Author Profile

Carl & Suzanne Shepherd

Parents

Carl and Suzanne Shepherd live in Austin and are the parents of three young men, the youngest of whom has Down syndrome. Suzanne is an attorney who served as President of the Down Syndrome Association of Central Texas for five years, and has focused her legal attention on laws governing Special Education. Carl is a retired serial entrepreneur, co-founder of Austin-based HomeAway, and a member of several travel companies' boards.

Latest Columns

Texas can’t improve special education without data

There’s no state mandate to collect group academic data for kids who don’t take standardized tests. Data is a double-edged sword: the same data that shows areas for improvement also illuminates failures. There are legal remedies for failure; parents can take the district through “due process” and ultimately to court to insure their child’s access to an appropriate education is preserved.