May 2005, Special Educator e-Journal

President’s Message-Dr. Roger Pierangelo

Article Submissions by NASET Members

• Book Review:  Overcoming Dyslexia: A New and Complete Science-Based Program for Reading Problems at Any Level–By Sheila Meindl, Ed.D., Associate Professor, Special Education; Director of Teacher Education, Marymount Manhattan College

Letters to the Editor from NASET Members

• Marcella Rodriguez, Special Educator, Texas

Legal Issues Corner

• Public Meetings on IDEA Regulations
• Q&A on the New IDEA
• Want to Read the IDEA Slip Law?
• More Resources on IDEA 2004
• Update from Wrightslaw.com
• Section 504 Protects Special Ed Teacher from Retaliation

Update from the National Dissemination Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities

• Latest Information on Autism
• Have Your Heard of Facilitated IEP Meetings?
• Considering Individuals with Developmental Disabilities
• Considering Students with LD
• Successful Afterschool Programming
• Do Abstinence-Only Education Programs Work to Prevent HIV Transmission?
• Resources on Comprehensive Sexuality Education

U.S. Department of Education News

• U.S. Department of Education Seeks Nominations for American Stars of Teaching
• Secretary Spellings Announces More Workable, “Common Sense” Approach To Implement No Child Left Behind Law
• Announcing the U.S. Department of Education’s Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative 2005 Summer Workshops

No Child Left Behind News

• Close-Up: No Child Left Behind—Serving Students With Limited English Proficiency
• Study Yields First-Ever Data on K-12 Distance Education

National News on Disabilities

• Autism Fact Sheets on the Web-
• New National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Available
• Learn the Signs. Act Early. An Autism and Developmental Disabilities
  Awareness Campaign
• Speaking Out for Yourself: A Self-Help Guide

National Center on Secondary Education and Transition (NCSET)

• Essential Tools: Handbook for Implementing a Comprehensive Work
• Based Learning Program According to the Fair Labor Standards Act (February 2005)–(NCSET Essential Tool)
• The Implications of Standards, Assessments, and Accountability on Graduation Requirements and Diploma Options (March 2005)-(Teleconference Transcript)
• Youthhood.org.
• Partners in Employment–(On-line Course)
• Postsecondary Guide to Disability Documentation
• Preventing Disproportionate Representation: Culturally- and Linguistically-Responsive
• Prereferral Interventions –(Brief)
• National Post-School Outcomes Center
• Federal Grant Opportunities
• Forecast of Funding Opportunities under Department of Education
• Discretionary Grant Programs for Fiscal Year 2005
• FY 2005 Discretionary Grant Application Packages
• Additional Funding and Award Opportunities

Early Childhood News

• NICHD Launches Project to Treat Infant Asphyxia In Lower Income Countries

National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth Update

• Quick Reference Guides 
• NCWD/Youth Info Brief
• Congress Takes Action on Vocational and Technical Education
• Job Accommodation Network (JAN) Conference Announced
• Three New Information Briefs available on NCWD/Youth Website
• New Handbook available from NCSET
• GAO Report on Employers’ Use of One-stops

Summer Camps for Children with Disabilities: 2005

• General
• Disability-specific
• Web Sites

Upcoming Conferences and Events

• Upcoming Research Conferences–May and June 2005
• Other Special Education Related Conferences and Events

Job Opportunities Through NASET
 

Acknowledgements

Welcome to the May 2005 edition of the NASETSpecial Educator e-journal.  To those of you who are new members (and there sure a lot of you this month), this is NASET’s publication that keeps its members up to date with all of the latest news in special education that we feel is important for special education teachers, professors, and those seeking a career as a  special education teacher.

A lot has been going on here at NASET over the past month.  Let me fill you in with the details:

Redesign of The National Association of Special Education Teachers Home Page–Click Here

The redesign of the NASET home page has finally been completed…… and this may raise the question of why? For those of you wondering, the reasons are many. The new design is more “friendly” to all browser formats, the menus will be easier to use, and members of The National Association of Special Education Teachers will immediately see the latest information to choose from right on the home page. We hope you like this new format and we invite your comments. 

Teacher to Teacher Forum Click Here

In The National Association of Special Education Teachers’ Forum, our latest topic is: Cultivating Relationships Between Mainstream and Special Education Teachers.  Why not take a look? …you might find this a thought provoking topic!  Other Topics in the Teacher to Teacher Forum include: Working with Parents, Behavior Problems in the Classroom, IEP & Other Paperwork, and Classroom Management Issues and Inclusion.  Have an idea for a new topic? Just write to us at contactus@naset.org with the subject “Forum Topic Suggestion”.

The National Association of Parents with Children in Special Education (NAPCSE)-Click Here

Many parents have expressed the need for much of the information available at NASET and a desire to have a similar association. Due this overwhelming demand, NAPCSE has been created. In early April, the website for The National Association of Parents with Children in Special Education was launched.  
 
Updated Resources and Information—NASET–Click Here 

NASET has greatly expanded and updated the following resources and information in the Exceptional Students and Disability Information areas: 

• Autism

• Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

• Emotional Disturbance

• Learning Disabilities

• Other Health Impairments

We hope you enjoy the May 2005 edition of the NASET Special Educator e-journal.  As you will see, there are numerous articles, websites, conferences, etc. for you to read.  As always, if you have suggestions for future editions, please contact us.  We really do want your feedback. 

Sincerely,

Dr. Roger Pierangelo
President

To top

By Sheila Meindl, Ed.D., Associate Professor, Special Education; Director of Teacher Education, Marymount Manhattan College

Overcoming Dyslexia, an all-inclusive book on dyslexia, examines many issues for both parents and teachers.  Dr. Shaywitz gives case examples of dyslexia from 1676 to the present time.  She examines the stress of trying to read for children and adults with dyslexia.  She writes about the 2 million students who are receiving special help for reading problems in the United States.  Dr. Shaywitz states that girls often go undiagnosed with their reading problems.  Thinking that boys have more and more serious reading problems, professionals often do not recognize the reading difficulties of girls.

Dr. Shaywitz identifies the core of the problem in dyslexia as a weakness in phonology.  Research pinpoints the weakness at the lowest level of the language system. The phoneme is the fundamental element of the language system, the essential building block of all spoken and written words.

The earliest clues to a potential reading problem can be recognized by:
1. Listening to a child’s speech
2. A delay in speaking
3. Difficulties in pronunciation
4. Insensitivity to rhyme
5. Talking around a word

Family history is also important in the identification of a child with reading problems.  Addressing the history of family members and reading problems is important in the determination of these reading problems with students.  Reading problem may be present in parents, aunts, uncles or siblings.    Looking back at the success of family members in learning to read usually can be traced to specific methods and materials.  Similar methods can be tried with the newest family member with reading problems.

Dr. Shaywitz has included important information for parents or teachers.  She lists methods and materials to break the code with children having difficulty with reading.  She includes children’s books that “play with language” and books to read to a young child.  She has taken “the breaking the code process” and developed principles and steps for teaching the child or adult with dyslexia.  Dr. Shaywitz also stresses the need for teaching the person with dyslexia to gain mastery and fluency in reading.

A professional might consider Overcoming Dyslexia, a book for parents.  In many ways it is but it is also for professionals.  The suggestions for the teaching of reading are valuable.  The accommodations listed are important for both parents and teachers to know.  The chapter on Choosing a School is certainly for parents but professionals have much to learn from this chapter.  The evaluation of school programs is important to both parents and professionals.

The value of Overcoming Dyslexia to parents and professionals is almost immeasurable.  The book is so full of pertinent information and techniques for helping the child with dyslexia.  The book is outstanding, one that all of us, professionals and parents should read and use.

About the Author–Dr. Sally Shaywitz, is a neuroscientist, professor of pediatrics at Yale and codirector of the Yale Center for the Study of Learning and Attention.  Considered a world expert on reading, she has centered her research on dyslexia  and the effective treatment of it. 

copyright 2005

Reprinted with permission of author
 

To top

Dear NASET Members,

I am writing this letter to you, in hopes of inspiring renewed interest in the special needs student population. Please note that the term special needs truly means just that and often covers a wide variety of such needs. These are students who have severe to moderate mental retardation and are put in classrooms where they are often isolated from the general population in what is generally known as a life skills class. They possess severe cognitive deficits that affect almost all abilities to become self-sufficient. The developmental ages of these students can range from infancy to about 3 years old. They also possess physical challenges such as deafness, immobility and vision problems.  The goals of the curriculum in this program include teaching self-care skills such as feeding, toilet training and socialization.  Early language and literacy, math and science should also be a part of their classroom experience. There many challenges of teaching such crucial skills but significant barriers in this process goes beyond the scope of the classroom.  Because of this, I am appealing to my colleagues in special education to become advocates of these deserving students.

Currently, I am a special education teacher of a life skills class in Texas. When I first started 3 years ago, I was given minimal supplies, I had no assistant, and I possessed no training in working with this population. As my class size grew so did the complications of this learning environment. I became acutely aware that absolutely every moment spent in the classroom by these students is a learning opportunity that most of us take for granted. I discovered that behaviors of a severely disabled student range from extremely withdrawn to physically aggressive. It also became clear that the attention span for such a student is usually no longer than 10 minutes to 15 minutes, thus the changing of stimulating activities is a must. Needless to say the teaching process with this student population is intensive work.

I am ending my 3rd year of teaching this type of class and I am testifying that my challenges have only expanded as my class size has grown. I am also noting that I am not alone in my struggles. As I confer with other life skills teachers in my district, I have learned we face the same challenges. We feel isolated from our co-workers and many times the administration on our campuses. Recently, I was left with no assistant in my classroom one day and I was told by a member of my administration “We’ll just check in on you”. My class size is currently 10, and so this was like having to care for 10 toddlers all day long, by myself. When I inquire what the policies are from officials in the district I am often given answers that are ambiguous. My frustrations do not deter me from committing myself to being the best teacher that I can be for my students. One of my commitments however, is to advocate for change outside of the classroom.

In the state of Texas, where I teach, there are no laws that have special regulations on how many of these students can be put in a life skills program. I recently wrote the Texas Education Agency to inquire about this and I was informed that I could legally have as many as 22 students. This is a number that is simply unacceptable and while most school districts do have different policies on what this class size should be, this becomes a gray area when it really comes down to it.

