October 2009 News
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Added October 01, 2009 Visit the Center for the Improvement of Child Caring (CICC), sign up for its newsletter, and join the National Effective Parenting Initiative. The site includes info on special needs and preschoolers. - NICHCY |
September 2009 News
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Added September 24, 2009 This tip sheet from CADRE gives suggestions for IEP meeting conveners and parents about what they can do to make IEP meetings successful. - NCSET |
Added September 16, 2009 The U.S. Department of Education has created a new presentation that answers questions about funds provided under three Federal programs: Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act; Title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act; and funds for Coordinated Early Intervening Services, available under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
This presentation: provides general background information about each of these three Federal programs; defines what the U.S. Department of Education means when they talk about RTI, recognizing that there are multiple RTI frameworks and that different terminology is sometimes used when talking about RTI; and provides specific examples of how Title I, Title III, and CEIS funds may be used to support RTI. - National Center on Response to Intervention |
Added September 14, 2009 The Equity Alliance has introduced a new Learning Carousel which links you research-based practice information on a variety of topics, including: response to intervention, family connections and partnerships, and teaching design and practice. - Equity Alliance |
Added September 02, 2009 When the back-to-school bell starts ringing, parents often hear and read school-related terms that are unfamiliar to them. Reading Rockets provides descriptions of three terms related to reading instruction that may help give you a better understanding of what's happening in your child's classroom and what it all means for your young learner. - Reading Rockets |
August 2009 News
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Added August 29, 2009 The U.S. Department of Education's "Implementing RTI Using Title I, Title III, and CEIS Funds" is now available as a "talking" PowerPoint presentation from both the Department of Education and the Center on Instruction. After the link opens, click "View flash presentation"; when the presentation opens, click on "Begin Presentation". - Center on Instruction |
Added August 12, 2009 Governor Deval Patrick has touted his proposed expansion of charter schools as a way to help students who face the greatest academic challenges, such as language barriers and disabilities. But a Globe analysis shows that charter schools in cities targeted by the proposal tend to enroll few special education students or English language learners. - The Boston Globe |
Added August 12, 2009 A capstone senior engineering class this past year developed a thermal eraser, an innovation that was demonstrated on a tactile sketch pad last month at the National Federation of the Blind convention in Detroit. UVM developers hope that, after some design modifications, their device will be commercially available. - Burlington Free Press |
Added August 11, 2009 Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who founded the Special Olympics, has died at the age of 88. (b. July 10, 1921.) She was the younger sister of President John F. Kennedy, and the fifth and middle child in the famous Kennedy family. - NPR |
Added August 11, 2009 More than 200,000 schoolchildren are paddled, spanked or subjected to other physical punishment each year, and disabled students get a disproportionate share of the treatment, according to a new study. - The New York Times |
Added August 09, 2009 Year-round school, also known as a modified calendar, is a rapidly growing trend in the United States. Almost 2 million students currently attend these programs -- a 400 percent increase over the last 12 years. - ABC News |
Added August 08, 2009 Local people with disabilities are learning computer programming at East Stroudsburg University through Project ENABLE, a pilot program that will spark interest — and, the group's coordinator hopes, jobs — in computer science. - The Pocono Record |
Added August 05, 2009 The federal No Child Left Behind mandate was passed in 2001 to hold schools accountable for getting students to meet grade-level standards, earning schools their Adequate Yearly Progress stamp of approval. But two subgroups, special-needs students and English-language learners, are proving most difficult for schools locally and nationwide. - Gainsville Times |
Added August 05, 2009 The three new movies would seem to have little in common: a romantic comedy about Upper West Side singles, a biopic about a noted animal science professor, and an animated film about an extended pen-pal relationship. - The New York Times |
Added August 05, 2009 States aren't too far behind the curve when it comes to raising standards. That has been part of No Child Left Behind, and 37 states are matching their standards with college and career demands, according to Achieve, a nonprofit group that works with states on standards. And though each state gets to set its own standards, there are some common guidelines for what students should know to be successful after high school. - Edutopia |
Added August 05, 2009 Most children who get hurt at school can tell their parents what happened, but what about those who cannot? Twelve-year-old Carmen Maggiore is autistic and cannot communicate verbally, so when his mother, Linda Auger, noticed deep purple bruises on her son's arms and abrasions on his upper chest, lower back, and buttocks, she couldn't ask him to tell her what happened. Auger, who lives in Braintree, Mass., believes her son suffered what many parents dread: abuse at the hands of his former teacher, an adult Auger trusted with Carmen's well-being and education. The teacher has said no such abuse took place. It's an example of the difficult circumstances that parents and schools face when trying to sort out whether abuse occurred in a classroom. - U.S. News and World Report |
Added August 04, 2009 State slashes funding of program for mentally retarded who are 22 or older. - lowellsun.com |
Added August 02, 2009 Highland Park schools are spending $15,000 in federal stimulus money to ensure students who need reading and writing help get it this summer. - www.nj.com |
July 2009 News
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Added July 30, 2009 This is an inspiring news story about Carlsbad resident Samantha Pinnell, who is legally blind, and going on to UC in the fall. |
Added July 29, 2009 A provision in the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act allows a reduction of state funding when federal money is available for special-education services. With most states confronting severe education budget cuts and federal stimulus funds on the way, some officials are concerned that there will be a temptation to alter policies to shift local spending that would have been spent on special education to other education needs. - Education Week |
Added July 27, 2009
Parent of two boys with learning delays created www.avillagetoraise.com to chat, network, socialize and share resources to aid parents with the raising of their children in April 2009. - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |
Added July 24, 2009 President Obama's speech about original passage of ADA. - The White House Briefing Room |
June 2009 News
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Added June 04, 2009 What can we learn from the National Mathematics Panel Report that can help to improve mathematics achievement among American students? This research brief from the Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement focuses on curricular content and instructional materials and learning processes and the recommendations for PK-12 education. - Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement |
Added June 03, 2009 The Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative (CAHMI) has just published the results of its 2007 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH). The survey provides state-level data on over 100 child health indicators, including a number of questions related to early childhood, risk for developmental delays, children with an IFSP/IEP (0-5 years) and more. - The Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative (CAHMI) |
Added June 02, 2009 IDEAmoneywatch.com is a new project launched by the Advocacy Institute to keep an eye on the use of the additional $11.3 billion IDEA funding made available to local school districts by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The Web site features FAQs, a state data lookup tool, state IDEAmoneywatch blogs, and additional resources. - IDEAmoneywatch.com |
Added June 01, 2009 The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL) has published this new resource for families, which offers tips and strategies for families to consider when playing with their infant or toddler. - Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL) |
May 2009 News
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Added May 29, 2009 NICHCY has maintained a core of key publications for many years, updating them every time our nation's special education law is reauthorized or significant changes occur in the field. Here are the latest to get complete facelifts so they are not only shiny-new again but are also consistent with the requirements of IDEA 2004 and its regulations.
