Assistant Secretary Alexa Posny, who received a master's and doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, will participate in rededication ceremonies for the university's Education Building Monday in Madison. She will also be honored with the School of Education's Distinguished Alumni Award.
Posny, who oversees the U.S. Education Department's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, will speak at 8:30 a.m. at the Education Building with the formal rededication ceremonies beginning at 11 a.m. She will discuss how the impending reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) will serve as the roadmap for reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). And, how her office is aligning its priorities with those outlined in the administration's ESEA reauthorization blueprint for reform.
The Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes alumni who have made a difference in the field of education. Posny is a graduate of the UW School of Education, having earned a master's in behavioral disabilities and a Ph.D. in education administration. As assistant secretary, Posny oversees administration of IDEA, which provides America's 6.6 million children and youth with disabilities the right to a free appropriate public education.