In considering what the legal limit on student population should be for a life skills class, I have considered that perhaps regulations should be the same as a daycare center, where the mental age of children would be about the same as this student population. After looking into what the laws in Texas mandate student-teacher ratios are for a childcare environment, it has become clear that the ratios for special needs classrooms should not be modeled after daycare, but instead be much smaller.  I emphasize this because we are often interacting with students who are medically fragile, with difficult behaviors and are often on a developmental age of a toddler, with much larger bodies. In addition, these classrooms are not daycares, as some might want to suggest. We are in an educational setting that should be providing maximal exposure to enriching experiences that will prepare our students to be as independent as possible throughout their lives.

As a special educator who teaches special needs students, I am charged with the task of coaching these students to be as self sufficient as possible. I strongly believe that my students deserve every ounce of attention that their general education peers receive. In the age of “no child left behind”, I am not at all convinced this applies to the mentally and physically challenged student. In special education we have lawmakers making decisions for us that have no idea what its truly like to be in our classrooms. It would be my guess many officials making the big decisions in special education, have never even taught in the classroom at all. I am urging my colleagues then to take a stand for our students, regardless of the degree of their disabilities. Ask the important questions and become an advocate for all of our students. Make no mistake that the inherent value of the most vulnerable members of our society is worth fighting for.

Marcella Rodriguez
NASET member
Special Educator, Texas

To top

Public Meetings on IDEA Regulations

Public meetings are already being scheduled to receive public comment on the anticipated draft regulations, called the NPRM (Notice of Proposed Rule Making). The list below of scheduled meetings comes from John H. Hager, assistant secretary of OSERS (Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services). This portion of his email announcement is reproduced here verbatim.

Monday, June 6, 2005
1:00 PM to 4:00 PM and 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM
San Antonio, TX
Friday, June 17, 2005
1:00 PM to 4:00 PM and 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Nashville, TN
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
1:00 PM to 4:00 PM and 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Sacramento, CA
Friday, June 24, 2005
1:00 PM to 4:00 PM and 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Las Vegas, NV
Monday, June 27, 2005
1:00 PM to 4:00 PM and 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM
New York, NY
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
1:00 PM to 4:00 PM and 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Chicago, IL
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
1:00 PM to 4:00 PM and 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Washington, DC

OSERS will provide specific location information through the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to be published in the Federal Register in the Spring of 2005.

Questions can be directed to OSERS’ main number, (202) 245-7468, or, if a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) is needed, individuals may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.

Q&A on the New IDEA
On December 3, 2004, President Bush signed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004. Most provisions of the new law take effect on July 5, 2005. If you’d like to know more, ‘IDEA: Guide to Frequently Asked Questions” is now available on the U. S. House of Representatives Web site. It discusses key definitions, new provisions with respect to highly qualified teachers, funding, private schools, charter schools, new state policies, IEPs, procedural safeguards, discipline, and monitoring and enforcement. Find the guide at:
https://edworkforce.house.gov/issues/109th/education/idea/ideafaq.pdf
You can also hook up with summaries and analyses of what’s new and what’s different on NICHCY’s reauthorization pages and particularly the Latest Scoop!

Want to Read the IDEA Slip Law?
The “slip law” is the Public Law (P.L.) print of P.L. 108-446, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004. It is now available in PDF format and is 162 pages long. We’re pleased to offer the PDF file online at NICHCY, at: www.nichcy.org/reauth/PL108-446.pdf

More Resources on IDEA 2004

Every month new materials and analyses emerge on our new special education law. Here are some of the latest:

IDEA 2004: Overview, Explanation & Comparison
www.wrightslaw.com/idea/idea.2004.all.pdf
Courtesy of Wrightslaw, this 56-page article describes the substantive changes to the five key statutes of IDEA 2004 by section and subsection. Text added to IDEA 2004 is in italics. Text deleted from IDEA 97 has been struck through.

IDEA: Analysis of Change Made by P.L. 108-446
www.cec.sped.org/pp/docs/CRSAnalysisofNewIDEAPL108-446.pdf
The Congressional Research Service, the part of the Library of Congress that serves as the research arm of Congress, has published an 47-page analysis of the new IDEA law.

A User’s Guide
www.c-c-d.org/IdeaUserGuide.pdf
The Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) offers this 63-page guide on additions and deletions to IDEA brought about by the 2004 reauthorization and includes relevant information from the Conference Report, which articulates Congressional intent.

More from Wrightslaw
www.wrightslaw.com/idea/index.htm
Wrightslaw also makes available a number of other articles on IDEA 2004, including How Will IEPs Change Under IDEA 2004?; IDEA 2004: IEP Team Members & IEP Team Attendance; Requirements for Highly Qualified Special Ed Teachers and Transition Services for Education, Work, Independent Living.  

And from the Thompson Publishing Group…
IDEA: New Expectations for Schools and Students is hot off the press at Thompson. For a mere $149 introductory offer (with discounts for multiple copies), this book is designed as a tool for educators, administrators, school attorneys, school board members, and parents seeking to understand and implement the new law. Call 1.800.964.5815 to order, or read about the book online at:
www.thompson.com/libraries/education/idea/index.html

Update from Wrightslaw.com–Questions of the Month
Do IQ Scores Belong in IEPs? What About Transition?–If you have questions about IQ tests, low expectations, transition, or advocacy strategies, read our answer to these questions in Do IQ Scores Belong in IEPs?
https://www.wrightslaw.com/info/iep.iq.scores.transition.htm

Can parents ask that the IEP be revised?  How?

https://www.wrightslaw.com/advoc/ltrs/iep_revise.htm

Section 504 Protects Special Ed Teacher from Retaliation (from Wrightslaw.com)

Linda Sturm worked as a special education teacher at Griswald Middle School in Rocky Hill, CT from 1998 to 2003. She advocated for her students. In March, 2003, she was told that her contract would not be renewed and she was “allowed to resign.” When she applied for other positions, she was not hired.

Ms. Sturm filed a lawsuit against the Rocky Hill School Board. She claimed that the district violated her First Amendment right to freedom of speech. She alleged that the district retaliated against her in violation of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. She alleged that school administrators made statements that were “defamatory or invaded her privacy by placing her in a false light” and that the district was liable for wrongful discharge under state law.

The school district responded with a motion to dismiss all counts in her complaint.

On March 29, 2005, the U. S. District Court of Connecticut issued a ruling on the school board’s motion to dismiss and allowed her case to go forward on the following issues: violation of First Amendment rights under federal and state law, and retaliation under Section 504.

The court wrote: “Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act expressly incorporates the anti-retaliation provision of Section 503 of the Americans with Disabilities Act . . [that] prohibits retaliation against any individual because he or she opposes any act or practice made unlawful by the act. Courts have extended protection against retaliation under the Rehabilitation Act to those who advocate on behalf of the disabled . . . Because the plaintiff has standing to claim retaliation based on her efforts on behalf of her students, the motion to dismiss is denied . . . ”

Read the ruling in Linda Sturm v. Rocky Hill Board of Education (U. S. District Court, District of Connecticut)  https://www.wrightslaw.com/law/caselaw/05/sturm.rockyhill.ct.pdf

Learn more about retaliation. https://www.wrightslaw.com/info/retal.index.htm

To top

Latest Information on Autism

GAO has released a report entitled Special Education: Children with Autism, in which GAO reports on the trend in the number of children diagnosed with autism served under IDEA, the services provided to these children, the estimated per pupil expenditures for educating children with autism, and approaches to their education. Find the report online at:
Summary.
www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-05-220
Full report, text-only version.
www.gao.gov/htext/d05220.html
Full report, PDF version.
www.gao.gov/new.items/d05220.pdf

Have Your Heard of Facilitated IEP Meetings?
According to CADRE and the Alliance, facilitated IEP meetings are an emerging practice. CADRE is the National Center on Dispute Resolution (www.directionservice.org/cadre); the Alliance is the Technical Assistance Alliance for Parent Centers (www.taalliance.org). They’ve teamed to produce Facilitated IEP Meetings: An Emerging Practice, which provides parents and other family members with an introduction to IEP facilitation.
The guide in English.
www.directionservice.org/cadre/facilitatediep.cfm
The guide in Spanish.
www.directionservice.org/cadre/facilitatediepspan.cfm

Considering Individuals with Developmental Disabilities
A number of interesting and useful resources have emerged recently with respect to providing services to those with intellectual or developmental disabilities, namely:

Practical Oral Care for People With Developmental Disabilities.
www.nohic.nidcr.nih.gov/poc/Index.aspx
The National Oral Health Information Clearinghouse (NOHIC) has released this new publication series, to equip dental professionals in the community with the basic information they need to provide oral care to people with mild or moderate developmental disabilities. Publications provide practical management strategies for office-based dental care and information to support home-based oral hygiene.

Expectations for Students with Cognitive Disabilities:
Is the Cup Half Empty or Half Full? Can the Cup Flow Over?
https://education.umn.edu/nceo/OnlinePubs/Synthesis55.pdf
A new 41-page report from the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) examines the issue of academic expectations for students with cognitive disabilities within the context of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the No Child Left Behind Act. How many students with cognitive disabilities can be expected to achieve the same level of proficiency as other students? To what extent can we predict who these students are? What effects do teacher expectations have on student achievement? The report addresses these questions and more.

Think College
www.thinkcollege.net/index.php
Youth with intellectual disabilities have not had many chances to go to college. This is changing as individuals across the country begin to create opportunities for these youth to reap the benefits of postsecondary education. This Web site provides information and links to anyone interested in finding out more about the possibilities.

In support of community living
https://thechp.syr.edu/toolkit/
Community for All: Resources for Supporting Community Living is a free, online tool kit developed by seven disability organizations at the request of professionals and self-advocates. The toolkit contains comprehensive information and strategies on how to make community integration work, why it is important, and personal stories from people who transitioned from an institutional setting into an independent community environment.
Summit: Mark your calendars for September 22 and 23, 2005.

Alliance for Full Participation
www.allianceforfullparticipation.org/main/
In December 2003, ten leading organizations serving the developmental disabilities field officially joined together to form the Alliance for Full Participation, LLC. The Alliance’s objective is full realization of the vision of people with developmental disabilities living meaningful, productive, and personally satisfying lives in their community of choice. On September 22-23, 2005 the Alliance will host a 2005 Summit: Many Voices, One Vision in Washington DC to bring together those committed to making the promises inherent in the Developmental Disabilities Act for Americans a reality. Find out more at the link above, including who your state liaison is and how to get involved.