- NICHCY/NDC |
Added May 28, 2009 Taking early action may be key to helping students struggling with mathematics. The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) offers a new practice guide containing eight recommendations designed to help teachers, principals, and administrators use Response to Intervention for the early detection, prevention, and support of students struggling with mathematics. - The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) |
Added May 25, 2009 The Family Center on Technology and Disability invites you to read the recently concluded discussion of Assistive Technology and Transition lead by Gayl Bowser, former coordinator of the Oregon Technology Access Program and long-time AT specialist. Gayl addressed operational skills, functional skills, and self-determination. Her discussion is augmented by annotated resources on AT and transition. - Family Center on Technology and Disability (FCTD) |
Added May 21, 2009 The Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative (CAHMI) has published the results of its 2007 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH). The survey provides state-level data on over 100 child health indicators, including questions related to early childhood, risk for developmental delays, children with an IFSP/IEP (0-5 years) and more. In addition, they provide state rankings on such issues as Risk of Developmental or Behavioral Problems and Developmental Screening. - The Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health |
Added May 04, 2009 The Center on Instruction has recently posted three reports developed by the U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences in the area of Special Education K-5.
- The Center on Instruction |
April 2009 News
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Added April 30, 2009 This month's edition of the Family Center on Technology and Disability's News and Notes focuses on computer-based testing accommodations and universally-designed assessments. NimbleTools co-founder and researcher, Dr. Michael Russell, discusses the state of the field and identifies the key components of effective testing accommodations. - Family Center on Technology and Disability (FCTD) |
Added April 16, 2009 The latest webinar hosted by the National Post-School Outcomes Center (NPSO) is available online. This webninar featured Richard Horne from the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) providing a summary and discussion of the ODEP report on employment and disability. - National Post-School Outcomes Center (NPSO) |
Added April 15, 2009 The Southeast Regional Resource Center (SERRC) offers a web page on: The U.S. Financial Crisis and Its Effects on Children, Youth, Families, Schools and Services. This is a temporary collection that will be maintained as long as significant changes are occurring. Sequential annotations and links to full texts on the budget situations in 38 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico (and more will be added) -- Plus annotations and links to (a) situations in various schools, districts, and higher education; and (b) reports on specific impacts. - Southeast Regional Resource Center (SERRC) |
Added April 14, 2009 The National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality offers two new resources.
- First their latest Research and Policy Brief, Leading Teachers from Generation Y: Emerging Strategies for School Leaders, provides research-based strategies for supporting and retaining Generation Y teachers. It examines the policies and practices that the private-sector has adopted to attract top Gen Y talent to their workplaces and applies these to 10 strategies for school leaders to support effective teachers.
- Methods of Evaluating Teacher Effectiveness is a brief intended to help regional centers and state policymakers as they consider evaluation methods to clarify policy, develop new strategies, identify effective teachers, or guide and support districts in selecting and using appropriate evaluation methods for various purposes.
- National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality |
Added April 10, 2009 The National Center on Response to Intervention has established a standard process to evaluate the scientific rigor of commercially available tools and interventions that can be used in an RTI context. Over the course of its funding period, the Center will conduct annual reviews of tools and interventions in the following three domains: 1) Screening, 2) Progress Monitoring, and 3) Tiered Instruction. - The National Center on Response to Intervention |
Added April 09, 2009 PBS - A Wise Investment of Economic Stimulus Funds, a pamphlet about using stimulus funds for Positive Behavioral Supports (PBS), provides a brief introduction to PBS and available funding sources for locial education agencies (LEAs). - The Southern Poverty Law Center |
Added April 08, 2009 CADRE undertook a qualitative inquiry of special education mediations in two states. In this exploratory research, CADRE's goal was to gain access to, examine, and compare the perspectives of parents, school personnel and mediators on several dimensions of the mediation experience. - Center for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education (CA |
Added April 07, 2009 The National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness (NCDB) has a new publication available on Transition. It describes the importance of in-depth transition planning to meet the unique needs of children and youth who are deaf-blind and the requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Print and Braille copies are available from NCDB. - The National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness (NCDB) |
Added April 06, 2009 The new Data Accountability Center (DAC) website provides public access to data about children and youth with disabilities served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) - Part B and C; technical assistance (TA) materials to support the collection, analysis and reporting of IDEA data; and the forms and spreadsheets used for collection. DAC is funded by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), U.S. Department of Education to provide information and TA to improve the quality of all state-reported data required by the IDEA. - IDEAdata.org |
Added April 06, 2009 The Partnership Users Guide to the NSTTAC Evidence-based Collection is designed to assist you in learning more about Secondary Transition Evidence-based Practices for its implementation on all levels-- federal, state, and local. The following are tools designed to guide your through this site and to provide ideas for applications and resources: fact sheets, presenter's guide, and dialogue guides (on topics such as Functional Life Skills; Social/Communication Interventions; Transition Outcomes for Youth with Disabilities; Transition Planning; and Self- Determination).
- NSTTAC |
Added April 03, 2009 - Autism Hangout |
Added April 02, 2009 The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) has released a practice guide called "Assisting Students Struggling with Reading: Response to Intervention (RTI) and Multi-Tier Intervention in the Primary Grades" to help educators identify struggling readers and implement evidence-based strategies to increase academic achievement. - Center on Instruction |
Added April 02, 2009 Service-learning can be applied across all subjects and grade levels; it can involve a single student or group of students, a classroom or an entire school. Students build character and become active participants as they work with others in their school and community to create service projects in areas like education, public safety, and the environment. A national study of Learn and Serve America programs suggests that effective service-learning programs improve grades, increase attendance in school, and develop students' personal and social responsibility. - The National Service Inclusion Project (NSIP) |
Added April 01, 2009 The Matrix Parent Network and Resource Center offers transition materials for the various transitions children face from preschool to adulthood:
- The Matrix Parent Network and Resource Center |
Added April 01, 2009 Nationally, U.S. high schools are failing to graduate approximately 30% of the country's future workforce each school year. Identifying warning signs during important transition years is critical for targeting resources and interventions to prevent dropout. The National High School Center provides the Early Warning System Tool and the Early Warning Systems Guide, along with information about how these resources can be used as part of a dropout prevention strategy to keep students in school. - The National High School Center |
March 2009 News
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Added March 11, 2009 The Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports (PBIS) announced the relaunch of their website with a new design, better navigation system, more content, and resources. The new PBIS.org provides upgraded information on PBIS for beginners, family support, RtI, high school interventions, wraparound service, and juvenile justice. - Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports |
Added March 10, 2009 - Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), U.S. Department of Education |
Added March 09, 2009 We've added a lot of new pages to our website. For your reading and sharing pleasure:
- National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities |
Added March 07, 2009 The 1997 Amendments to IDEA marked the first time that specific discipline procedures were included in the law. Those discipline procedures addressed how public agencies could respond to behavioral infractions of children with disabilities. They were also rather complicated. You'll be pleased to hear that those procedures have been revised in the 2004 Amendments to IDEA and that disciplinary processes have been streamlined. They are still complicated, so we've split the discussion into separate sections of more digestable length. - National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities |
Added March 06, 2009 The IRIS Center released a pair of new case study units: RTI: Progress Monitoring and RTI: Data-Based Decision Making. IRIS Case Studies provide students with applications through which to strengthen their understanding of select topics and are designed to accommodate a wide range of student skills. - The IRIS Center |
