Helping Parents and Advocates Improve
Educational Results for Children with Disabilities
Helping Parents and Advocates Improve
Educational Results for Children with Disabilities
National Inclusive Schools Week will be celebrated December 1-5, 2008 around the theme Together We Learn Better: Inclusive Schools Benefit All Children. Check out the Web site for activities and awareness materials or to sign up to become a partnering organization.
The most current list of quarterly correspondence policy documents from the Office of Special Education Programs was announced in the November 13 Federal Register. Topics include child find, disproportionality, discipline, and others.
The IRIS Center has released 2 new training modules on Peer Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS) - A Reading Strategy for Grades K-1 and A Reading Strategy for High School. Both modules provide teachers research-based information and strategies for implementing PALS techniques in their classrooms.
The National Council on Disability (NCD) recently released a report titled The Rehabilitation Act: Outcomes for Transition-Age Youth. This report is a comprehensive assessment of the impact of the Rehabilitation Act on the employment and postsecondary education outcomes of eligible transition-age youth.
The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, together with the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, set in motion policy changes that have allowed many thousands of children and youth with disabilities in the United States the opportunity to gain the educational and vocational skills needed to transition to living, working, and participating as adults in community life.
On October 29, 2008, the U.S. Department of Education released final regulations to clarify provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act. The regulations cover several areas, including calculation of graduation rates, parent notification of school choice and supplemental educational services options, and state and district reporting requirements.
The U.S. Department of Education has posted reports summarizing States' responses to special education indicators such as graduation rates, parent involvement, and least restrictive environment. Part B and Part C summary documents are available.
This new document from the National Center for Education Statistics reports findings on the school readiness of young children as reported by their parents and examines several other early learning topics such as developmental accomplishments and family activities.
The National Center for Education Statistics recently released "Public School Graduates and Dropouts from the Common Core of Data: School Year 2005-06." The report presents the numbers of high school graduates receiving regular diplomas and those who dropped out in 2005-2006.
The National Governors Association (NGA) recently released a report on the importance of developing public-private partnerships to promote the healthy development and school readiness of young children.
The federal Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) recently issued IDEA progress reports to state departments of education. Officially known as "U.S. Department of Education Determination Letters on State Implementation of the IDEA," the reports indicate if states met requirements of IDEA or need assistance or intervention to meet those requirements.
IDEA is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which provides public education to the nation's nearly 7 million children with disabilities. For funding accountability, states must show that they are meeting the education needs of children with disabilities.
Each state develops its own state performance plan, based on federal guidelines and then submits an annual performance report to OSEP telling how it met the targets of its plan. OSEP sends detailed progress reports to states in June, showing states where they need improvement. To view Minnesota’s determination letter, click here. To find letters for other states, click here.
Bookshare.org is hosting a webinar on June 12th at 1pm Central Daylight Time (CDT) to provide an overview of their services for students with print disabilities. Bookshare.org is the world's largest online library of accessible media with over 38,000 titles.
The National Council on Independent Living will host its Annual Conference in Washington, DC on July 21-24, 2008. This year's theme is Time for Change. Use Your Power.
The Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation has recently published a 14 page booklet: Paths to Inclusion: A Resource Guide for Fully Including Youth of ALL Abilities in Community Life. The guide is free and provides an overview of inclusion, examples of best practices, and links to helpful resources.
On April 22, 2008 the U.S. Department of Education released proposed regulations covering several aspects of Title I of the No Child Left Behind Act, including reporting of graduation rates and parental notification.
A new report released by America's Promise Alliance finds that America's largest cities are struggling to keep students in school.
A new report from the National Early Childhood Transition Center (NECTC) entitled Transition Issues and Barriers for Children with Significant Disabilities and from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds discusses transitions for children with significant disabilities children with disabilities from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
View a short summary of the report or see the full technical report.
No Child Left Behind Act: Education Actions Could Improve the Targeting of School Improvement Funds to Schools Most in Need of Assistance. GAO-08-380, February 29. Download a copy or view highlights of this report.
In order to meet the IDEA 2004, school districts around the country are working to develop Response to Intervention (RTI) models. NCCRESt's newest Practitioner Brief — A Cultural, Linguistic, and Ecological Approach to Response to Intervention with English Language Learners — addresses a culturally responsive approach to RTI in a thoughtful and practical manner. This brief identifies guiding questions for service providers who determine whether assessment and instruction are linguistically and culturally appropriate for the student’s level of language proficiency. In addition, the brief considers student progress in relationship to peers with regard to language and cultural background. The authors have also created a useful flowchart to help practitioners to implement RTI interventions appropriately for students who are English Language Learners.
The March 24th Federal Register had a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) regarding the Family and Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). The changes would clarify permissible disclosures to parents of eligible students and conditions that apply to disclosures in health and safety emergencies, as well as other provisions. Comments on the proposed regulations are due on or before May 8th.
The March 18th Federal Register included a list of quarterly correspondence (Oct. 1 - Dec. 31, 2007) from the U.S. Department of Education on issues regarding the interpretation of IDEA and the implementation of IDEA. The topics addressed are: Child with a Disability, Child Find, Methods of Ensuring Services, Personnel Qualifications, Prohibition on Mandatory Medication, Evaluations, Parental Consent and Reevaluations, Independent Educational Evaluations, Procedural Safeguards Notice, Impartial Due Process Hearing, Complaint Resolution, Accelerated Programs.