Considering Students with LD
And there are always new resources emerging on the subject of learning disabilities! If this is your area of interest, then here are links to some of the latest.

Beyond F.A.T. City
https://teacher.shop.pbs.org/product/index.jsp?productId=1919051
LD expert Rick Lavoie has released a new video on LD for parents and educators called Beyond F.A.T. City, A Look Back, A Look Ahead. This release is a follow- up to the original 1998 best-selling Lavoie video, How Difficult Can This Be? The F.A.T. City Workshop, which underscores the Frustration, Anxiety and Tension (F.A.T.) that many children with learning disabilities experience. Available on VHS and DVD, this new program explores practical strategies and provides expert insights for helping children with learning disabilities. Both the VHS and DVD come with a 52-page Viewer’s Guide, and the DVD includes a Spanish-language track. The program may be purchased for $49.95 by calling PBS VIDEO’s 24-hour, toll-free, customer service line at 1-800-344-3337; by mailing a check or money order made payable to PBS VIDEO to P.O. Box 279, Melbourne, FL 32902-0279; or by visiting the link above.

Technology and LD
www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/technology/technology.html
Whether in the classroom or workplace, technology can provide a vital difference in the lives of individuals with LD. Find out how at the link above.
Technology that improves reading instruction: What works.

Reading Matrix
www.nationaltechcenter.org/matrix/default.asp
Visit the Reading Matrix, a searchable database that presents evidence and products for the use of technologies that support the instruction of reading for students with reading disabilities.

Successful Afterschool Programming
The Academy for Educational Development (AED), with funding from the C.S. Mott Foundation, has created a virtual library of promising practices at www.afterschool.org. The site includes information on how a practice was developed, how it is being implemented, a description of the program implementing the practice, sample activities pertaining to the practice, and outcomes from those activities. Practices undergo a rigorous peer review process before being named promising.

Do Abstinence-Only Education Programs Work to Prevent HIV Transmission?
In this age of applying research to decision making, this question has obvious implications for our youth. The APA Committee on Psychology and AIDS is charged with providing policy direction and oversight for activities related to HIV/AIDS. The Committee reports that, while current Federal policy actively supports widespread implementation of abstinence-only education programs as a way to prevent HIV transmission, there is little scientific evidence that these programs work. Those few studies that do report evidence in support of abstinence-only and abstinence-until-marriage programs have very limited generalizability, because they did not use appropriate comparison groups nor the type of sampling strategies required to ensure minimum bias in the selection of research subjects. Read the full report at:
www.apa.org/releases/sexed_resolution.pdf

Resources on Comprehensive Sexuality Education
Part of the report of the APA Committee on Psychology and AIDS discusses the research on, and the advisability of, providing youth with comprehensive sexuality education as a way of reducing HIV/AIDS transmission, an approach that research does support as effective. But where do you find resources on how to do that? And what is comprehensive sexuality education? And how are the needs of students with disabilities in any such course of study to be addressed? Here are some resources on the subject.

School Health Education Clearinghouse
www.siecus.org/school/index.html
The mission of the clearinghouse is to strengthen the capacity of state and local education, health, and social service agencies to help young people at risk for HIV infection, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), unintended pregnancy, and other important health problems. Here, professionals can find easy access to essential school health information, including state and local policies, sexual health promotion programs, national guidelines, information on curricula, and links to additional information on the Web. You’ll even find training modules!

SIECUS Guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality Education
www.siecus.org/school/sex_ed/guidelines/guide0000.html
The SIECUS Guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality Education: K-12 are a framework to promote and facilitate the development of comprehensive sexuality education programs. The Guidelines identify the goals of comprehensive sexuality education, six key concepts that a comprehensive programs need to cover, and a variety of topics that should be included. The third edition of the guidelines was released in 2004, with the PDF version available at:
www.siecus.org/pubs/guidelines/guidelines.pdf

Curricula
www.siecus.org/pubs/biblio/bibs0010.html
What curricula incorporate the key concepts of the SIECUS guidelines? SIECUS provides a review.

The Responsible Education About Life Act: In the works
www.advocatesforyouth.org/real.htm
Introduced in Congress on February 10, 2005 by Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), the Responsible Education About Life Act (the REAL Act)—formerly the Family Life Education Act—will provide funding to states for medically accurate, age appropriate, comprehensive sex education in the schools—education that includes information about both abstinence and contraception, from both a values and public health perspective. Find out more at the link above.
And what about education for individuals with disabilities?
https://63.73.227.69/pubs/biblio/bibs0009.html
Find out what’s available in SIECUS’ Annotated Bibliography: Sexuality and Disability, online at the link above.

Sexuality education for people with disabilities
www.siecus.org/siecusreport/volume29/29-3.pdf
This issue of the SIECUS Report (Volume 29 Number 3) includes such articles as: Parents as Sexuality Educators for Their Children with Developmental Disabilities, Sexuality and People with Psychiatric Disabilities, and the annotated bibliography noted above.

Sex education and students with disabilities
https://ericec.org/faq/sex-ed.html
This April 2002 resource list from the ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education (ERIC EC) references articles and items in the ERIC collection that address sex ed for students with such disabilities as developmental disabilities and MR, chronic health issues, and LD.
Sexuality education for persons with developmental disabilities: Selected resources.
www.dbpeds.org/articles/detail.cfm?TextID=141

ADD toolkit for parents and professionals
www.ppct.org/education/resources/ddintro.htm

From a resource center on preventing pregnancy
www.etr.org/recapp/column/column200110.htm
ReCAPP, the Resource Center on Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention, offers “Educating Youth with Developmental Disabilities,” which focuses on how educators can best meet the sexuality education needs of young people with mental or emotional disabilities.

Sex education: Building a foundation for healthy attitudes
www.disabilitysolutions.org/pdf/4-5.pdf
A fine read for parents, from Disability Solutions.

From the commercial publisher, Paul H. Brookes
www.brookespublishing.com/store/books/schwier-4285/index.htm
Sexuality: Your Sons and Daughters with Intellectual Disabilities is intended to help parents “learn how to interact with your children — no matter their age or ability — in a way that increases self-esteem, encourages appropriate behavior, empowers them to recognize and respond to abuse, and enables them to develop life long relationships.”

From the commercial publisher, James Stanfield
www.stanfield.com/sexed.html
James Stanfield Publishing offers several different video series to help educators address the social skills and sexuality education of students with intellectual disabilities.

In case you’re wondering if sex ed is really necessary for youth with disabilities…
www.agi-usa.org/pubs/journals/3518703.html
Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health reports that “Teenagers with Mental Disability Lack Reproductive Education and Knowledge; Still, Many Have Had Sex.”

The birds and the bees and kids with LD.
www.schwablearning.org/articles.asp?r=626&g=2

Sex ed for young people with visual impairments.
www.tsbvi.edu/Education/sexuality-education.htm

To top

U.S. Department of Education Seeks Nominations for American Stars of Teaching

April 22, 2005—The U.S. Department of Education is seeking nominations for its second annual American Stars of Teaching project, which recognizes outstanding teachers who are using innovative strategies to raise student achievement, Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced today.
“American Star teachers represent our nation’s many fine educators who use innovative strategies to close the education gap and change the course of their students’ lives,” Spellings said.

Teachers across all grade levels and disciplines will be honored this fall as 2005 American Stars in Teaching. One teacher, or team of teachers from a school, will be recognized in every state and the District of Columbia. Parents, students, colleagues, school administrators or others can nominate a teacher who they believe has the qualities to be an American Star of Teaching.

U.S. Department of Education officials will again visit the schools of American Star teachers to congratulate them on their success. The American Stars of Teaching project is part of the Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative, which offers teacher and principal roundtables, teacher workshops and conferences, regular e-mail updates, and a free online professional development tool. Nomination forms for American Stars of Teaching and information on the Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative are available at www.ed.gov/teacherinitiative.
“Every day in thousands of classrooms, teachers work tirelessly to help build a better future for their students. And they succeed because they believe—as do I and does President Bush—that every child, regardless of circumstances, deserves the opportunity to learn,” Spellings said.

 
U.S. Department of Education April 7th, 2005 – Secretary Spellings Announces More Workable, “Common Sense” Approach To Implement No Child Left Behind Law

Under a new approach to implementing the “No Child Left Behind” law, states will have additional alternatives and flexibility if they can show they are raising student achievement and closing the achievement gap, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced today.  Secretary Spellings made the announcement during a meeting with the nation’s state education chiefs and other education leaders at George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate near Washington, D.C.

Secretary Spellings said the new guidelines, “Raising Achievement: A New Path for No Child Left Behind”, are a comprehensive approach to implementing the law and she reiterated that “the bright lines of the statute” — such as annual testing to determine student achievement, reporting results by student subgroups and highly qualified teachers — are not up for negotiation.

“We have learned a lot over the last three years as our infant law has matured, and these past three years have helped us be smarter about how this law is working in the schools,” Secretary Spellings said.  “These new guidelines show us the way forward given what we’ve learned.  They focus on results for all students, the fundamental mission of the “No Child Left Behind Act.”

“States that show results and follow the principles of ‘No Child Left Behind’ will be eligible for new tools to help them meet the law’s goals of getting every child to grade level by 2013-14.  It’s a shared responsibility.
“Think of this new policy as an equation:  the principles of the law, such as annual testing and reporting of subgroup data, plus student achievement and a narrowing of the achievement gap, plus overall sound state education policies, equals a new, common sense approach to implementation of ‘No Child Left Behind.’

“In other words, it is the results that truly matter, not the bureaucratic way that you get there.  That’s just common sense, sometimes lost in the halls of the government.”

“Raising Achievement: A New Path” includes the four key principles of “No Child Left Behind”:

 Ensuring students are learning: Raising overall achievement and closing the achievement gap;
 Making the school system accountable:  Including all students in all schools and districts in the state; ensuring all students are part of a state’s accountability system and are tested in reading and math in grades three through eight and once in high school by the 2005-06 school year;providing data on student achievement by subgroup;
 Ensuring information is accessible and parents have options: Informing parents in a timely manner about the quality of their child’s school and their school choice options, identifying schools and districts that need to improve, developing a dynamic list of after-school tutors, encouraging public school choice and the creation of charter schools and creating easily accessible and understandable school and district report cards
 Improving teacher quality: Providing parents and the public with accurate information on the quality of their local teaching force, implementing a rigorous system for ensuring teachers are highly qualified and making aggressive efforts to ensure all children are taught by highly qualified teachers.