Added March 04, 2009 The National Center for Education Statistics within the Institute of Education Sciences has released the report "After-School Programs in Public Elementary Schools." This study provides a national profile of various types of formal after-school programs physically located at public elementary schools in 2008. These programs included stand-alone programs that focus primarily on a single type of service (e.g., only day care) and broad-based programs that provide a combination of services such as academic enrichment and cultural activities. - IES Newsflash |
Added March 03, 2009 The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) has released three new reports on the topics of Droput Prevention, Middle school Math, and Elementary School Math. In addition, the WWC now has an advanced search feature on their site that will allow you to define your customized summaries of research findings based on grade, population, and more. - What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) |
Added March 02, 2009 Susan Bruce, a parent advocate, and Regional Education Coordinator for her State's Parent Training and Information Center, has created a Parent's Guide to Response to Intervention that highlights important RTI issues parents need to be aware of. - Wrightslaw |
February 2009 News
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Added February 20, 2009 All babies now must be screened for most of the 29 serious, yet treatable, genetic or functional conditions recommended by the American College of Medical Genetics. - March of Dimes |
Added February 16, 2009 BOISE, ID – Vice President Joe Biden announced Kareem Dale as Special Assistant to the President for Disability Policy. Dale, who is partially blind, will have direct access to the President in this role and he will coordinate the Administration’s efforts to see that people with disabilities are on a level playing field with all Americans. This is the first time a president has had a special assistant focused exclusively on disability policy. - White House Press Release |
Added February 12, 2009 The vaccine court set up by Congress as part of what is known as the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program ruled today, in three decisions with far-reaching implications for a bitterly fought medical controversy, that childhood vaccines do not cause children to develop autism and families of children with autism are not entitled to federal compensation. - The Washington Post |
Added February 11, 2009 Special-educators and other advocates for students with special needs are asking U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan to limit the use of restraints to discipline students with special needs, to create final regulations for preschool children with disabilities and to reconsider how many students with special needs can take modified state tests under NCLB. - Education Week |
Added February 10, 2009 Cash-strapped schools, colleges, and prekindergarten programs would receive more than $80 billion in federal assistance under a version of the massive economic-stimulus package passed by the U.S. Senate. During floor debate, Sen. Collins highlighted $13 billion in special education funding included in the slimmed-down measure. The money, which would be spread over fiscal years 2009 and 2010, represents the biggest boost for the program ever. Ms. Collins said it would help shore up local school budgets and avert layoffs. - Education Week |
Added February 09, 2009 On Friday February 6, 2009, the U.S. Department of Labor released the first official data on the employment status of persons with disabilities. In January 2009, the percent of people with disabilities in the labor force was 23.1. The unemployment rate for those with disabilities was 13.2 percent. - Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) |
Added February 05, 2009 On February 4, 2009, President Obama signed into law the reauthorized State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which provides insurance coverage to over 11 million children nationwide. The legislation also includes the Immigrant Children's Health Improvement Act (ICHIA), which will lift a 5-year ban on eligibility for legally residing children and pregnant women. - National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (NECTAC) |
Added February 04, 2009 The National Center for Education Statistics within the Institute of Education Sciences has released the report "Course Credit Accrual and Dropping Out of High School, by Student Characteristics." This Statistics in Brief uses data from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002) to examine the number of credits earned by high school students and the relationship between course credit accrual and dropping out. Findings indicate that high school dropouts earned fewer credits than did on-time graduates within each year of high school, and the cumulative course credit accrual gap increased with each subsequent year. - The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) |
Added February 03, 2009 Could a decades-long drop in the concentration of lead in children's blood help explain rising SAT scores? A Virginia economist who pored over years of national data says there's an "incredibly strong" correlation, which adds to a growing body of research on lead's harmful effects. - USA Today |
Added February 02, 2009 What beginning reading programs have been proven to help students in grades K-1 to succeed? This review answers that question by summarizing evidence on four of the most popular types of programs designed to improve beginning reading achievement. - The Best Evidence Encyclopedia (BEE) |
Added February 02, 2009 Education Secretary Arne Duncan said the economy won't improve without the billions of dollars for schools in President Barack Obama's recovery plan. "If we want to stimulate the economy, we need a better-educated workforce," Duncan said in an interview with The Associated Press. "That's the only way, long-term, we're going to get out of this economic crisis," he said. - MSNBC |
January 2009 News
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Added January 22, 2009 The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), reauthorized in 2004, requires that the Department of Education report annually on the progress made toward the provision of a free appropriate public education to all children with disabilities and the provision of early intervention services to infants and toddlers with disabilities. The two volumes of the 28th Annual Report contain information on the children and students being served under IDEA, state-level data profiles, and extensive tables of state-reported data. - United States Department of Education |
Added January 21, 2009 On the same day as President Barack Obama's inauguration, his pick for U.S. Education Secretary, Arne Duncan, was approved unanimously by the Senate. Duncan, the former Chicago Public Schools chief, has said he wants to make changes to No Child Left Behind and recruit more teachers. He was one of seven cabinet picks approved Tuesday. - ASCD SmartBrief |
Added January 16, 2009 The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to add an special education case to its docket for this term. In this case, the justices will return to an issue they deadlocked over in their last term: whether parents in a special education dispute with a school district may be reimbursed for "unilaterally" placing their child in a private school when that child has never received special education services from the district. - Education Week |
Added January 15, 2009 The reports look at different ingredients essential to understanding how math is best studied, how math learning happens at different stages of development, and how teachers can be prepared to meet the instructional needs of (all) students. - National Center for Learning Disabilities |
Added January 10, 2009 In this report, some of the findings reinforce the value of common practices, such as teaching young children the alphabet. But "some of the patterns are different from what people predicted, and that's going to change practice," says Timothy Shanahan, chairman of the National Early Literacy Panel, which released the report Thursday. - Christian Science Monitor |
Added January 08, 2009 Quality Counts 2009, entitled "Portrait of a Population: How English-Language Learners Are Putting Schools to the Test," was released today. The report contains new data that can be used to inform policy debates, such as that states estimate that more than 56,000 new English-as-a-second-language teachers will be needed in the next five years and that only 11 states provide incentives for teachers to receive an endorsement in ESL. - Education Week |
Added January 08, 2009 Classrooms serving students with autism should have basic items in place to help that student be successful in the school environment. - Teachers 2.0 |
Added January 04, 2009 What separates kids who read and those who don’t? In a word, parents. - Baltimore Examiner |
Added January 04, 2009 A series of winter storms in 2003 closed schools in Maryland for several days. University researcher — and a parent — Dave E. Marcotte started wondering if all those days of lost learning would affect students’ test performance. The results of his investigation might surprise you — or maybe not. - The Daily Gazette - Schenectady, NY |
Added January 04, 2009 Among the 19 children in Ms. Barbiaux and Ms. Hartung's 1st grade class are two with autism and one with a learning disability. Despite their special education status, they were fully a part of the class, working on the same lesson as everybody else. - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review |
Added January 04, 2009 The new ACT report The Forgotten Middle suggests that, in the current educational environment, there is a critical defining point for students in the college and career readiness process—one so important that, if students are not on target for college and career readiness by the time they reach this point, the impact may be nearly irreversible. - ACT Research and Policy Reports |
Added January 04, 2009 The Math Works advocacy kit provides resources that make the case for why all students - regardless of their plans after graduation - should engage in rigorous math course-taking throughout their high school experiences. - Achieve.org |
Added January 04, 2009 In the presidential debates, he twice described early childhood education as among his highest priorities, and his choice for secretary of education, Arne Duncan, the Chicago schools superintendent, is a strong advocate for it. - New York Times |
Added January 04, 2009 No general instructional model can be recommended for all students. Nonetheless, one can assume that certain general guiding principles for teaching students with learning disabilities do exist and that effective interventions include components that capitalize on these principles. - Pacific Daily News |
