the country, including ClassLink, Clever Inc., D2L, IEP&Me, Mindex, PowerSchool, and Siras Systems, are collaborating with the nonprofit InnovateEDU to take historic actions to address special education data transfer issues. DoDEA and InnovateEDU signed a Letter of Intent to support the working group in developing the processes, governance structures, and legal agreements needed to facilitate transparent and confidential data transfers to reduce gaps in special education services for military children resulting from challenges in transferring student records. Today, we announced this work at the White House at the First Lady's last public event and I am so grateful for the leadership at DOD, in the private sector and the non-profit sector, who will carry this forward with Project Unicorn. What a joy to share this with Project Unicorn Director Chloe Sanducci and her extraordinary work on Moving with the Mission. https://lnkd.in/ej9TyRbk

Curious how better data integration can transform education? Join us at Future of Education Technology Conference on Jan. 17 for the panel "Maximizing Insights While Reducing Efforts by Using Standards." Hear from Dr. Tim Clark, Nathan Gandomi, Andrew Rice, Nicholas L. Handville, and Debbie Durrence, Ed.D. as they explore how collaboration, resource-sharing, and streamlined workflows are driving faster, better insights into student success. Don’t miss this engaging discussion on scaling impact across education systems!