“This is a comprehensive approach to the implementation of this law,” Secretary Spellings said.  “States seeking additional flexibility will get credit for the work they have done to reform their education systems as a whole.

“States that understand this new way of doing things will be gratified.  It makes sense, plain and simple.  Others looking for excuses to simply take the federal funds, ignore the intent of the law and have minimal results to show for their millions upon millions in federal funds will think otherwise and be disappointed.”

Secretary Spellings announced that the first example of this “workable, sensible approach” would be to apply the latest scientific research and allow states to use modified assessments for their students with persistent academic disabilities who need more time and instruction to make substantial progress toward grade-level achievement.  These scores will be limited to 2 percent of all students for accountability purposes; this is a separate policy from the current regulation that allows up to 1 percent of all students being tested (those with the most significant cognitive disabilities) to take an alternate assessment.

“This new approach recognizes that these children should not all be treated alike.  By relying on the most current and accurate information on how children learn and how to best serve their academic needs, this new policy focuses on children.  They continue to be included in the accountability system because we know that otherwise, they risk being ignored, as was often the case before ‘No Child Left Behind.'”

Secretary Spellings also announced that she was directing an additional $14 million in immediate support for these students and that the Department would provide states with a comprehensive tool kit to help them identify and assess students with disabilities.

“It’s you — the educators out in the states — who are closing the achievement gap.  You’re demanding more and getting more.  You’re refusing to accept old excuses for poor performance.  Thanks to your leadership, we are seeing significant educational improvement on a national scale.  And as we continue to watch this law grow and mature, we will address other concerns raised by educators — again, as long as the children are learning.”

“No Child Left Behind” is the bipartisan landmark education reform law designed to change the culture of America’s schools by closing the achievement gap among groups of students, offering more flexibility to states, giving parents more options and teaching students based on what works. Under the law’s strong accountability provisions, states must describe how they will close the achievement gap and make sure all students, including those with disabilities, achieve academically.
More information about this announcement, including the Secretary’s speech and fact sheets on the new policy and the “No Child Left Behind Act” is available at https://www.ed.gov.
 
 
Announcing the U.S. Department of Education’s Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative 2005 Summer Workshops

Building on the success of last year’s teacher workshops, the U.S. Department of Education will again host a series of workshops for teachers and principals in the summer of 2005.  Some of the nation’s best teachers and researchers will share their strategies for raising student achievement and informing teachers of the latest, successful research-based practices. 

 The upcoming Teacher-to-Teacher Summer Workshops will be geared toward K-12 teachers and principals, and the subjects covered will be evenly distributed among elementary and secondary school instruction.  Breakout sessions will cover the content areas of literacy, reading, mathematics, science, history and the arts.  Additional sessions will be held on special education, English language learners, school leadership, the No Child Left Behind Act, using data effectively, federal grant writing, and teaching strategies that can enable all levels of students to improve academically.

The 2005 Summer Workshops are scheduled in these six cities on the following dates: Cincinnati, Ohio (June 20-22); Phoenix, Arizona. (June 27-29); Minneapolis, Minnesota (July 11-13); Tampa, Florida (July 18-20); Bethesda, Maryland (July 25-27); and San Jose, California (August 1-3). 

The registration and professional development sessions are free-of-charge.  Meals and refreshments will be provided during scheduled workshop activities, but participants will be responsible for their own transportation and lodging expenses. For more information or to register for the workshops visit: 
 https://www.ed.gov/teachers/how/tools/initiative/index.html. 

To top

Close-Up: No Child Left Behind—Serving Students With Limited English Proficiency

“If we’ve learned anything in the last three years, it’s that what gets measured gets done.”–U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings on the need for annual assessments and disaggregation of data, in her remarks at the Council of the Great City Schools Annual Legislative/Policy Conference, March 13, 2005, in Washington, D.C.

For the first time, all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have developed and implemented standards and assessments for English language learners as required by No Child Left Behind, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Education.

The 503-page Biennial Evaluation Report to Congress on the Implementation of the State Formula Grant Program is the first in-depth study of its kind since NCLB was enacted in 2002. It contains data on the English language acquisition and academic achievement of limited English proficient students (LEPs). These data provide information on approximately four million LEP students nationwide served through the law’s Title III program in 2002-04.

With the passage of NCLB, Title III replaced Title VII, which changed the program from competitive, discretionary grants to performance-based, formula grants. The additional funds provided for the new formula grants have allowed more LEP students to receive support.

The goal of Title III is to ensure that LEP students attain proficiency in English and meet the same standards for academic achievement as all students. Title III funds are awarded to states, who in turn make subgrants to local education agencies (LEAs) by allocating funds based on the LEP and immigrant populations served in those LEAs. For next year’s budget, President Bush is proposing $676 million to continue funding English Language Acquisition state grants under Title III.

Among the report’s findings, 35 states and the District of Columbia reported that 378,903 students transitioned out of language instruction programs into mainstream classrooms in 2002-03. For the following school year, 43 states and the District of Columbia reported 444,451 students transitioned out of such programs.

For a copy of the report, visit www.ncela.gwu.edu/oela/biennial05/index.htm.

Study Yields First-Ever Data on K-12 Distance Education

Eighty percent of public school districts said that offering courses that are not currently available at their schools is one of the most important reasons for having distance education, according to a new report that provides the first national data on distance learning in public K-12 schools.

Distance Education Courses for Public Elementary and Secondary School Students: 2002-03, released this month by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), showed that approximately one-third of public school districts—an estimated 5,500—had students enrolled in distance education courses in 2002-03.

In this study, “distance education” refers to courses taken for credit and offered to elementary and secondary school students in a school district where the teachers and students are in different locations.
Other key findings from the survey include:

• A greater proportion of districts with students enrolled in distance education courses are located in rural areas than in suburban or urban areas (46 percent compared with 28 and 23 percent, respectively).
• Among all public schools with students enrolled in distance education, 76 percent were high schools; 15 percent were combined or ungraded schools; 7 percent were middle or junior high schools; and 2 percent were elementary schools.
• There were an estimated 45,300 enrollments in Advanced Placement or college-level courses offered through distance education. This represents 14 percent of the total enrollments in distance education.

For a copy of the report, visit www.nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2005010, or call the Department’s publications center toll-free at (877) 433-7827, while supplies last.

To top

Autism Fact Sheets on the Web–(Fact Sheets)

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) has developed fact sheets about autism research at the NICHD for medical professionals, educators, and parents. Topics include Autism and Genes, Autism and the MMR Vaccine, Autism and Vaccine Research, Autism Facts, The NICHD/NIDCD Collaborative Programs of Excellence in Autism, and Autism Questions and Answers for Health Care Professionals.  Most also
available in Spanish.

https://www.nichd.nih.gov/premium-publications/pubskey.cfm?from=autism

New National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Available
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) is a network of local crisis centers located in communities across the country that are committed to suicide prevention. Callers to the hotline will receive suicide prevention counseling from trained staff at the closest certified crisis center in the network. This hotline is part of the National Suicide Prevention Initiative-a collaborative effort led by SAMHSA– that incorporates the best practices and research findings in suicide prevention and intervention, with the goal of reducing the incidence of suicide nationwide. For more information, go to https://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/.

Learn the Signs. Act Early. An Autism and Developmental Disabilities Awareness Campaign –(Web Page)

“Learn the Signs. Act Early.” is a public awareness campaign from the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to educate parents about early childhood development, including early warning signs of autism and other developmental disabilities. From birth to 5 years of age, a child should reach milestones in how he/she plays, learns, speaks, and acts. A delay in any of these areas could be a sign of a developmental program such as autism. This Web page includes topics in the news, developmental milestones, fact sheets, and resources.
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/actearly/

Speaking Out for Yourself: A Self-Help Guide–(Guide)

Produced by the National Mental Health Information Center of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, this guide provides simple assertiveness tips and other resources to help individuals with disabilities become self-advocates and take control of decisions that affect their lives.
https://www.mentalhealth.org/premium-publications/allpubs/SMA-3719/default.asp 

To top

NCSET Resources

Essential Tools: Handbook for Implementing a Comprehensive Work-Based Learning Program According to the Fair Labor Standards Act (February 2005)–(NCSET Essential Tool)

By following the information and examples in this manual, school personnel can proceed with confidence to operate effective work-based learning programs consistent with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Sample forms, agreements, and supporting documentation required under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and FLSA are included in the examples whenever possible. This document also includes contact information for offices and personnel of the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division and organizations involved in planning and delivering transition services for youth with disabilities, as well as information on Supplemental Security Work Incentives available to transition-aged youth with disabilities.

https://www.ncset.org/premium-publications/essentialtools/flsa/

The Implications of Standards, Assessments, and Accountability on Graduation Requirements and Diploma Options (March 2005)-(Teleconference Transcript)

The transcript from our February 22, 2005 teleconference is now available on the Web. In this teleconference, Martha Thurlow from the National Center on Educational Outcomes at the University of Minnesota discussed how students with disabilities are expected to participate in the standards-based educational reforms encompassed in the No Child Left Behind Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. She highlighted the standards, assessments, and accountability requirements of those Acts and their implications for graduation and diploma options for students with disabilities.

https://www.ncset.org/teleconferences/transcripts/2005_02.asp

Youthhood.org

NCSET has launched a new youth Web site: Youthhood.org. Youthhood provides students and their teachers, mentors, and parents with an online, research-based transition curriculum focused on preparing for life after high school. It¹s interactive, it¹s fun, and best of all, it¹s free! Spread the word! Tell your friends and colleagues working with transition-aged youth to check out this exciting new online resource. Questions? E-mail youthhood@umn.edu or call Pam Stenhjem at 612-625-3863.

https://www.youthhood.org/

Other National Resources

Partners in Employment–(On-line Course)

This free Web-based self-study course from the Minnesota Governor¹s Council on Developmental Disabilities¹ Partners in Policymaking program is designed to help people with developmental disabilities find meaningful jobs and jumpstart their careers. Users will learn how the hiring process might differ for people with developmental disabilities; learn the difference between supported and competitive employment; identify allies who can support them in their job search; recognize their strengths, skills, and interests and how they might translate into a career; learn about natural supports; create a resume/portfolio; learn how to network and identify potential employers; prepare for interviews; and learn how to evaluate a job offer.