December 2008 News
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Added December 23, 2008 View highlights and feature presentations from ABA International's Evidence-Based Practice, Scientifically Based Instruction, and Educational Effectiveness. - ABA International |
Added December 12, 2008 Over the past several years, the need has grown for speech-language pathologists and audiologists to use evidence-based practice (EBP) in clinical decision-making, but for our discipline, like most others, the transition is not easy. One challenge we face is the scarcity of clinical practice research to guide clinical decisions and policy. Even where relevant literature exists, professionals often lack the time to evaluate and synthesize the research. - American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) |
Added December 11, 2008 Most U.S. Eighth-Graders Aren’t On Track, Will Face Uphill Battle to Catch Up. The findings suggest the level of academic achievement that students attain by eighth grade has a bigger impact on whether they are ready for college and career by the time they graduate than any single factor examined, including courses taken, grades earned in high school and demographic characteristics such as gender, race, and household income. - eSchool News |
Added December 11, 2008 CareerForward, a free online course, aims to help prepare America's young people for 21st-century jobs - eSchool News |
Added December 11, 2008 A large proportion of first-time community college students enter schools each year in need of developmental education, but few succeed in making it through these programs to college-level courses, let alone earning a certificate or a degree. - MDRC |
Added December 11, 2008 At a time when limited government resources demand that the nation make the most of investments in social and education programs, policymakers will increasingly need to make decisions on the basis of reliable evidence. To assist the incoming Obama Administration and the new Congress, MDRC has developed a series of 15 two-page, evidence-based framing memos on pressing education and social issues — from preschool to prisoner reentry, from disability insurance to after-school programs. - MDRC |
Added December 11, 2008 We all know how infants can act up during their terrible twos, but when these behaviors are accompanied by developmental setbacks, they could point to something more serious. - Science Daily |
Added December 11, 2008 Exploring Response to Intervention is the place to exchange ideas and strategies for this important framework for working with struggling learners. For December, David F. Bateman, co-author of "The Special Education Due Process Handbook" and "A Principal's Guide to Special Education," will be discussing the legal aspects of RTI. - CEC RTI Blog |
Added December 11, 2008 The holiday season is a time for family togetherness, community, and friendship when we enjoy parties and fun celebrations. Unfortunately, children who struggle with social and behavioral problems can feel lonely and excluded during this happy time. - LD Online |
Added December 11, 2008 When pediatricians diagnose attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, they often ask their patients whether they know anybody else with the problem. These days, children are likely to reply with a household name: Michael Phelps, the Olympic superstar, who is emerging as an inspirational role model among parents and children whose lives are affected by attention problems. - New York Times |
Added December 11, 2008 With the first half of the school year almost complete, I think it's safe to say that everyone (parents, educators, students) is looking forward to some holiday time away from the classroom. But for students who will be finishing high school in the spring, the next few weeks are likely to be filled with paperwork and planning, meetings with guidance counselors, conversations with college admissions personnel, and hours of online research. - National Center for Learning Disabilities |
Added December 10, 2008 Warning signs of high school academic woes can be seen in students as young as 11 and addressed, researchers say. - Denver Post |
November 2008 News
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Added November 19, 2008 The $6 billion funding for the federal Reading First program has helped more students “crack the code” to identify letters and words, but it has not had an impact on reading comprehension among 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders in participating schools, according to one of the largest and most rigorous studies ever undertaken by the U.S. Department of Education. - EdWeek |
Added November 14, 2008
This report reviews the literature on getting dual language learners
ready for school and looks at ways in which families, communities, services and schools can work together to get children ready to succeed in the early years of education. - National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition (NCELA) |
Added November 12, 2008 November 18th, 3:30-4:30 p.m. e.t.
Web tour of the State Performance Plan (SPP) -Annual Performance Report (APR) Calendar for LRE (Indicator B5).
To regsiter for this event: CLICK HERE - TACommunities |
Added November 11, 2008 This EPE Research Center report examines a number of key issues facing students with disabilities ranging from the demographics of the population, educational settings, overrepresentation of certain student groups, achievement, high school completion, and transitions to adulthood. - EdWeek |
Added November 06, 2008 The NRCLD defines Responsiveness to Intervention (RTI) as: an assessment and intervention process for systematically monitoring student progress and making decisions about the need for instructional modifications or increasingly intensified services using progress monitoring data. Providing RTI services in communities where the student body is diverse can create challenges but in schools where response to intervention models are practiced, teachers and other practitioners are collaborating in amazing ways to make the menu of learning options in the classroom as diverse as the student population. - The National Center for Culturally Responsive Educational Systems (NCCRESt) |
Added November 06, 2008 - The Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement |
Added November 06, 2008 A gene linked to autism may also play a role in the most common childhood language disorder, researchers said on Wednesday, perhaps explaining why some children develop language difficulties. "This is the first time anyone has pinpointed a specific gene that is involved in common forms of language impairments," University of Oxford geneticist Simon Fisher, who led the study, said. - Reuters |
Added November 05, 2008 Every day the headlines address new financial challenges. Don't send your students out into this complex financial world unprepared! Equip them with the basic money management skills they need to function effectively by learning more about financial literacy. - The Center for Implementing Technology in Education (CITEd) |
Added November 05, 2008 Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) appears to affect movement in boys more than it does in girls, according to a new study. ADHD is one of the most common mental disorders found in children. Symptoms include impulsiveness, hyperactivity, such as not being able to sit still, and inattention or constant daydreaming. Few studies have been done that compare ADHD and movement in both boys and girls. - Science Daily |
Added November 04, 2008 The National Center on Student Progress Monitoring's final webinar on Data-Based Instruction in Special Education presentation and accompanying transcript are available at the Center's website. Dr. Lynn Fuchs and Dr. Doug Fuchs led this webinar, which focused on the use of curriculum-based measurement student progress monitoring data for individualizing and monitoring the effectiveness of instruction in special education. - The National Center on Student Progress Monitoring (NCSPM) |
Added November 03, 2008 Reading Rockets is a national multimedia project offering information and resources on how young kids learn to read, why so many struggle, and how caring adults can help. Their news page offers the latest headlines on reading research, strategies, curriculum, and activities for parents and teachers of emerging readers. - Reading Rockets |
Added November 03, 2008 A new study in the latest issue of Cell has revealed the molecular and cellular underpinnings of one of the most common, single gene causes for learning disability in humans. The findings made in learning disabled mice offer new insight into what happens in the brain when we learn and remember. While most previous studies have focused on the role of brain cells that excite other brain cells in the process of learning, the current results suggest that inhibitory neurons and a careful balance between excitatory and inhibitory signals may be just as essential, according to the researchers. - Science Daily |
Added November 02, 2008 Speech-to-text services deliver spoken information such as lectures, presentations, and classes as text on a computer screen in real time or as printed documents. Speech-to-text service is an appropriate accommodation for individuals with hearing impairments who are comfortable receiving information via text. Speech-to-text services often are used for students or others who do not use sign language interpreters or when course content has vocabulary more easily presented in print (e.g. foreign languages, medical courses). - PEPNET |
Added November 01, 2008 Once accepted as a “rite of passage”, bullying is now acknowledged as a major concern by schools across the U.S. Bullying can create a climate of fear and disrespect that can have a negative impact on school climate and school learning (NEA, 2003). In fact, an estimated 160,000 students miss school each day because of bullying. The U.S. Dept of Education describes bullying as “intentional, repeated, hurtful acts, words or other behaviors, such as name-calling, threatening and/or shunning acts, committed by one or more children against another.” The materials at this link were developed by the Matrix Parent Network and Resource Center specifically to aid parents of children with disabilities to deal with the difficult subject of bullying. - Matrix Parent Network and Resource Center |
October 2008 News
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Added October 10, 2008 Teachers who are successful in educating children with ADHD use a three-pronged strategy:
- Evaluate the child's individual needs and strengths.