Duncan Masterman, a 7-year-old Brooklyn Park boy, doesn’t mind teaching others about his Tourette syndrome. He doesn’t have to explain much at school anymore, though, since Lynn Dennis and volunteers from the PACER Center, used a puppet named Connor to explain the syndrome to his classmates.
The National Council on Disability recently published "Youth with Disabilities in the Foster Care System: Barriers to Success and Proposed Policy Solutions," a report focusing on the challenges faced by older youth with disabilities in the foster care system.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recently submitted a report to Congress: Promotion and Prevention in Mental Health: Strengthening Parenting and Enhancing Child Resilience. The report emphasizes the benefits of a strengths-based approach to mental health programs as demonstrated in research findings.
The National Center for Technology Innovation’s Web site features news and resources regarding assistive and educational technology. The site breaks information down by topic (assessment, grant writing, implementation, research, etc.) and includes research and policy papers, upcoming technology events, and profiles of leaders in the field. You can also sign-up to receive a bi-weekly e-newsletter with featured resources and articles.
The 7th Annual Inclusive Schools week will be held December 3-7, 2007. This year's theme is “Lessons from the World: Including All Children” and will celebrate international efforts to improve educational outcomes for all children, especially those with disabilities and from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
The U.S. Supreme Court made a decision today in the Winkelman v. Parma City School District case about a boy with autism whose parents argued they were effectively denied access to the courts because they could not afford a lawyer. The Court ruled that parents do not need to hire a lawyer to sue public school districts over their children’s special education plan.
The U.S. Department of Education has released the unofficial version of the Part C Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), which is available online at:
http://idea.ed.gov/static/partCNprm. The official version will be posted in the Federal Register on Wednesday May, 9th.
The dates and locations of the public meetings have also been announced:
This winter, 3 Regional Implementation Meetings were held across the country to present information on the IDEA 2004 final regulations. Presentations made by Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) personnel are available at http://idea.ed.gov/ and materials from the OSEP Technical Assistance and Dissemination Network can be viewed at http://www.rrfcnetwork.org/content/view/339/379/. The materials and presentations cover specific parts of IDEA 2004 (response to intervention, highly qualified teachers, monitoring, etc.) to support states as they implement the new regulations.
Incenter strategies recently released a new fact sheet called "The Public Health Insurance Cliff for Older Adolescents." The document reviews eligibility policies for 19 and 20-year olds under Medicaid and SCHIP.
This extensive collection includes models, curricula, practices, policy, research, and resources that can be applied to improve outcomes for all learners.
This Web site presents resources for framing the discussion about achievement gaps, diversity, and disproportionality, and forming a foundation for improving policy and practice.
Collection of citations and links to online journals and other publications relevant to systems change, administration, policy, and practice of IDEA and NCLB.
Anne Henderson, Senior Fellow at the Annenberg Institute for School Reform, testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions regarding the reauthorization of NCLB. Read her comments on "Effective Strategies for Engaging Parents and Communities in Schools."
Project Forum, a project of the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE), has recently published 2 new policy analysis documents:
The materials, presentations and summary of discussions from the Center for Evidence-based Practices: Young Children with Challenging Behavior Policy Maker's Summits (2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006) are now available online.
The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) recently responded to a question regarding parental consent requirements relating to accessing public benefits or insurance.
The Maternal and Child Health Policy Research Center and its affiliate organization Incenter Strategies has released 4 new publications on adolescent health including two on racial and ethnic disparities and another addressing Medicaid.
In 1997, Congress made significant changes to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the landmark law that ensured educational equity for children with disabilities. As part of the 1997 reauthorization, Congress requested a national assessment of the amendments. The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) responded by commissioning seven separate studies that included both child-outcome longitudinal studies and topic-specific studies.
You can review the report and the findings at www.abt.sliidea.org
These studies focus on three themes: (1) From standards to access to outcomes; (2) What happens as students grow; and (3) The importance of function, health & environment.
The United States Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs recently released the final regulations to implement the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, as amended in 2004.
The Offices of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services and Elementary and Secondary Education in the U.S. Department of Education recently released a toolkit containing practical suggestions and research based strategies for assessing students with disabilities.
The National Center Special Education Accountability Monitoring (NCSEAM) is pleased to announce the availability of information on states' performance related to service settings for preschool children with disabilities.
A useful online resource for school districts and parents about how the reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) provides for students with disabilities enrolled by their parents in private elementary schools and secondary schools is now available on the Department's Web site. Titled Questions and Answers on Serving Children With Disabilities Placed by Their Parents at Private Schools, this resource was developed in response to queries from state officials, elected representatives and parents since a change to IDEA became effective on July 1, 2005. This resource is posted to the IDEA 2004 Resources Web page at http://www.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/idea/idea2004.html.
The statutory revisions to the IDEA in 2004 significantly changed the obligation of states and local education agencies (LEAs) to children with disabilities enrolled by their parents in private elementary and secondary schools. While previously it was the responsibility of the LEAs in which the parents resided to conduct child find and provide equitable services to these students, that responsibility has now shifted to the LEAs in which the private schools are located.
Questions and Answers address such topics as child find and individual evaluations for parentally placed private school children, the provision of equitable services, and preschool and out-of-state parentally placed private school children with disabilities.
Questions and Answers is the latest resource added to the IDEA 2004 Resources Web page, intended to assist educators, students and families.
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