https://www.partnersinpolicymaking.com/employment/

Postsecondary Guide to Disability Documentation
The purpose of this guide, produced by the Wisconsin Technical College System, is to help organizations help students with disabilities who enroll in postsecondary education to obtain needed documentation. Document sections include: Summary of Applicable Laws, Guiding Principles for Disability Documentation, Elements of Proper Documentation, Resource Web Sites, Example of a High School Report for Students Requesting Accommodations at Postsecondary Institutions, Example of a Transition Checklist, Example of a Letter from a High School Graduate Requesting Documentation of Disability History and Functional Limitations from a School District, and Example of Letter from Director of Special Education Outlining History of Evaluation Results.

https://www.wisconsinsig.org/wtcs/disabilitydoc/disdoc.htm

Preventing Disproportionate Representation: Culturally- and Linguistically-Responsive Prereferral Interventions –(Brief)

The National Center for Culturally Response Educational Systems (NCCREST) has published a Practitioner Brief which highlights four key elements of culturally- and linguistically-responsive prereferral intervention for culturally and linguistically diverse students: preventing school underachievement and failure among culturally and linguistically diverse learners, early intervention for struggling learners, diagnostic/prescriptive teaching, and availability of general education problem-solving support systems. Available in PDF (12 pages, 237 KB).

https://www.nccrest.org/publications_briefs.html

National Post-School Outcomes Center

The National Post-School Outcomes Center, a five-year project funded by the Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education in December 2004, has launched its Web site. The Center will develop practical, efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable strategies for collecting and using data to improve secondary, transition, and postsecondary outcomes for youth with disabilities; and identify state needs and provide technical assistance to improve systems for post-school outcome data collection and use. Its Web site features information about the Center, state profiles, tools for annual reporting and collecting data, a literature review, communities of practice, related resources, and events.

https://psocenter.org/

 
Federal Grant Opportunities
Forecast of Funding Opportunities under Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs for Fiscal Year 2005
This document lists virtually all programs and competitions under which the U.S. Department of Education has invited or expects to invite applications for new awards for fiscal year 2005 and provides actual or estimated deadlines for the transmittal of applications under these programs. The lists are in the form of charts organized according to the Department¹s principal program offices and include programs and competitions previously announced as well as those to be announced at a later date.

https://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/find/edlite-forecast.html

FY 2005 Discretionary Grant Application Packages
This site, from the Department of Education, provides information on grant competitions that are currently open.

https://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/grantapps/

Additional Funding and Award Opportunities

American Honda Foundation Educational Grants–(Program Scholarship)
The American Honda Foundation provides grants in the fields of youth education and scientific education to K-12 educational institutions; accredited higher education institutions; community colleges and vocational/trade schools; college and university scholarship and fellowship programs or through national nonprofit organizations; other scientific and education-related, nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations; gifted student programs; national youth educational radio and/or television stations/networks; nationally distributed and aired films, movies, film strips, slides and/or short subjects concerning youth and/or scientific education; private, non-profit scientific and/or youth education projects; other nonprofit, tax-exempt, national institutions in the fields of youth and/or scientific education; and national programs pertaining to academic or curriculum development that emphasize innovative educational methods and techniques.

https://corporate.honda.com/america/philanthropy.aspx?id=ahf

Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Young Scholars Program for High-Achieving Youth (Student Scholarship)
The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Young Scholars Program selects high-achieving youth in the U.S. with financial need and provides individualized educational services throughout high school that enable them to develop their talents and abilities. Previous Young Scholars have received the support and guidance required to evaluate the suitability of their high school, take online courses, obtain computers or software, improve their musical or scientific skills, and explore their career goals. Eligible applicants must be entering the 8th grade in the fall of 2005 and be planning to attend a high school in the U.S. Application deadline: May 2, 2005.

https://www.jackkentcookefoundation.org/jkcf_web/content.aspx?page=YounSch

To top

NICHD Launches Project to Treat Infant Asphyxia In Lower Income Countries

Scientists in a federally sponsored global research network will undertake a new project that will train midwives and traditional birth attendants in resource poor countries on how to treat newborn asphyxia, a major cause of infant death. The treatment, developed in the United States, is the standard of care provided to infants born in this country.

Newborn asphyxia—an infant’s failure to begin or sustain breathing—is a serious problem in resource poor countries where births do not occur in a health care facility and where birth attendants are not trained in newborn resuscitation. In the United States and more developed regions of the world, trained health care professionals can rapidly take steps to treat asphyxia.
The project will be undertaken by the Global Network for Women’s and Children’s Health Research, which is sponsored by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health, in partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The new project seeks to determine if training midwives and other traditional birth attendants in standard infant resuscitation practices commonly used in the United States can reduce the death and disability from newborn asphyxia in resource poor settings.

The Network project was announced on World Health Day April 7, 2005.
Newborn asphyxia claims the lives of 1 million infants each year, according to the World Health Organization. One estimate holds that newborn asphyxia afflicts from 6 to 10 percent of all births.

“The theme for this year’s World Health Day is ‘Making every mother and child count,'” said NICHD Director Duane Alexander, M.D. “In keeping with that sentiment, the Global Network’s new project will seek to reduce the death and disability resulting when newborn asphyxia occurs in the developing world.”

Newborns may stop breathing for a variety of reasons. For example, the placenta may tear free from the uterine wall during the birth process. Newborn asphyxia may also result when the umbilical cord is compressed between the baby’s body and the uterine wall, or when the umbilical cord becomes knotted. Other causes of newborn asphyxia remain unknown, but are thought to involve abnormalities of the brain or heart.

When newborn asphyxia occurs, the chances that an infant will survive without brain damage are greatest if the infant can be resuscitated early—within the first 2 minutes after delivery.

The First Breath initiative will be implemented at seven Global Network sites located in South Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Nearly 80 communities will participate in this study to determine whether a standard newborn resuscitation program taught to birth attendants in the United States (the Birth Resuscitation Program of the American Academy of Pediatrics) can reduce the newborn death rate as well as other complications from newborn asphyxia. The program provides instruction in newborn resuscitation techniques for birth attendants who first come in contact with newborns.

Midwives and birth attendants who participate in the Global Network program will be taught such basic techniques as checking an infant’s throat for obstructions, monitoring heart rate, and using mechanical ventilation to induce an infant to breathe. The Global Network study will involve 40,000 births per year over the two-year study period.

The Global Network for Women’s and Children’s Health Research supports partnerships at 10 sites in Asia, Africa and Latin America. The Network is dedicated to improving the health of women and infants in developing regions. The Network seeks to develop local scientific capacity to solve public health problems and works to convey its findings to improve health at a local level.

“International health research benefits people in all countries,” said Danuta Krotoski, Ph.D., NICHD’s Acting Associate Director for Prevention Research and International Programs. “Studies conducted abroad contribute to the health of populations living in those countries as well as to the health of people around the world.”

Dr. Krotoski noted that the NICHD has funded numerous studies abroad that contributed important information for the U.S. health population. For example, she said, studies conducted in England and Tasmania were instrumental in the establishment of the Back to Sleep campaign. The campaign seeks to reduce infants’ risk of dying from Sudden Infant Death syndrome, the sudden, unexplained death of an infant less than one year of age. Since the campaign began in 1994, the rate of Sudden Infant Death syndrome in the United States declined by more than 50 percent.

To top

Quick Reference Guides 
NCWD/Youth is offering a series of Quick Reference Guides that provides resources on critical topics for administrators, youth service practitioners, and policymakers. Each Guide offers succinct descriptions of a topic with resources that have been identified by experts at NCWD/Youth. The topics include:

• Workplace success: The guide describes how to create successful work-based experiences for youth and their employers that foster adult employment success for all youth, particularly for those with disabilities.
• Youth development and youth leadership for all youth: The guideexplains youth development and leadership components and how they lead to more effective workforce development programs.
• Assessment: The guide gives an overview of the process of collecting information that can be used in decision-making, career-planning, and service plan development for a young person.
• Hidden Disabilities: The guide provides a basic understanding of how to identify and screen for hidden disabilities; connect to formal diagnosis; provide appropriate accommodations; and identify support services.
• Benefits Planning for Youth with Disabilities: The guide helps those assisting youth with disabilities navigate the range of state and federal government programs and benefits for people with disabilities in the United States .
• Universal Access: The guide assists those developing a program, service, or activity to make them accessible to youth and adults with disabilities.

The packet of guides can be downloaded at http;//www.ncwd-youth.info/resources_&_Publications/quick_Reference_Guides/ and/or hard copies can be ordered at:
https://www.ncwd-youth.info/resources_&_Publications/quick_Reference_Guides/order.php.

NCWD/Youth Info Brief
A new InfoBrief has been posted to the NCWD/Youth website. The Youth Development and Youth Leadership in Programs brief describes how administrators and policymakers can use the concepts of youth development and youth leadership in developing and administering programs that serve all youth. It includes activities specifically geared toward youth with disabilities.

The brief, found at
 https://ncwd-youth.info/resources_&_Publications/information_Briefs/issue11.html
is based on a longer paper, Youth Development and Youth Leadership, A Background Paper, found at
 https://ncwd-youth.info/resources_&_Publications/background.php and described in an earlier issue of this newsletter.

Congress Takes Action on Vocational and Technical Education
The full Senate and the House Education and the Workforce Committee have approved different versions of legislation reauthorizing and changing the Carl Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act of 1998.
The Senate passed S. 250 on March 10, 2005. The legislation builds on current law but does have some changes. The House Education and the Workforce Committee also voted unanimously to approve H.R. 366, the “Vocational and Technical Education for the Future Act.’” The next step for this bill is a vote by the full House, which is expected to occur sometime this spring. After both bills are passed, they will go to a conference committee where the differences between the two bills will be negotiated. 

The House and Senate are emphasizing academics. In the Senate bill, for example, academic achievement is one of several core indicators of performance for programs receiving funds from this act. Both bills include separate secondary and postsecondary performance measures and enhanced local accountability provisions.

The Senate bill maintains Tech Prep as a separate program, while the House version does not. Tech Prep is a federally funded program that includes a combination of, at a minimum, two years of secondary education and a minimum of two years of postsecondary education in a non-duplicative, sequential course of study.  The intent of Tech Prep is to provide the student with work place skills that will allow the individual to successfully enter the job market, the military or further education. 