- Select appropriate instructional practices.
- For children receiving special education services, integrate appropriate practices within an IEP.
- U.S. Department of Education |
Added October 10, 2008 These short, web-based publications from the National Forum on Early Childhood Program Evaluation summarize the results and implications of recently published studies evaluating the effects of childhood programs and conditions. - Harvard's Center on the Developing Child |
Added October 10, 2008 With a new method of identifying students with specific educational needs, for a second year in a row, the number of students receiving special education services has decreased in this Wisconsin school district. - The Chetek Alert |
Added October 10, 2008 Researchers from the Education Development Center Inc.'s Urban Special Education Leadership Collaborative said the division between general education instruction and special education programs stretches financial and staff resources; consumes special education administrators' time on issues such as compliance, rather than program improvement; and deprives students with disabilities who may benefit from learning in an integrated classroom. - Hartford Courant |
Added October 10, 2008 Visit health-evidence.ca for evidence-based approaches to the prevention of chronic diseases, published from 1985 to the present. The reviews focus on the effectiveness of interventions in public health and the list offers the option to see the reviews categorized by disease, audience, setting, or intervention strategy. - health-evidence.ca |
Added October 09, 2008 October is Learning Disabilities (LD) Awareness Month. Join the Reading Rockets community in learning more about LD. Share one of their inspirational stories about parents and teachers who made a difference in the life of a child and find out how you can help a struggling reader. - Reading Rockets |
Added October 09, 2008 Co-teaching is an ideal way to include students with special needs and extend differentiation to other students as well, says special-educator and author Mindy Fattig. Sharing responsibilities allows colleagues to build an equal relationship without the special-education teacher feeling like a "glorified aide," she writes. - Teacher Magazine |
Added October 09, 2008 The summary of the most recent TQ Connection discussion - Response to Intervention at the Secondary Level - is now available on the TQ Connection. This online discussion featured Dr. Mark Shinn from National Louis University who offered excellent resources and stimulating responses to questions surrounding secondary RTI implementation, scheduling considerations, graduation requirements, teacher preparation needs, and self-study instruments. - National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality |
Added October 09, 2008 SEDL's National Center for the Dissemination of Disability Research (NCDDR) has worked with the Campbell Collaboration (C2) to develop a disability subgroup that will provide support and resources for disability researchers who are conducting systematic reviews. Read about this important work in NCDDR's Focus Newlsetter. - National Center for the Dissemination of Disability Research (NCDDR) |
Added October 05, 2008 The Curriculum and Instructional Projects Team at the Florida Center for Reading Research developed "Guidelines for Reviewing a Reading Program" to assist reviewers in determining if a program is consistent with the scientific research on reading. Based on that work, the Center on Instruction has developed a professional development module for Reviewing a Reading Program as a two-day training to guide reviewers of reading programs through the review process. The Participant's Guide contains resources (charts, summaries, and the Guidelines themselves) to help in reviewing a reading program. The Participant's Guide can also serve as a tool for reviewing any reading program. - Center on Instruction |
Added October 03, 2008 Visit the U.S. Department of Education's " Doing What Works" Web site and check out the section called Psychology of Learning: How to Organize Your Teaching, which will empower educators and administrators with research-based strategies to help instructors organize their teaching and improve student learning. This latest addition is based on the What Works Clearinghouse Practice Guide called Organizing Instruction and Study to Improve Student Learning, which was released this month. - U.S. Department of Education |
Added October 02, 2008 The Center on Instruction produced a new synopsis outlining an article entitled "The Use of Reading and Behavior Screening Measures to Predict Nonresponse to School-Wide Positive Behavior Support: A Longitudinal Analysis." In this analysis, the researchers investigate the ways in which academic and behavior problems develop, conducted a retrospective longitudinal analysis of the interaction between reading skills and problem behavior among students from kindergarten through Grade 5 in a school district that was implementing universal support systems for both reading and behavior. The authors also sought to determine the usefulness of screening assessments in reading to predict responses to school-wide positive behavior support. - The Center on Instruction |
Added October 01, 2008 Too often today, high school students' instructional training and experiences in the classroom do not adequately prepare them for what is expected in postsecondary education and the workforce. To address this national challenge, the National High School Center released a suite of products that examines the core elements and educational interventions currently facilitating students' successful transitions out of high school to college and the workforce. The publications include:
- The National High School Center |
Added October 01, 2008 “Education and the Next President,” a live debate taking place at Teachers College, Columbia University, between Linda Darling-Hammond, education adviser to Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama, and Lisa Graham Keegan, education adviser to Republican nominee John McCain. - Edweek |
September 2008 News
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Added September 23, 2008 The National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance has released two What Works Clearinghouse reports. The first, " Reducing Behavior Problems in the Elementary School Classroom", is a practice guide offering five concrete recommendations for helping elementary school general education teachers reduce the frequency of the most common types of behavior problems encountered among students. The second, " Dropout Prevention Topic Report", summarizes the Clearinghouse's dropout prevention intervention reports prepared through September 2008. - Institute of Education Sciences (IES) |
Added September 23, 2008 The U.S. Department of Education has launched www.college.gov, a new website that aims to motivate students with inspirational stories and information about planning, preparing and paying for college. Designed with students' input and participation, College.gov was created by the U.S. Department of Education to be a go-to online resource for credible information about college that also provides real life experiences of peers who are already attending college. - U.S. Department of Education |
Added September 23, 2008 Four new reports from the Center on Education Policy:
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Restructuring Under the No Child Left Behind Act in Maryland: 2007-08 Follow-Up Report
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Uncharted Territory: An Examination of Restructuring Under NCLB in Georgia
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It Takes More Than a Hero: School Restructuring in Ohio Under the No Child Left Behind Act
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Title I Funds -- Who's Gaining, Who's Losing: School Year 2008-09 Update
These reports can all be downloaded free of charge by going to: http://www.cep-dc.org Look under "What's New." - Center on Education Policy |
Added September 22, 2008 - National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance |
Added September 19, 2008 The Sloan Work and Family Research Network today released an action plan generated from a panel meeting in May on Work-Family Issues for Employed Parents of Children with Disabilities. To address the serious hardships faced by working parents caring for children with disabilities, the report makes two major recommendations: (1) Advance the knowledge base by conducting more extensive research, and (2) Increase the visibility of this issue for employers, policy makers, and the public. - The Sloan Work and Family Research Network |
Added September 18, 2008 The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (the current edition is referred to as D.S.M.-IV) describes bipolar disorder as a condition whose average age of onset is 20, but virtually all the leaders in the field now say they believe it exists in children too. What they don’t agree on is what, exactly, characterizes the disease in kids, or how prevalent it is; some call it rare, while others say it is common. (Free Registration) - New York Times |
Added September 03, 2008 The US Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) is pleased to announce a new addition to the OSEP Tool Kit on Teaching and Assessing Students With Disabilities (Tool Kit). The Tool Kit addendum focuses on universal design for learning (UDL). UDL is a framework for designing educational environments that help students engage in learning to increase knowledge and skills. The Tool Kit includes information and resources to support the implementation of UDL and is useful for policymakers, education personnel and parents to implement UDL strategies and practices. This new addition is available at http://www.osepideasthatwork.org/ and CDs will be available shortly through ED Pubs http://edpubs.ed.gov/- US Department of Education |
Added September 03, 2008 A new resource has just been added to the Center on Instruction website. "Performance Patterns for Students with Disabilities in Grade 4 Mathematics Education in New York State," a report from REL Northeast, describes the mathematics performance of fourth-grade students with disabilities. The document is available for download at http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/northeast/pdf/REL_2008050.pdf. - Center on Instruction |
Added September 03, 2008 Math and Parents: Teacher-to-Teacher has developed resources for you to use in implementing the findings of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel. This video and other digital learning opportunities are listed in the new Digital Learning tab at https://www.t2tweb.us/Digital/NMP.asp
Digital Teacher Workshop for Teachers of Native American Students launches a new workshop, As Easy as Tléix', Déix, Nús'k: Tying Math to Culture. Find out more at http://www.t2tweb.us/NativeAmerican/Workshop_04/index.html
Doing What Works: Teaching Reading to English Language Learners is now available at www.t2tweb.us/doingwhatworks. This Teacher-to-Teacher digital workshop on teaching reading to English Language Learners is designed as a visual complement to the much more extensive materials presented in the subject's Practice Guide.