The Senate bill strengthens the connection of career and technical education programs to the needs of businesses by making sure that student achievement is based on industry standards.

 
 Job Accommodation Network (JAN) Conference Announced
The Job Accommodation Network (JAN), the nation’s foremost provider of workplace accommodation information and technical assistance on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), will unite experts in job accommodation and disability employment law during JAN’s annual conference, Empowering Employers to Build an Inclusive Workforce, September 26-27, 2005, at the Westin San Francisco Airport.

For more information, contact: conference@jan.wvu.edu ; phone: 800-526-7234 (V/TTY); or https://www.jan.wvu.edu.

Three New Information Briefs available on NCWD/Youth Website include: 

1. The Right Connections: Navigating the Workforce Development System (https://ncwd-youth.info/resources_&_Publications/information_Briefs/issue13.html) is for administrators and youth service practitioners who provide programming to young people and want to connect their programs to the workforce development system. This brief is aimed at helping those who work with youth better understand how to navigate the workforce development system. While the information in this brief focuses on the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) there are other laws relevant to the workforce development system that impact youth are described at https://ncwd-youth.info/resources_&_Publications/disability_Legislation/index.html.

2. New Departments Address Disability Issues (https://ncwd-youth.info/resources_&_Publications/information_Briefs/issue15.html) describes new federal and state programs and agencies that provide services for people with disabilities. There are a myriad of programs across federal and state agencies that provide health, education, workforce, and human services for people with disabilities. However, the placement of these programs within government varies from state to state. This brief describes recent actions of federal and state government in the development of these organizations.

3. Breaking Down Technological Barriers brief (https://ncwd-youth.info/resources_&_Publications/information_Briefs/issue14.html) describes assistive technology and accessible information and gives policymakers information on federal and state accessibility legislation, laws and requirements.

New Handbook available from NCSET

The National Center on Secondary Education and Transition (NCSET) has published an essential tool for improving secondary education and transition for youth with disabilities, Handbook for Implementing a Comprehensive Work-Based Learning Program According to the Fair Labor Standards Act. The FLSA is the federal legislation establishing minimum wage, overtime pay, record keeping requirements (i.e., personal employee information, wages, hours), and child labor.

The publication provides guidance to schools operating work-based learning programs and encourages the adoption of work-based learning by schools not using this approach. The handbook gives examples and information so that schools can operate work-based learning programs for youth with disabilities that are consistent with the Fair Labor Standards Act.
More information on the handbook is available at
https://www.ncset.org/premium-publications/essentialtools/flsa/.

GAO Report on Employers’ Use of One-stops
A recent report by the Government Accountability Office titled Workforce Investment Act: Employers Are Aware of, Using, and Satisfied with One-Stop Services, but More Data Could Help Labor Better Address Employers’ Needs, (GAO-05-259). The report found that employers are aware of their one-stop centers and are using them. The report reflects that about half of all employers are aware of their local one-stops, and awareness increases with size of the organization. About half of small, two-thirds of medium, and three-quarters of large companies know about their local one-stops.

Of all employers aware of the one-stops, about three-quarters of large employer organizations are likely to use one-stop services, while approximately one-half of medium and one-quarter of small employers are likely to do so. Employers of all sizes primarily use one-stop services to help fill job vacancies. Overall, about three-quarters of employers who use one-stop services are satisfied with the services they receive. These employers are most satisfied with one-stop efforts to provide timely services and respond to their needs. In addition, most employers who have used one-stop services would likely use them again, and about one-third of employers who are aware of one-stop services, but have not used them, would consider using them in the future.

The report also recommends that the Department of Labor require states to collect and report on employer use of the one-stop system in order to have a better understanding of the degree to which the publicly funded workforce system meets employers’ needs.

The full report was issued February 18, 2005.  The full report from the GAO is available at
https://www.gao.gov/docsearch/abstract.php?rptno=GAO-05-259.

To top

This is a guide from NICHCY to some of the directories and listings of summer camps. Half of these resources identify camps specifically intended for children who have disabilities. The other half are simply directories listing camp opportunities available to all children.

Your community is also likely to have summer camps or recreational opportunities available. You probably won’t find them listed in these directories! To find out what’s available locally, you’ll need to consult with local sources of information—your child’s teachers, local recreation department, religious organizations in your area, fellow parents, and community groups.

General

Camps 2005: A Directory of Camps and Summer Programs for Children and Youth with Special Needs and Disabilities in the Metro New York Area
Resources for Children with Special Needs
Publications/Department B
116 E. 16th Street, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10003
(212) 677-4650
E-mail: Info@resourcesnyc.org
Web: www.resourcesnyc.org
$33.00 including shipping and handling (available in English & Spanish)

Easter Seals Camping and Recreation List
Easter Seals-National Office
230 West Monroe Street, Suite 1800
Chicago, IL 60606
(800) 221-6827; (312) 726-6200 (Voice)
(312) 726-4258 (TTY)
E-mail: info@easterseals.com, or rgarza@easterseals.com
Web: www.easterseals.com
Free (some “camperships” are available)

Guide to Summer Camps and Summer Schools
2004-2005 (29th Edition)
Porter Sargent Publishers, Inc., c/o IDS
300 Bedford Street, Building B, Suite 213
Manchester, NH 03101
(800) 342-7470
E-mail: info@portersargent.com
Web: www.portersargent.com
$45.00 hard-cover; $27.00 soft-cover (plus shipping and handling)

Guide to ACA Accredited Camps 2004
American Camping Association (ACA), Inc.
5000 State Road 67 North
Martinsville, IN 46151-7902
(800) 428-2267; (765) 342-8456
E-mail: bookstore@acacamps.org
Web: www.acacamps.org
$12.95 (includes shipping and handling)
(You can search ACA’s database of camps on-line
free of charge.)

National Camp Association, Inc.
610 Fifth Avenue
P.O. Box 5371
New York, NY 10185
(800) 966-CAMP (2267); (212) 645-0653
E-mail: info@summercamp.org
Web: www.summercamp.org
(CampQuest, an on-line camp selection guide, is available on the NCA web site.)

Summer Opportunities for Kids & Teenagers 2005
Peterson’s
Princeton Pike Corporate Center
2000 Lenox Drive
Lawrenceville, NJ 08648
(800) 338-3282
E-mail: info@petersons.com
Web: https://e-catalog.thomsonlearning.com/326
$29.95 (plus shipping and handling)

Disability-specific

Camp List for Children with Cancer
The Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation
National Office
P.O. Box 498
Kensington, MD 20895-0498
(301) 962-3520; (800) 366-2223
E-mail: info@candlelighters.org
Web: www.candlelighters.org/supportcamps.stm

 
Camps for Children with Spina Bifida
Spina Bifida Association of America
4590 MacArthur Boulevard, N.W., Suite 250
Washington, D.C. 20007-4226
(800) 621-3141; (202) 944-3285
E-mail: sbaa@sbaa.org
Web: www.sbaa.org
Call for a state-by-state listing.

Web Sites

Association of Independent Camps: Summer Camp Directory & Resource
www.independentcamps.com/intercamp
Brave Kids: Camps and Resources for Children with Chronic, Life-Threatening Illnesses or Disabilities
www.bravekids.org
Camp Channel: Bringing Summer Camps to the Internet
www.campchannel.com/docs/campsearch.html
The CampPage Guide to Summer Camps
www.camppage.com
The Camp & Conference Homepage
www.camping.org
Camps for Children with Diabetes
www.childrenwithdiabetes.com/camps
CampResource.com: Special Needs Camps
www.campresource.com/camps/spec_needs_camps.cfm
Camp Search: The Search Engine for Camps
www.campsearch.com/
Children’s Hemiplegia and Stroke Association (CHASA)
www.chasa.org/summercamps.htm
Children’s Oncology Camping Association
www.coca-intl.org
Diabetes Camping Association: Diabetes Camp Directory—U.S. Camps
www.diabetescamps.org/uscamps.html
Grown-Up Camps
www.grownupcamps.com
Kids’ Camps
www.kidscamps.com
National Center on Physical Activity & Disability (NCPAD) Summer Camps Fact Sheet
www.ncpad.org/fun/fact_sheet.php?sheet=88&view=all
Special Needs Camps
www.mysummercamps.com/camps/Special_Needs_Camps/index.html
Summer Camps for Amputees and Children with Limb Differences
www.amputee-coalition.org/fact_sheets/Kidscamps.html
Summer Camps for Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
https://clerccenter.gallaudet.edu/InfoToGo/142.html
Summer Camps for Kids with Learning and Attention Problems
www.schwablearning.org/camp/index.asp
Summer Camp Search
https://summercamps.com/cgi-bin/summercamps/search.cgi
Thomson & Peterson’s Listing of Special Needs Summer Programs
www.petersons.com/summerop/select/t004se.html

To top

Upcoming Research Conferences

May and June 2005

IRA’s 50th Annual Convention
May 1-5, 2005
San Antonio, TX
Hosted by the International Reading Association.
Find out more at:
www.reading.org/association/meetings/annual.html

Head Start: The Nation’s Pride–32nd Annual Training Conference
May 24-27, 2005
Orlando, FL
Hosted by the National Head Start Association (NHSA).
Find out more at:
www.nhsa.org

14th International Scientific Congress CNIC 2005: 40 Years at the Service of Science and Technology
June 27-30, 2005
Havana, Cuba
Hosted by the National Center for Scientific Research.
Find out more at:
www.cnic.edu.cu/14Congreso/principal_eng.htm

Also coming in 2005

20th International Congress on the Education of the Deaf (ICED)
July 17 – 20, 2005
Maastricht, the Netherlands
Hosted by the International Congress on the Education of the Deaf (ICED).
Find out more at:
www.conferenceagency.com

2005 Education Conference Integrating Multiple Intelligence, Creativity, and Problem Solving
July 19-22, 2005
Beijing, China
Hosted by Global Interactions, Inc.
Find out more at:
https://globalinteractions.org/MultipleIntelligences/Intelligences-home.htm

CCBD International Conference on Behavioral Disorders
September 22-24, 2005
Dallas (Irving), TX
Hosted by the International Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders (CCBD).
Find out more at:
www.ccbd.net/

Other Special Education Related Conferences and Events

Disproportionality in Special Education: One State’s Perspective
May 11, 2005  1:00-2:00 PM (Central)
(Teleconference)

Dr. Donna Hart-Tervalon, Assistant Director of Special Education, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction; Patricia Williams, School Administration Consultant, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction; and Daniel Losen, Senior Legal and Policy Research Associate, The Civil Rights Project, Harvard University will present on Wisconsin’s initiative to “scale up” efforts to address disproportionate representation of minority students in special education. They will discuss how disproportionate representation is being addressed by the state’s Continuous Improvement and Focused Monitoring System with the assistance of the National Center for Special Education Accountability Monitoring, the National Center for Culturally Responsive Education Systems, and the Civil Rights Project. Sponsored by the North Central Regional Resource Center in partnership with NCSET and the OSEP Exiting TA Community of Practice.

To participate, dial 1-703-639-1175 a few minutes before the call begins, and refer to the “NCSET Teleconference Call” if asked by the operator.

https://www.ncset.org/teleconferences/default.asp#051105

May 18 – June 1, 2005
Job Coaching & Consulting: Job Design, Training, and Natural Supports at Work (Online Course)

Registration is now open for a Web course entitled “Job Coaching & Consulting: Job Design, Training, and Natural Supports at Work.” The course will run May 18-June 1, 2005 and will be taught by Tammara Geary, a national consultant and past executive director of the Association for Persons in Supported Employment. The course will cover principles of job design, job training and instructional support, natural supports, and social-behavioral support. Participants can log on at any time during the course. The course will use web instruction, readings, interactive exercises, and a discussion board. Registration fee: $149. Offered by the Training Resource Network, Inc.

https://www.trninc.com/entry/welcome2.asp

May 25, 2005
Self-Direction in Mental Health–From Ideas to Action: Funding Self-Directed Care in Mental Health and Helping People Make it Happen
1:00 PM (EST)–(Webcast)

Presented by the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, this training session is intended for mental health consumers, state and local mental health planners and program officials, providers, family members, managed care organizations, and advocates. It is designed to provide information on self-direction and its relationship to mental health and to explore ways to foster self-direction opportunities for persons with mental illnesses. Models of self-direction are increasingly being used by people with physical and developmental disabilities to maximize consumer choice and control. A growing body of evidence supports the effectiveness of these approaches.

https://www.psych.uic.edu/uicnrtc/cmhstraining.htm

June 6, 2005
IDEA Public Meeting
San Antonio, TX
1:00 PM-4:00 PM and 5:00 PM-7:00 PM (Central)–(Public Meeting)

John H. Hager, assistant secretary of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) at the U.S. Department of Education, announces a public meeting to receive comments on the proposed rules to implement programs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004. For more detailed information, contact OSERS at 202-245-7468.

https://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/osep/idea/public-meetings.html

June 17, 2005
IDEA Public Meeting
Nashville, TN
1:00 PM-4:00 PM and 5:00 PM-7:00 PM (Central)–(Public Meeting)

John H. Hager, assistant secretary of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) at the U.S. Department of Education, announces a public meeting to receive comments on the proposed rules to implement programs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Improvement Act of 2004. For more detailed information, contact OSERS at 202-245-7468.

https://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/osep/idea/public-meetings.html

June 22, 2005
IDEA Public Meeting
Sacramento, CA
1:00 PM-4:00 PM and 5:00 PM-7:00 PM (Pacific)–(Public Meeting)

John H. Hager, assistant secretary of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) at the U.S. Department of Education, announces a public meeting to receive comments on the proposed rules to implement programs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004. For more detailed information, contact OSERS at 202-245-7468.
https://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/osep/idea/public-meetings.html

June 24, 2005
IDEA Public Meeting
Las Vegas, NV
1:00 PM-4:00 PM and 5:00 PM-7:00 PM (Pacific)–(Public Meeting)

John H. Hager, assistant secretary of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) at the U.S. Department of Education, announces a public meeting to receive comments on the proposed rules to implement programs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Improvement Act of 2004. For more detailed information, contact OSERS at 202-245-7468.
https://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/osep/idea/public-meetings.html

June 27, 2005
IDEA Public Meeting
New York, NY
1:00 PM-4:00 PM and 5:00 PM-7:00 PM (Eastern)–(Public Meeting)

John H. Hager, assistant secretary of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) at the U.S. Department of Education, announces a public meeting to receive comments on the proposed rules to implement programs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Improvement Act of 2004. For more detailed information, contact OSERS at 202-245-7468.
https://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/osep/idea/public-meetings.html

June 29, 2005
IDEA Public Meeting
Chicago, IL
1:00 PM-4:00 PM and 5:00 PM-7:00 PM (Central)–(Public Meeting)

John H. Hager, assistant secretary of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) at the U.S. Department of Education, announces a public meeting to receive comments on the proposed rules to implement programs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Improvement Act of 2004. For more detailed information, contact OSERS at 202-245-7468.
https://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/osep/idea/public-meetings.html

July 11-13, 2005
Workforce Innovations 2005: A Declaration of Innovation
Philadelphia, PA –(Conference)

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor and co-sponsored by the American Society for Training & Development, the Workforce Innovations 2005 conference will focus on integration, transformation, and innovation. Over 2,500 workforce investment professionals will attend to network with workforce investment leaders, business executives, workforce board members, education policymakers, and other change agents from across the nation. The conference will feature cutting-edge plenary sessions, high-impact workshops, interactive town hall meetings, dynamic exhibits, and a new career voyage showcase.

https://www.workforceinnovations.org/

July 12, 2005
IDEA Public Meeting
Washington, DC
1:00 PM-4:00 PM and 5:00 PM-7:00 PM (Eastern)–(Public Meeting)

John H. Hager, assistant secretary of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) at the U.S. Department of Education, announces a public meeting to receive comments on the proposed rules to implement programs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Improvement Act of 2004. For more detailed information, contact OSERS at 202-245-7468.

https://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/osep/idea/public-meetings.html

August 9-23, 2005
Marketing and Job Development for Youth and Adults with Disabilities–(Online Course)

The Training Resource Network, Inc. is offering its Web course “Marketing and Job Development for Youth and Adults with Disabilities” from August 3-17, 2005. The course will cover the key principles and hands-on tools for finding jobs for people with disabilities and other high-unemployment groups, including an introduction to job placement marketing research,
marketing tools for job placement programs, job development principles, and job development tools. It will be taught by Dale DiLeo, who has trained and published extensively on job development, and Dawn Langton, an accredited public relations and marketing professional and editor of InfoLines, the newsletter on the employment of people with disabilities. Registration fee: $149.

https://www.trninc.com/entry/welcome2.asp

To top

 
Location: MA, RI, NY, NJ, CT, &  PA
 
Job Category: Special Education Teacher – Elementary & Secondary
 
Title: Special Education Teachers Wanted Grades Pre-K-12
 
EXPERIENCED EDUCATORS WANTED!!! 150+ public charter schools in MA, RI, NY, NJ, CT and PA seek experienced – licensed preferred where applicable – candidates for the following positions: school site leaders/administrators; general education teachers (pre-K-12); secondary math and science teachers; teacher assistants; special education coordinators/teachers; Title I coordinators/teachers; bilingual/ESL teachers; school psychologists and social workers; and business managers (finance/accounting backgrounds required). The 3rd Annual NE Regional Charter School Career Fair is Scheduled for Saturday April 16th, 2005 – 10:30 AM to 3:00 PM. For more details see our website(www.charterschooljobs.com).
 
To apply, register for the 3rd Annual NE Regional Charter School Career Fair at  www.charterschooljobs.com.
 

Job Location: MA, RI, NY, NJ, CT, & PA

Contact: Leslie Talbot
Agency: K12connect, Inc.
Phone:  646-546-5377
Fax:  646-349-2389
Email:  ltalbot@k12connect.com

Home Page:   www.charterschooljobs.com   

 Location: Palo Alto, California  Job Category: Special Education Teacher – Elementary & Secondary

Title: Interim Program Specialist Division/Dept
 
Mission Statement: To make a measurable difference in the lives of children who face behavioral and developmental challenges.

Position Summary: The Program Specialist oversees each classroom’s curriculum, material selection, instructional methodology and assessment procedures.  The Program Specialist also ensures that all teachers are trained and prepared for IEP and parent meetings.  Meet weekly with teachers and teaching assistants for additional training and supervision. Position Description: • Provide regular support, guidance and supervision for all classrooms teaching staff, paying particular attention to those teachers who have students with complex and/or severe learning challenges.• Oversee and monitor instructional material purchases to ensure appropriateness and need.• Oversee execution of school’s formal educational testing program, including but not limited to, academic testing, intake, triennial and STAR testing.• Serve as primary supervisor to all teachers and teaching assistants and perform annual performance reviews.• Train teaching staff in recognizing, selecting materials, instructing and assessing students with learning disabilities at all age levels and across subject areas.• Serve as administrator for EBC School’s non-contentious IEP meetings.• Monitor each classroom’s choice of content and specific skill development to ensure that essential skills and grade level content are being presented.• Attend all assigned classroom team meetings and planning meetings to stay apprised of treatment protocols/emergent team and student issues, etc.• Meet on a regular basis with School Director• Post weekly schedule outside office maintaining regular school hours.• Attend all school staff meetings, case reviews, operations, and parent meetings.• Assist in interviewing candidates for teaching and teaching assistant positions.• Help to plan educational in-services.• Attendance and punctuality are of the essence. • Performs other related duties as required and assigned.• Ensure that school policies and procedures are carried out.• Ensure that CA Educational Code is adhered to• Adheres to CHC Employee Handbook.• Adheres to the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Law.• Protects the confidentiality of client/student and families  Job Requirements: • Has taught for a minimum of 3 years working in a school setting with children who have serious emotional disturbances and/or learning disabilities. • Advanced training in assessment and instructional principles used with children who exhibit specific learning disabilities preferred. • Knowledge of and classroom teaching experience with children who have serious emotional disturbances and learning disabilities.• Ability to work on an inter-disciplinary team. • Knowledge of basic computer skills in order to communicate via email and prepare documents on a word processor. • Ability to undergo training and implementation of Handle with Care physical restraint procedure.• Ability to stand and sit for extended periods of time for instruction and supervision.• Ability to work certain evenings for scheduled events such as Open House, Achievement Night, and Talent Show. • Ability to attend staff training, IEP’s that may occur in early morning or evening hours. • Valid CA driving license. Educational Requirements: Candidate must possess Masters in Special Education and have a valid California teaching credential.Job Location: Palo Alto, California Contact: Karen Breslow School: Esther B. Clark School  Phone:  650-322-3065 Fax:  650-322-4329 Email: QNguyen@chconline.org Home Page:  www.chconline.org   

 Location: Palo Alto, California  Job Category: Special Education Teacher – Elementary & Secondary

Title: Computer Lab Teacher
 
Mission Statement: To make a measurable difference in the lives of children who face behavioral and developmental challenges.
 