Later this month, the US Department of Education and First Book will announce the availability and national distribution of 300,000 Random House books earmarked for the Book Donation Campaign. Schools, libraries and organizations interested in obtaining books available through the Campaign are encouraged to register online at www.firstbook.org/register - United States Department of Education |
Added September 03, 2008 The Center for Early Literacy Learning is pleased to announce the publication of 70 new practice guides which were developed to help practitioners and parents promote the early and emergent literacy skills of young children with disabilities or delays. The practice guides are organized by age and type of literacy skill. There are 31 infant, 22 toddler, and 17 preschool practice guides that can be printed and used by parents or practitioners. - Center for Early Literacy Learning |
Added September 03, 2008
Project Forum has recently published a new policy analysis: State Eligibility Requirements for Specific Learning Disabilities. Project Forum's aim is to facilitate improved services to children and youth with disabilities by gathering and sharing information that supports changes to policy and practice at the national, state, and local levels. - Project Forum |
Added September 03, 2008 Communities In Schools, the nation's largest dropout prevention organization, has released initial results from the midpoint of its five-year longitudinal study. The study, conducted by ICF International, a global consulting and research firm, has produced three major findings. One of the most notable findings is that the Communities In Schools Model of providing integrated student services has a stronger impact on school-level outcomes than providing services for students in an uncoordinated fashion. - MarketWatch |
Added September 03, 2008 Back-to-school night sends chills up the spine of many teachers. Somehow standing in front of parents and explaining yourself can reduce even the most seasoned veteran to rubble. - Teacher Magazine |
Added September 03, 2008 The need for schools to prepare young people Twenty-first Century skills was addressed in several speeches at the Democratic National Convention. - E School News |
Added September 03, 2008 The National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance within the Institute of Education Sciences has released a new practice guide from its What Works Clearinghouse (WWC). The "Dropout Prevention Practice Guide" formulates specific and coherent evidence-based recommendations that are intended to be useful to educators in high schools and middle schools, to superintendents and school boards, and to state policymakers in planning and executing dropout prevention strategies.
- Institute of Education Sciences |
Added September 02, 2008 The What Works Clearinghouse has just published two new practice guides:
- Improving Adolescent Literacy: Effective Classroom and Intervention Practices
- Turning Around Chronically Low-Performing Schools
Visit their website to read these and other helpful guides. - What Works Clearinghouse |
Added September 02, 2008 A new report from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), "Public School Graduates and Dropouts from the Common Core of Data: School Year 2005-06," presents the number of high school graduates, the Averaged Freshman Graduation Rate (AFGR), and dropout data for grades 9-12. For more information go to http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2008353. - United States Department of Education |
August 2008 News
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Added August 09, 2008 The National Center for Education Statistics within the Institute of Education Sciences has released the report "Parent and Family Involvement in Education, 2006-07 School Year, from the National Household Education Surveys Program of 2007." Selected findings include: approximately 54 percent of students in grades K through 12 had parents who reported receiving notes or e-mail from the school specifically about their child; some 83 percent of students had parents who received information about how to help with homework; 89 percent of students in grades K through 12 had parents who reported an adult member of the household had attended a general school meeting or a meeting of a parent-teacher organization or association (PTO/PTA) since the beginning of the school year; and 59 percent of students in grades K through 12 had parents who were "very satisfied" with their child's school, and 64 percent of students had parents who were "very satisfied" with their child's teachers that year. - Institute of Education Sciences (IES) |
Added August 07, 2008 The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) has released two new quick reviews and a new intervention report. One of the latest quick reviews rates a study that examined whether having a Teach For America teacher affects the academic performance of high school students. Also rated is a study that investigated whether it is more effective to teach mathematical concepts with abstract symbols or concrete examples. The WWC intervention report examines accelerated middle schools which provide self-contained academic programs designed to help middle school students who are one to two years behind grade level to catch up to their peers. - What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) |
Added August 06, 2008 In 2002, the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) began the Preschool Curriculum Evaluation Research (PCER) initiative to conduct rigorous efficacy evaluations of available preschool curricula. Under a competitive process, 12 research teams were awarded grants to implement and conduct research on one or two preschool curricula of their choosing with a predominantly low-income population under an experimental design. This final report presents findings for the impact of each curriculum on student-level and classroom-level outcomes. - Institute of Education Sciences (IES) |
Added August 05, 2008 In this article, a state teacher of the year in North Carolina describes her experience when Professional Learning Communities were integrated into her school culture. - Teacher Magazine |
Added August 05, 2008 In the wake of a series of large-scale emergencies that captured national attention, advocates for individuals with disabilities, manufacturers of assistive technology and proponents of universal design have made huge strides in developing emergency preparedness strategies for an increasingly inclusive society. Such strategies include the creative use of both assistive and mainstream consumer technologies. This issue examines the role of technology and universal design in emergency preparedness. - The Family Center on Technology and Disability |
Added August 04, 2008 The Department of Education has updated its list of significant guidance documents that includes every guidance document related to NCLB that currently in effect. - U.S. Department of Education |
Added August 03, 2008 Babies and toddlers need access to warm, responsive, child care providers, and safe and stimulating child care environments that meet the full range of their developmental needs. Yet, the supply of high-quality infant and toddler care is limited—especially for low-income children. State policies, in particular child care subsidy policies, can help to build the supply and improve the quality of available care for this vulnerable population. One way states are doing this activity is by contracting directly with child care providers for high quality infant and toddler care. - Center for Law and Social Policy |
Added August 01, 2008 The Autism Speaks 100 Day Kit is created specifically for newly diagnosed families, to make the best possible use of the 100 days following the diagnosis of autism. The kit contains information and advice collected from experts on autism as well as from parents of children with autism. There is a week by week plan for the next 100 days, as well as organizational suggestions and forms that parents/caregivers can use to help with the paperwork and phone calls, as they begin to find services for their child.