Position Summary: An employee in this role supports the Esther B. Clark School by teaching of technology skills and managing the production of any school publications, including but not limited to newspapers and the annual yearbook.

Position Description:
 Developing, Teaching, and Adapting Technology Curriculum
 Adapt technology curriculum into core lesson plans and deliver these lessons to students through the course of a year-round school calendar. 
 Assess student knowledge and understanding through tests and surveys. 
 Encourage student development of skills in the use of instructional technology resources.
 Integrate lessons with key skills from previous classes to develop students’ ability to meet core technology standards and scaffold learning.  
 Archive on CD-rom students’ work, assignments, and test resoults periodically throughout the school year.
 Training, Modeling and Assisting Teachers in integrating technology in the classroom to improve student achievement.
 Coordinate and/or provide training and support to school staff in network and software use.
 Collaborate with teaching staff to develop curriculum materials and specific lesson plans that integrate technology.
 Conduct staff development in the areas of technology integration, the California Computer/Technology Skills Curriculum and the California Technology Competencies for Educators.
 Model effective use of technology in the classroom for teachers.
 Develop a technology resource center containing hardware, software, courseware, and instructional support materials such as books, periodicals, and video-tapes to support school staff in integrating technology in the classroom.
 Assist educators in the use of computer software tools such as word processing, PowerPoint, data bases and spreadsheets as part of their instruction and records management.
 Provide inservice training and retraining of educators in activity-oriented, hands-on programs that will improve the quality of application of technology to instruction and instructional management.  Ongoing training, support and resources necessary to assist teachers in the integration of the use of assessments, examples of successful curriculum and activities used in other schools, management models for the technology and strategies to encourage teachers new to the use of technology.
 Follow a plan for professional development and actively seeks out opportunities to grow professionally.
 Facilitate staff participation in the evaluation and selections of new software, hardware and materials to support instructional objectives.
 Planning and Facilitating Information Access and Delivery
 Implement best practices related to technology use in the school program based on research, pilot programs and state/national standards.
 Work with the School Director and School Operations Team in the selection of resources that are compatible with the school technology infrastructure.
 Assist with planning the design of the technology infrastructure so that information resources are continually available to the school community.
 Adhere to and communicates copyright as well as other laws and guidelines pertaining to the distribution and ethical use of all resources.
 Planning and Facilitating Program Administration
 Provides leadership and collaborates with school staff (including Occupational Therapist, Speech Therapist, Art Therapist, Music Therapist) to develop and implement, and update a school instructional technology plan addressing both group and individual student needs.
 Collaborates with teaching staff and students to evaluate and select resources addressing curricular needs and IEP goals.
 Leads in the ongoing evaluation of the effectiveness of the instructional technology curriculum.

Job Requirements:
 Working knowledge of CA state curriculum standards
 Working knowledge of curriculum and alignment of Computer Lab
 Instruction with state standards.
 Experience in providing training for adults
 Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain professional working relationships with staff.
 Organizational and leadership skills.
 Strong verbal and written communication skills.
Ability to work with students with special needs and staff in a creative, flexible, and productive manner.
 Current CA teacher credential or emergency credential eligible.
 Experience in developing and implementing curricula that incorporate technology.
 Ability to adapt curriculum to meet the individual needs of students.
 Knowledge of special education.
 Experience with PC and Apple computers and knowledge of educational software.
 Ability to troubleshoot hardware and software.
 Ability to develop and manage web sites.
 Three years of teaching or educational software development experience.
 Successful completion of Handle With Care Training.
 Ability to operate computer equipment, moving and lifting computer equipment and related peripherals.
 Educational Requirements: Bachelor of humanities, education, or computer science required. Masters degree in educational technology or user interface design preferred. Two years experience in teaching special needs students preferable.

Job Location: Palo Alto, California Contact: Karen Breslow School: Esther B. Clark School  Phone:  650-322-3065 Fax:  650-322-4329 Email: QNguyen@chconline.org Home Page:  www.chconline.org   

 Location: Bloomfield, NJ  Job Category: Special Education Teacher – Elementary Title: TEACHER OF THE HANDICAPPED

Position Description:
 
Private, non-profit day school for behaviorally disabled students, ages 5-21, is seeking energetic, enthusiastic individuals to join our caring, compassionate & dedicated team. Teachers provide academic & social skills instruction in small classes of approx. six students. Certified Teacher of the Handicapped required. Staff development training provided. Exciting opportunity for professional growth. Competitive salary and excellent benefits package offered.

Mail or fax resume with cover letter to: Clara Litovsky, M.A., Chief School Administrator Child Development Center 60 West Street Bloomfield, NJ 07003 Fax #: 973-680-9650 AA/EOE
 
 
Job Location: Bloomfield, NJ
Contact: Clara Litovsky
School:  Child Development Center

Address: 60 West Street
City:  Bloomfield  State: NY  Zip Code:  07003

Phone: 973-429-8110  Ext. 41 Fax:  973-680-9650 Email: micheles@thecdcnj.org Home Page:  www.thecdcnj.org   

 Location: Washington, D.C.  Job Category: Special Education Teacher – Elementary Title: Special Education Teachers Grades Pre K thru 12 Wanted!!!

Position Description:
 
56 DC Public Charter Schools seeking candidates to fill special education teaching positions for grades pre-K through 12. Experienced candidates preferred. To learn more about these and other positions, we invite you to attend the DC Public Charter Schools Job Fair on Saturday March 19, 2005 between 10:30am to 2:30pm at Howard University Blackburn Center. To apply, register for the fair or for more information visit: www.charterschooljobs.com .
 

Job Location: Washington, DC
 
Contact: Leslie Talbot
Agency:  K12connect, Inc.
Address: 2214 8th Ave Suite 102
City:  New York State:  NY Zip Code:  10026

Phone: 646-546-5377 
Fax:  646-349-2389
Email: ltalbot@k12connect.com
Home Page:  www.charterschooljobs.com
 
 

---

 
 
Location: Virginia
 
Job Category: Special Education Teacher 

Title:Special Education Teacher

Position Description:
Join a team of professionals dedicated to helping at-risk youth to improve their future.
 
Timber Ridge School is a 12 month residential treatment center licensed and fully approved by the Virginia Dept. of Education for adolescent boys experiencing emotional difficulties and/or learning disabilities. We are located in the beautiful Appalachian Mountains NW of Winchester, VA.
 
Responsibilities: Teach all subjects to middle school and high school students. Plans, develops, implements and evaluates a program of instruction to include the development of an individualized educational program, selection of instructional materials, classroom management, and progress evaluations. Advises residential staff with regard to individual student learning needs and methods or techniques to meet those needs. Participates in the overall assessment of each student’s needs, program, and progress.
 
Requires: Certification or ability for certification in Virginia. Successful candidate will have or agree to gain endorsement in special education (Ed or LD). Experience in teaching preferred. Teachers without Special Education endorsement but willing to pursue endorsement are encouraged to apply. Primary hours are 8:30am – 4:00pm Mon-Fri.
 
Salary Range: Starting salary $34,094 – $44,066 (based upon experience, certification and endorsement). Salary range to $58,321. Excellent benefits package and outstanding leave plan. Tobacco and drug free environment EOE.
 
Contact: Cindy Marino
School:  Timber Ridge School
Address: PO Box 3160
City: Winchester  State: Virginia Zip Code: 22604

Phone: 540-888-3456 Ext. 220 
Fax:  540-888-4513 
Email: marino@trschool.org
School Home Page:  www.timber-ridge-school.org 
 
 
 

---

 
Location: California
 
Job Category: Special Education Teacher – Secondary

Title:Special Education Teacher

Position Description:

Olive Crest’s Therapeutic Education Center has an immediate opening at our Non-Pulic School in Perris, CA. The teacher is responsible for classroom management and for the physical, psychological and social well-being of the students. The teacher is also responsible to carry out instruction for students according to each student’s IEP. A California Special Education Teaching Credential or Emergency Credential are required for this full time position. Benefits are available after the first 90 days of full time employment. To apply for this position, please contact Stacy Brooks at stacy-brooks@olivecrest.org. You may also fax a resume to 714-972-8952 for consideration.
 
Contact: Stacy Brooks

School:  Olive Crest – Therapeutic Education Center

Address: 2130 E. Fourth St #200

City:  Santa Ana  State:  California Zip Code:  92705

Phone: 714-543-5437 
Fax:  714-972-8952 
Email: stacy-brooks@olivecrest.org
 
School Home Page:  www.olivecrest.org
 
 

---

 
Location: California
 
Job Category: Special Education Teacher – Secondary

Title:Probationary Jr./Sr. High School Special Education Resource Teacher for 2005-2006 SchoolYear
 
Position Description:
Under the direction of the principal or designee, provide instruction, assessment and program planning for special education students; monitor and evaluate student progress and behavior, research, obtain and provide instructional materials for special education services; serve as an informational resource for students, parents, district personnel and community organizations.
 
Contact: Grace Carcerano
School District:  Calistoga Joint Unified School District
Address: 1520 Lake Street
City:  Calistoga    State:  California Zip Code:  94515

Phone:  707-942-4703 
Fax:  707-942-6589 

Email:  carceranog@calistoga.k12.ca.us
 
School District Home Page:  www.calistoga.k12.ca.us
To top
 
 
 

To top

Acknowledgements

“Portions of this e-mail newsletter were excerpted from:

• Committee on Education and the Workforce
• FirstGov.gov-The Official U.S. Government Web Portal
• The National Center on Secondary Education and Transition
• The National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth
• The National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities
• The National Institute of Health
• The National Organization on Disability
• U.S. Department of Education
• U.S. Department of Education-The Achiever
• U.S. Department of Education-The Education Innovator
• U.S. Department of Labor
• U.S. Office of Special Education
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• Wrightslaw.com

The National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET) thanks all of the above for the information provided for this month’s e-Journal

To top