- Autism Speaks |
July 2008 News
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Added July 31, 2008 The Center for Studying Disability Policy at Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., announced a new bimonthly lunchtime seminar series aimed at providing policymakers and others with an opportunity to hear about the latest disability policy research findings. Disability experts from the center will present recently released findings and lead discussions about their policy implications. - Mathematica Policy Research |
Added July 30, 2008 Most communities have education, health, mental health, family support, parenting, child care, and other services that can help support children and families. However, locating those services or even knowing which services to look for is often difficult. The Community Services Locator is designed to help service providers and families find available national, state, and local resources that can address child and family needs. - MCH Library |
Added July 14, 2008 This year's America's Children in Brief: Key National Indicators of Well-Being report continues the tradition of cooperation and commitment by agencies across the Federal Government to advance our understanding of children today and indicate what may be needed to bring them a better tomorrow. - childstats.gov |
Added July 14, 2008 Nearly all states continue to struggle in meeting the No Child Left Behind Act’s academic targets for English-language learners in mathematics and reading, according to the latest analysis released by the U.S. Department of Education. - Edweek.org |
Added July 14, 2008 Signed into law by President Bush four years ago, the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program is the first to provide federally funded education vouchers to students. It awards up to $7,500 per child for tuition, transportation and fees; in 2007-08 it enabled 1,900 students from the underperforming Washington, D.C. public school system to attend the private or religious schools of their choice. - Washington Post |
Added July 14, 2008 Jonah is one of more than 46,000 California schoolchildren diagnosed with the enigmatic condition known as autism. That's more than triple the 14,000 enrolled at the beginning of the decade, making autism the fastest-rising disability in the state - and the most expensive and challenging for schools to address. - San Francisco Chronicle |
Added July 07, 2008 The efforts by individual states to set college- and career-ready standards for high school graduates have a led to a remarkable degree of consistency in English and mathematics requirements. This “common core” – detailed in “Out of Many, One: Toward Rigorous Common Core Standards from the Ground Up”– is the byproduct of aligning standards to real-world demands. The leadership role that the report shows states have displayed in setting common English and math standards has implications for the role of the federal government in education policymaking and has the potential to change the way education issues are viewed at the state and national levels. - Achieve |
June 2008 News
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Added June 24, 2008 This report describes statistical indicators developed by the Council of the Great City Schools and its member districts to measure big-city school performance on a range of operational functions in business, finance, human resources and technology. The report also presents data city-by-city on those indicators. This is the second time that indicators have been developed, data collected and analyzed, but the first time trend data on existing indicators have been generated on the business operations from the nation’s largest urban school districts. - Council of the Great City Schools |
Added June 06, 2008 A new report from the National Early Childhood Transition Center (NECTC) entitled Recommended Transition Practices for Young Children, provides findings from a national validation survey. The report discusses 21 transition practices validated by early childhood and early childhood special education professionals. - NECTAC eNotes |
Added June 05, 2008 The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) announced the release of a new type of evidence report: the WWC Quick Review. The WWC Quick Reviews provide an objective assessment of the quality of the research evidence from a research paper or report whose public release is reported in a major national news source and assess whether the research described in the paper or report is consistent with WWC evidence standards. - The What Works Clearinghouse |
Added June 04, 2008 As Reading First nears the six-year mark, no clear empirical picture has emerged of how well the federal program is doing nationally to bring struggling readers to proficiency. - Education Week |
May 2008 News
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Added May 14, 2008 Teacher training programs that give teachers strategies to work with children who have autism are in high demand. As the number of children diagnosed with the neurological disorder continues to rise—one in 150 children in the U.S. is now diagnosed with autism—teachers will be challenged more often, experts say. - Chicago Tribune |
Added May 05, 2008 In response to concerns about the limited influence research has had on early childhood (EC) programs and practices the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) conducted a small multidisciplinary conference at the Wingspread Conference Center in Racine, Wisconsin. The primary goal of the conference was to develop a set of action-oriented recommendations that would advance the field of early childhood and improve the outcomes for young children, especially children living in the most vulnerable of circumstances. - National Association for the Education of Young Children |
Added May 02, 2008 University of New Hampshire research shows that students do much better in school when their parents are actively involved in their education. - The Associated Press |
Added May 01, 2008 A study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has transformed scientists' understanding of Rett syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes autistic behavior and other disabling symptoms. Until now, scientists thought that the gene behind Rett syndrome was an "off" switch, or repressor, for other genes. But the new study, published in Science, shows that it is an "on" switch for a startlingly large number of genes. - NIH News |
April 2008 News
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Added April 26, 2008 The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) has teamed with the National Eye Institute, both components of NIH, to create a new Web site devoted to Usher Syndrome. Usher Syndrome is the most common genetic condition that affects both hearing and vision. In the United States, about four babies in 100,000 are born with it. - AG Bell Update |
Added April 24, 2008 School leaders play an important role in promoting and sustaining change in schools. Without their efforts, schools cannot change or improve to become places where all students are welcome, and where all students learn essential academic and non-academic lessons in preparation for life in the community. Nowhere is this initiative more important than in urban schools. Moving urban schools from current practices to inclusive practices requires the collective efforts of key stakeholders. Principals serve as catalysts for the key stakeholders. - National Institute for Urban School Improvement |
Added April 08, 2008 This report aims to help school districts deal with the challenges of newly enrolling or rapidly increasing English language learner students by offering background information and sharing the experiences of districts that have addressed similar challenges in providing services and infrastructure to support the success of English language learner students. - Regional Educational Laboratory Program (REL) |
Added April 07, 2008 A new publication in the journal Brain describes significant anatomical differences in a facial processing area of the brain in people with autism. - Autism Speaks |
March 2008 News
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Added March 24, 2008 Check out these resources compiled by the new National Center on Response to Intervention for its RTI Summit. The RTI Summit provided training, information, and planning time for educational teams of key state education leaders and selected state affiliate organizations to learn about components and models of RTI and to scale up comprehensive models of RTI in their schools and districts. It also helped states develop a state plan for implementing RTI and provided information about accessing federal and state resources to assist with that implementation. - National Center on Response to Intervention |
Added March 23, 2008 Education Sector hosted a panel discussion on the topic of teacher evaluation titled, “Missing Link in the Teacher Quality Debate.” The panelists discussed the limitations of the single salary structure and the desire for performance pay systems; the challenges in crafting new teacher evaluation systems that are fair, premised on teacher improvement and not punitive; the debates on using student tests scores to determine teacher quality - whether as a sole measure or as part of a multiple measures strategy; the response of the unions in negotiating new evaluation systems; and the investment required to bring new systems to scale. - Education Sector |
Added March 22, 2008 Charters lack teachers, administrative expertise, and access to paperwork. This story out of New Orleans exemplifies the struggle many charter schools across the country have faced in adequately serving their students with disabilities. - The Times-Picayune |
Added March 21, 2008 President Bush urged the Democratic-led Congress to revive a stalled effort to reauthorize the No Child Left Behind law before he leaves office, but he pledged to veto any bill that "weakens the accountability" measures at the core of one of his signature domestic achievements. - The Washington Post |
Added March 20, 2008 A rare chromosome abnormality increases the risk of developing autism by about 100 times, a new study finds. Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston found that a tiny segment of chromosome 16 is missing or duplicated in about 1 percent of children with autism. Autism experts hope the finding could someday lead to the development of a genetic test that will help parents determine their risk of having a child with autism. - ABC News |
February 2008 News
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Added February 25, 2008 On Wednesday, the Education Week’s Editorial Projects in Education Research Center held a briefing for the release of its 12th edition of Quality Counts, a “report card” on the state of education in the States. As in years past, the report chose a particular topic to focus on. This year’s focus is the teaching profession. Quality Counts 2008 differs from past reports in that it looks at state policy and their outcomes, versus past years’ examinations of state policy only. - Education Week |
Added February 24, 2008 Case studies are produced as part of a larger study of middle schools conducted during the 2006-07 school year. Research teams investigated ten consistently higher-performing and six consistently average-performing middle schools based on student performance on New York State Assessments of 8th-grade English Language Arts and Mathematics. - SUNY Albany |
Added February 23, 2008 U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings delivered remarks on No Child Left Behind and the Administration's K-12 priorities for 2008 at the National Press Club Newsmaker Luncheon in Washington, D.C. This Department of Education page lets you read her prepared remarks. - U.S. Department of Education |
Added February 21, 2008 This document is a summary of a two-day OSEP-sponsored symposium held October 30-31, 2006, by the National Association of State Directors of Special Education. It presents an overview of the way in which RTI and EIS intersect and provides legislative background, a description of RTI, and a summary of barriers and recommendations generated by the participants at the symposium. - The Center on Instruction and NASDSE |
Added February 20, 2008 Two new intervention reports are available on the following dropout prevention programs:
- New Chance: A program for young welfare mothers who have dropped out of school. New Chance aims to improve employment potential and parenting skills.
- First Things First: A reform model designed to boost student achievement in schools serving a large number of economically disadvantaged students. The model’s goal is to help students acquire the skills needed to succeed in postsecondary education and the labor market.
- The What Works Clearinghouse |
January 2008 News
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Added January 28, 2008 Researchers Hope Finding May One Day Lead to Genetic Screening Tests A rare chromosome abnormality increases the risk of developing autism by about 100 times, a new study finds. - ABCnews.com |
Added January 18, 2008 As policy makers push to include more special-education students into general classrooms, factions are increasingly divided. Advocates for the disabled say special-education students benefit both academically and socially by being taught alongside typical students. Some teachers and administrators have been less supportive of the practice, saying that they lack the training and resources to handle significantly disabled children. - Wall Street Journal |
Added January 15, 2008 Research shows 'Signs of Suicide' helps reduce the number of attempts by high school students. - Christian Science Monitor |
Added January 13, 2008 In 2008, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) will continue conducting the long-term trend assessment, which has measured students' progress in mathematics and reading since the early 1970s. For selected nine-year-old students, the assessment period runs from January 7 to March 14, 2008. From March 17 to May 23, 2008, students at age 17 will take the assessments. Students at age 13 took the assessments in October through December 14, 2007. Results from these assessments in public and private schools throughout the nation will be reported in 2009. - National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) |
Added January 03, 2008 Although student achievement is linked to good teachers, there is no system for attracting, training, and supporting the best people for the job. - EdWeek.org (Requires Free Registration) |
Added January 03, 2008 This edition of Projections of Education Statistics provides projections for key education statistics, including enrollment, graduates, teachers, and expenditures in elementary and secondary schools. Included are national data on enrollment and graduates for the past 15 years and projections to the year 2016, as well as state-level data on enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools and public high school graduates to the year 2016. - Institute for Education Sciences |
December 2007 News
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Added December 19, 2007 Doing What Works, a new U.S. Department of Education site, aims to help educators adapt research-based educational techniques to their own schools. "This online library of resources will build a bridge from research to action," U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings said. "It translates research-based practices into examples of tools that support and improve classroom instruction." - U.S. Department of Education |
Added December 12, 2007 Educators and psychologists have long feared that children entering school with behavior problems were doomed to fall behind in the upper grades. But two new studies suggest that those fears are exaggerated. One concluded that kindergartners who are identified as troubled do as well academically as their peers in elementary school. The other found that children with attention deficit disorders suffer primarily from a delay in brain development, not from a deficit or flaw. Experts say the findings of the two studies, being published today in separate journals, could change the way scientists, teachers and parents understand and manage children who are disruptive or emotionally withdrawn in the early years of school. - New York Times |
Added December 11, 2007 The National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center has assembled a group of evidenced-based practices to help transition personnel and researchers learn about effective transition practices. - National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center |
November 2007 News
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Added November 12, 2007 According to a policy brief from the Action Alliance for Children, there has been a consensus among early childhood professionals that play should be a vital part of any high-quality early education program, because play benefits cognitive, social, emotional, physical and moral development. While many associate play with a break from curriculum, the fact is that play-centered preschool curriculum is not a laissez-faire approach but actually a main conduit to reinforcing instruction. - Public Education Network |
Added November 09, 2007 Today, more than six million of the nation's secondary school students fall well short of grade-level expectations in reading and writing. Recognizing the urgency of this literacy crisis among middle and high school students, policymakers in all parts of the country have begun to implement a wide range of new programs and services designed to help struggling adolescent readers catch up in essential literacy skills, particularly reading fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. However-and as this report argues-if students are to be truly prepared for the sophisticated intellectual demands of college, work, and citizenship, then these reforms will not be enough. Even as their schools help them to catch up in the basics, students also must be taught the advanced literacy skills that will enable them to succeed in the academic content areas-particularly the core content areas of math, science, English, and history. - Alliance for Excellent Education |
Added November 09, 2007 This In-Brief Policy Analysis provides readers a comprehensive background for SES for students with disabilities. This survey analysis describes what states are doing in this area concerning requirements, approval processes, assistance to local education agencies, data collection and effectiveness for students with disabilities. - NASDSE |
Added November 08, 2007 Organizing Instruction and Learning to Improve Student Learning practice guide from the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, is now available at the Center on Instruction website. This guide offers teachers ways to improve their instruction and their students' study habits to enhance learning and remembering information. It offers seven of the more concrete and applicable recommendations available for improving instruction and student learning. - Center on Instruction |
October 2007 News
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Added October 15, 2007 Researchers at Child Trends analyzed data from the nationally-administered test and found that three elements of elementary school environments are associated with higher third grade math and reading scores: (1) strong principal leadership, (2) high academic standards, and (3) frequent teacher meetings to plan instruction. Schools with a fourth element, low teacher turnover, tend to have higher rates of student self-control and school engagement among third grade students. - Child Trends |
Added October 10, 2007 Children with ADHD can perform better at school if placed on long-term drug therapy, a new study suggests. "This is the first study that shows that taking stimulants for ADHD improves long-term school performance," said lead researcher Dr. William Barbaresi, a pediatrician at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. - The Washington Post |
Added October 09, 2007 Parental action can alter a preschoolers' biological response to stress, lowering the chance that even a high-risk child will become a juvenile delinquent, U.S. researchers report. The finding suggests "that antisocial behavior isn't hard wired, and parents can be part of the solution," lead author Laurie Miller Brotman, associate professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at New York University School of Medicine, said in a prepared statement. - The Washington Post |
Added October 09, 2007 The latest data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress shows that student achievement in mathematics and reading is on the rise. - Nation's Report Card |
September 2007 News
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Added September 15, 2007 Ensuring that every child is taught by a highly qualified teacher is a central feature of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). This report describes the progress that states, districts, and schools have made implementing the teacher and paraprofessional qualification provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act through 2004–05. - The U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs |
December 2008 News
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The fact that student outcomes are enhanced when families and schools work together is well documented. However, both families and schools are often unsure how to avoid difficulties and negotiate roles to share information, goals, and responsibility. RTI is an opportunity to bring about meaningful change in family-school relationships, allowing for the creation of engaged partnerships between educators and families through collaborative, structured problem-solving efforts. - National Center for Learning Disabilities |